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MP
Mike Perham
Sidekiq
How I built a $1M+ business selling open source software
4 years
$100K ARR
Communities
Growth channel
Solo founder
Founder
Founder
MP
Mike Perham
Solo founderβ’Technicalβ’USA
Commitment
Side projectExperience
ExperiencedProduct
Simple, efficient background processing for Ruby applications.
Type
SaaSIndustry
Developer toolsModel
SubscriptionMarketing strategy
How Mike acquired customers
Growth channel
Communities
Also used
SEO / ContentWord of mouth
Tech Stack
Tools used to build Sidekiq
RubyRedisStripe
The full story
Sidekiq started as an open source project in 2012. I was frustrated with existing Ruby background job solutions and built something better.
The Open Source Strategy
I released Sidekiq for free as open source. It quickly became popular because it was faster and simpler than alternatives. Once it had traction, I created Sidekiq Pro with advanced features for $750/year.
Building in the Open
The community helped make Sidekiq better. Bug reports, feature requests, and contributions all came from users. This created a flywheel - better product, more users, more feedback.
- 2012: Launch (free)
- 2013: Sidekiq Pro launch
- 2014: $10K MRR
- 2017: $1M ARR
- 2023: ~$2M ARR as a solo founder
The Model
Open core works. Give away the core product, charge for enterprise features. The free users become your marketing team.
Key Takeaways
1
Open source can be a business model
2
Solve a real pain point for developers
3
Free users are your best marketers
4
Enterprise features justify premium pricing
Originally published onMike Perham Blog
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Milestone Journey
Mike achieved 3 milestones on the path to $100K ARR
First customer
7 days
February 2012
77% faster
vs median 1 month+1 year to next milestone
$10K MRR
$10,000
2 years
February 2014
Avg: 1 year
+2 years to next milestone
$100K ARR
$100,000
4 years
February 2016
Avg: 2 years
4 years
Total journey time
3
Milestones achieved
Against every documented journey
Mike Perham reached $10K MRR in 2.0 years, faster than 20% of the 295 documented $10K journeys (median 12 months). The amber bar is this journey.
Mike's Path to $100K ARRPremium
The journey, decisions, and context behind this milestone
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Sidekiq make?
Sidekiq reports $2.9M ARR as of December 2024. $2.9M ARR in 2024 (up from $2M in 2023). Open-core model (Pro + Enterprise). 2025 figure not published. Source: Founder blog.
What is Sidekiq?
Simple, efficient background processing for Ruby applications. It operates in Developer tools.
How long did it take Sidekiq to reach $100k arr?
Mike Perham took 4 years to reach $100k arr with Sidekiq.
Was Mike Perham a solo founder?
Yes. Mike Perham built Sidekiq as a solo founder.
What marketing channel did Sidekiq use to grow?
Sidekiq grew primarily through Communities.
What industry is Sidekiq in?
Sidekiq operates in Developer tools.
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