How I sold my first SaaS

When I first started working on Unrealme (SaaS to create fun photos of yourself), I didn’t expect it to be a huge success, I wanted to experiment with AI for faces and see what would happen. 

I monetized it, I made profits and then I decided to sell it. I sold unrealme in a few weeks (that was last year) after I listed it for sales. And even though it wasn’t a game-changer, the process still taught me some invaluable lessons about building, marketing, and knowing when to move on.

Here’s the full story of how I made it happen—and what I learned along the way.

Unrealme addressed a fun issue—AI-generated profile pictures—but I wasn’t fully convinced on how to grow it in the long-term (you know, having a PMF doesn't mean earning money if you don't have the right distribution). I knew it solved a need (look at how photoAI performs), but I didn’t feel confident enough to commit to marketing it. I surfed the AI wave.

So, instead of pushing forward, I decided to test the SaaS selling process and see if someone else might take it further.

I got the product out there quickly to see if there was real demand. The early sales and traffic were clear signs that it had potential, and that’s what buyers look for—a product that’s already shown it fits the market.

By offering a basic MVP (minimum viable product), I was able to gather real-world insights, tweak the product based on feedback, and validate that people would pay for AI-generated profile pictures. This kind of market validation is a key indicator that your SaaS is promising and will appeal to future buyers.

Listing it for sale

When it comes to selling your SaaS, the easiest way is to list it on selling platforms.

For unrealme.io, I used platforms like Acquire and Microns.io. These platforms are great because they attract buyers specifically looking for smaller-scale businesses like mine. Plus, they make it easy to share your finances, which means less back-and-forth with buyers and more serious inquiries.

But it’s not because you want to sell that you’ll find a buyer. For instance, I tried to sell my SaaS Apiforai.io but I didn’t find a buyer 🥲. Since I sold Unrealme on Microns, it seems they don’t accept anymore MicroSaaS without revenue yet.

I didn’t find good listing platforms to sell micro SaaS without revenue —> there might be an opportunity here…

Also, another way to sell it is to post about it on social media, or to reach out to potential buyers (If you have a microSaaS you want to sell that is for real estate or entrepreneurs/creators, you can reach out to me).

Setting the right price 

When I sold unrealme.io, I wasn’t aiming for a massive exit. But I wanted to make sure the price reflected the time and effort I put into it. I based the pricing on a combination of my revenue ($500 in three months) and the time spent to build it. To be completely transparent I sold it for less than I wanted, but I wanted to sell fast because I thought it was just a trend. I sold it for 3k€.

Instead of aiming too high and scaring off buyers, choose a fair price that made sense for both sides.
It’s essential to be realistic—don’t overvalue your SaaS if you want to sell fast. For instance, no revenue SaaS won’t be sold for a lot of money, not anymore as tech becomes easier.

And if you earn money with it, asks yourself why you want to sell. It might be better to keep it and maybe sell it later at a higher price.

After second thoughts, I think I shouldn’t have sell unrealme, but the architecture was done in a bad way, and it cost me around 60€ per month just to run it even with no client, a bit high if you aren’t sure you can make sale.

The Transition

Another crucial part of the process is ensuring a smooth transition when handing over your SaaS.

Usually, when you sell your SaaS you have a transition phase, between several days to several years depending on the history of your SaaS and the deal you made. In my case, I transferred the code, and wrote documentation about everything. It was quite easy, the buyer asked a few questions and that was it.

Well, if you’re on your own SaaS journey and thinking about selling, I hope my experience with unrealme gives you some helpful insights. Remember, every step is a learning opportunity—even the exit :). I’m happy I sold a SaaS as now I have an idea of the full process.

And you, have you tried to sell a SaaS? Was it a success?

(If you sell a micro SaaS, let me know, who knows if I can find you a buyer?)