The 5x Pricing Formula

What if you never needed to scale big - to sell big?

Stuart Faught has done it 20 times. And he'll tell you - that's exactly the wrong way to think about it.

Because what most SaaS founders don't realize… is that the real money isn't in building forever.

It's in knowing exactly when to let go.

Like the business he built, took to 100K ARR… and sold in 30 days flat.

Or the deals where buyers showed up with zero-down offers and five-year payment plans… and got politely - but firmly - shown the door.

Or the biggest mistake first-time SaaS buyers make - falling in love with the tech… when the only thing that actually grows the business is sales.

In this episode, Jaryd Krause sits down with Stuart Faught - serial micro SaaS entrepreneur who has built and exited over 20 software businesses across verticals like dental, HVAC, med spas, and home care. All bootstrapped. All profitable. All sold.

And this one gets real.

Into why Stuart never scales past 100K ARR before selling - and why that's a feature, not a limitation. Into what he'd look for if he were buying a SaaS business tomorrow - and the red flags that would make him walk. Into why non-technical buyers are actually better positioned to grow software companies than most people think.

But more importantly…

Stuart breaks down the exact repeatable system behind 20 clean exits - what makes a deal close fast, what kills it dead, and why simplicity is the most powerful thing a seller can offer a buyer.

No fluff. No theory. No "someday I'll do it big."

Just 20 exits deep of hard proof - from someone who's figured out the game… and keeps winning it.

🎧 Hit play - this is what a real SaaS exit machine actually looks like.

Episode Highlights

02:40 The 50K–100K ARR Sweet Spot: Why Stuart Sells Before Most Founders Even Get Started

07:04 The 5X Formula: How Stuart Consistently Prices and Closes 20 SaaS Exits

10:54 The Deal Structure That Serious Buyers Use (And the One That Gets You Ghosted Immediately)

16:09 You Don't Need to Be Technical to Own a Tech Company - Here's What Actually Matters

18:51 How to Do Due Diligence on a SaaS Business Like Someone Who's Sold 20 of Them

21:04 The Secret to Growing Any Sub-$1M Business That Most Buyers Completely Overlook

23:08 Why First-Time Founders Make the Best Buyers - And How Stuart Finds Them Before Listing

Key Takeaways

➥ You don't need to be technical to build, grow, or buy a SaaS business - sales and marketing skills matter far more.

➥ Targeting a 50K–100K ARR sweet spot before exiting allows for faster, cleaner deals without burnout or over-scaling.

➥ A 5X multiple on top-line revenue is a realistic and repeatable benchmark for micro SaaS exits in today's market.

➥ Keeping deal structures simple - at least 50% cash upfront with the remainder collected within 90 days - attracts serious buyers and closes deals faster.

➥ Talking to 3–5 customers during due diligence reveals more about a business's true health than financials alone ever will.

➥ Being an easy, honest, and respectful buyer is one of the most underrated competitive advantages in any acquisition process.

➥ Niching into a vertical SaaS doesn't trap you - adjacent markets and close-cousin industries create natural expansion paths when growth plateaus.

About Stuart Faught

Stuart Faught is a serial SaaS entrepreneur who has built and sold 20+ micro-SaaS businesses across verticals including dental, orthodontics, HVAC, med spas, and home care. Known for his rapid exit strategy, Stuart closes most deals in 30-45 days by creating clean documentation and targeting niche markets. He's founded multiple companies including Praze, PatientSnap, Caddy, and Covington.ai. Stuart specializes in vertical SaaS solutions and teaches founders how to build for exits, not endless scaling.

Connect with Stuart Faught

➥ https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-faught-59a5a76b/

Resource Links

➥ Connect with Jaryd here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarydkrause

➥ Buying Online Businesses Website - https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com

➥ Download the Due Diligence Framework - https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/freeresources/

➥ Sell your business to us here - https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/sell-your-business/

➥ Google Ads Service - https://buyingonlinebusinesses.com/ads-services/

Buy & Sell Online Businesses Here (Top Website Brokers We Use) 🔥

➥ Empire Flippers - https://bit.ly/3RtyMkE

➥ Flippa - https://bit.ly/3wGa8r5

➥ Motion Invest - https://bit.ly/3YmJAmO

➥ Investors Club - https://bit.ly/3ZpgioR

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