Why You Should Build to Sell Your Micro-business

Build to Sell, Even If You Swear You Never Will

The best part of being your boss? You don’t have to deal with Doug from Sales or Diane from HR’s "fun" icebreakers. It's just you, your laptop, and the sweet, sweet silence of not giving a damn about the company softball tournament.

If you’re a maker, bootstrapper, or Indiemaker regular, you probably thrive flying solo. Keyboard clicking, terminal open, 14 tabs on Stack Overflow, bliss.

But here’s the kicker: even if you love your cosy little work bubble, you'd better build your business as if some stranger might own it someday.

Yes, even if the thought makes you dry heave.

"I'm Not Selling!" (Cool Story, Bro)

"Why would I sell my baby?" you ask. "No one else understands the elegance of my code or the blood rituals it took to fix that caching bug!"

Look, I get it. It's like training for a marathon and then letting some rich idiot cross the finish line wearing Yeezys.

But reality doesn’t care about your feelings. Here's why you build to sell anyway.

1. Catastrophe Doesn’t Send a Calendar Invite

You’re cruising along, sipping your third coffee, when – bam – Apple bans your app. Your landlord triples your rent. You get sideswiped by real life: illness, a family emergency, or pure bad luck.

When – not if – chaos hits, would your business be buyable? Or would it be a rat’s nest of half-finished ideas, "WIP" docs, and mystery Stripe payouts tangled with your side hustles?

Building clean now means less scrambling later. Start with:

Incorporating properly (Stripe Atlas is your friend)
Keeping a squeaky clean P&L (monthly revenue streams, clear breakdowns)
Documenting your processes like you're handing them to a hungover intern
Separating personal and business expenses (seriously)
Making deployments dummy-proof

The boring stuff today saves you from begging tomorrow.

2. Buyers Think Like Sharks, Not Fans

You're proud of your clever backend. A buyer? They couldn't care less. They aim for stable MRR, minimal churn, and zero founder dependency.

Imagine yourself on the other side of the deal table. Would you buy a business if:

No one but the founder knows how to deploy an update?
The financials look like a crime scene?
Growth depends on one person, Steve, remembering to run Facebook ads?

No? Exactly.

3. You Might Want Out – Even If You Don't Know It Yet

Right now, your app is your baby. Two years from now? You might be sick of babysitting.

Maybe you want to fund your next idea. Maybe you're burnt out. Perhaps you'd like to enjoy sipping margaritas without worrying about server uptime.

If your business is sell-ready, you have options. If it's a mess, you're stuck.

Gritty Reality Check

One founder I know built a $5k MRR SaaS – solid product, loyal customers. But he duct-taped payments across Stripe, PayPal, and two banks. When he tried to sell? Six months of agony, and buyers ran for the hills.

Meanwhile, his buddy cleaned up his $4k MRR app with a simple P&L and clear handover docs – sold for $150k in three weeks.

Preparation isn't just smart. It's money.

Contrarian Thought: Maybe You Shouldn't Sell At All

Building to sell doesn't mean you're flipping tomorrow. Maybe the more brilliant move is to build something durable. Own it for ten years. Stack profits while everyone else chases the next shiny thing.

Or here's an even sharper twist: Maybe the real move is building microbusinesses specifically to flip every 18 months. Fast cycles. Fast cash. Small bets instead of soul-crushing, all-in marathons.

Both strategies work – if you’re honest about what you want.

And yet... the habits that make a business sellable – tight operations, clean books, solid systems – make it stronger to keep.

Exit-ready or life-long, you win either way.

Final Word: Build Smart, Stay Ready

Dream big. Build weird. Go solo if you love it. But run your business like it might have to survive without you tomorrow. Because one day? It might have to.

And when that day comes, you'll either high-five your past self, or curse them for being sloppy.

You can either cash out on your terms or get fire-sold for pennies while life kicks you in the teeth. Your call, chief.

Choose wisely.

P.S. If you’re unsure where to start cleaning up your microbusiness, check out the resources on Indiemaker. Actual advice, minus the startup hustle Kool-Aid.