How the race works
The rules, in plain English.
Short on purpose. If something here is unclear, ask us and we will make it clearer for everyone.
Who can enter
Any company with one human owner who does the work, anywhere in the world. Nobody else works for the company full-time, whether on payroll or as a contractor. Freelancers hired for a particular job are fine. Software and AI agents are not only allowed, they are the point.
Pre-revenue companies are welcome. One company per founder: if you run several, enter the one you want to race with.
Your number stays private
You tell us one figure: your average monthly revenue, meaning what customers pay you in a typical month, in US dollars. The last three months is a good guide. Count all of it, however you are paid: card payments, bank transfers, PayPal, invoices.
We never publish that figure, and we never show it to other founders, the press or anyone else. It is used for one thing: working out which range your company appears in.
How a company is valued
Everyone is valued the same, deliberately simple way: value = 4 × yearly revenue, where yearly revenue is your monthly figure times 12. So a company earning $5,000 a month earns $60,000 a year and is valued at $240,000.
This is not an appraisal, and it is not what anyone would pay for your company. Real valuations depend on profit, growth and much else. Four times revenue is simply a fair, easy yardstick that lets every company in the race be compared the same way.
The ranges
The board shows only the range your value falls in. The ranges are generous on purpose:
| Value range | Average monthly revenue |
|---|---|
| Under $50K | under $1,042 |
| $50K – $100K | $1,042 to $2,083 |
| $100K – $250K | $2,083 to $5,208 |
| $250K – $500K | $5,208 to $10,417 |
| $500K – $750K | $10,417 to $15,625 |
| $750K – $1M | $15,625 to $20,833 |
| $1M – $2.5M | $20,833 to $52,083 |
| $2.5M – $5M | $52,083 to $104,167 |
| $5M – $7.5M | $104,167 to $156,250 |
| $7.5M – $10M | $156,250 to $208,333 |
| $10M – $25M | $208,333 to $520,833 |
| $25M – $50M | $520,833 to $1.04M |
| $50M – $75M | $1.04M to $1.56M |
| $75M – $100M | $1.56M to $2.08M |
| $100M – $250M | $2.08M to $5.21M |
| $250M – $500M | $5.21M to $10.42M |
| $500M – $750M | $10.42M to $15.62M |
| $750M – $1B | $15.62M to $20.83M |
| $1B and up | $20.83M or more |
Within a range, verified companies are listed first, then in the order they entered. There are no numbered places: within a range, nobody is ahead of anybody.
Self-reported and verified
Every figure starts as self-reported, and we trust founders to be honest. A company can also be verified, which means we have seen evidence for its range. Verified companies carry a badge. There are two ways to be verified:
- Through PrivateChief, free. If your company runs on PrivateChief, you can let us look at the revenue totals in your PrivateChief Books for the last three months. We read nothing else.
- By independent review. For any company, however it is paid: we review statements you send us, confirm your range, then delete them. This is opening soon.
Verification confirms the range, never the exact figure, and nothing about it is published except the badge. A badge lasts a year, and comes off if you move to a different range, until we check the new one.
Milestones
Each time your company moves into a higher range for the first time, you earn a milestone badge, and the community gets to cheer it. Badges stay on your page even if a later month is quieter.
The finish line
A billion-dollar one-person company, by our yardstick, is one valued at $1 billion: about $250 million a year in revenue, or roughly $20.8 million a month, while still a company of one. When a company reports that, we will verify it before anyone celebrates.
The weekly feature
Each week we choose one founder with an interesting story and, with their permission, write a press release about them that goes on The Vibesies and to journalists through our press partner. The founder gives us a quote and approves every word before anything is published. Nobody is featured, or asked, twice. Revenue figures are never mentioned; a verified range may be.
Founding entrants
The first 100 companies to enter carry a numbered Founding entrant badge for good.
No fees, no prizes
Entering is free. There are no cash prizes. The rewards are recognition: badges, a place on the board, the weekly feature, our stories and reports, and the yearly Vibesies awards. If prizes are ever added, they will come with written official rules first.
Fair play
Figures must be honest and revenue must come from real customers. Entering a company that is not a company of one, or a figure you know to be wrong, gets a company removed. We may ask for a short call or a document to confirm an entry, and we may hide a company or an update that breaks these rules or the house rules.
Your data
Your monthly figure is stored privately and is never shown, sold or shared. You can change it whenever you like, and deleting your account deletes it. More in our privacy policy.