In today’s blog, we’ll be taking a look at how to take your startup from a concept to an MVP. Imagine there are two founders, each going along their own journey. One of them is extremely intelligent and understands all the best practices needed to succeed. The other is a little less intelligent, he is going about things for the first time as he has not done something like this before. Throughout the blog, we’ll compare each of these two founders so that you will understand the pros and cons of the actions that each of these founders will make towards the growth of their business.
The Importance of Quick Iteration
Once the product is in your customer’s hands, you can figure out whether it is beneficial for them or not. Do not do several surveys, interviews and contact all your competitors. Spending years fundraising and hiring several people are all the wrong ways to do it. While they may seem smart, you’ll be missing the point of an MVP. That doesn’t mean the thing you build in your MVP will work—it probably won’t. But it’s the best way to start the conversation with your user about solving their problems.
Pre-launch Startup Goals
To summarize that point, the goal for an early-stage founder should be to get a product out into the world quickly—a minimum viable product. Second, talk to initial customers and figure out how to make that product useful to them. Care about helping them achieve their goals, and iterate on your product to support those goals. Then, rinse and repeat: talk to more users, iterate the product, and repeat. More often than not, after three, four, five, or six iterations, your MVP will look very different, but you’ll have learned so much.
By having conversations with users and letting them see the product evolve, you make them more excited, more likely to use and pay for your product. You learn 10 times more than just talking to your co-founders or thinking in your head.
Today, a lot of people are knocking MVPs, talking about minimum “lovable” products or minimum “useful” products. Some founders want to build God-level products like Steve Jobs making the iPhone and changing the world. Don’t be deterred from starting small with something that doesn’t work perfectly. As a founder, you may feel that showing a customer a small product that they do not end up liking means that they won’t be able to reach that customer again.
The truth is that if a customer is okay with talking to a startup, they understand that the first product version may not work well and they have made their peace with this. The bigger picture is that they want a solution to be perfected over time.
Founders’ Biggest Fear
The biggest fear founders have is that if they give people a product and they don’t like it, boom—the company dies. But this fear is often unrealistic. Your company doesn’t die overnight if a customer doesn’t like the product. You can reach out to someone else, improve the product, and try again. Your startup isn’t dead just because the first version doesn’t land.
Spending a year building your MVP because you’re afraid of initial feedback is a mistake. Some founders think they know what the perfect product is, and they say, “Why build a bad version? I know it’ll take a year to build the right one.” I call these folks “fake Steve Jobs.”
There’s a misconception about great product creators like Steve Jobs. The iPhone wasn’t perfect on the first try—no app store, no video, only 2G internet. The first iPod had a physical scroll wheel that got stuck. Even Steve Jobs’ products improved over time.
If you’re being a “fake Steve Jobs,” thinking you need to raise millions and spend a year building the perfect product, think again.
Examples of Software MVPs
Now, let’s look at some examples. In all of these, you’ll see three points. First, these products were built fast. Second, they had very limited functionality. Third, they appealed to a small set of users who loved them.
There were no payments on Airbnb—you had to arrange them separately. Without map view, you weren’t able to see where places were in the city. You had to stay on an air mattress—no renting out whole houses or rooms—and it only worked for conferences. They’d spin it up in a city for a conference and then spin it down afterward. That was the MVP.
If we consider Twitch, the first version had only one page, one streamer (Justin), and no video games except for the occasional Guitar Hero session. Streaming was expensive, and the video system was not built yet. That was the first version of Twitch.
The first version of Stripe was called Slashdev/Payments. They had no fancy bank deal and had to file manual paperwork every night to set up accounts. The API was so basic that even Twitch couldn’t use it back then, but it was enough for early-stage startups to accept simple credit card payments. That was Stripe’s MVP.
Solving Hair On Fire Problems
You might ask, “Who would want to use these MVPs that don’t work well?” Imagine your hair is on fire right now. What would you want? Probably a bucket of water—that’s like the iPhone today. But you don’t have that. As a founder, you have an MVP that’s selling a brick. Now, what would you do if your hair was on fire, and all you had was a brick? You’d probably use that brick to smash a window or create a way to get to a water source quickly. It’s not the ideal solution, but it’s enough to solve your immediate problem. This is what a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is like—it’s not the perfect solution, but it’s enough to start solving the customer’s problem in some way.
The goal is to find users whose problem is so intense that they’re willing to use a product that’s far from perfect. These are your “hair-on-fire” customers. They need the solution badly enough that they’ll forgive your product’s flaws, use it anyway, and give you feedback so you can improve it. Over time, through iteration and working closely with these customers, you can turn that brick into the bucket of water they really want.
So, the next time you’re thinking about building an MVP, think about this: You don’t need to build the best product from day one. You just need to build something that solves a pressing problem, even if imperfectly, and get it into the hands of people who are desperate for a solution. As long as you’re engaging with those early adopters, learning from them, and improving over time, you’ll be on the path to building something great.
- Get your MVP out quickly.
- Find those hair-on-fire users who need even a flawed solution.
- Iterate, listen, and improve based on their feedback.
That’s how you build a successful MVP and move your startup forward.
Now, let’s talk about how to find your hair-on-fire customers. These are people who are already looking for solutions to their problems, and they’re often willing to experiment with new products, even if those products are rough around the edges. You can find these customers in a few ways:
Online Communities: Go to forums, social media groups, or niche communities where people talk about the problem your product solves.
Cold Outreach: Don’t be afraid to reach out to potential customers directly. Email, LinkedIn, or even Twitter DMs can be effective ways to get in front of people who might need your solution.
Pre-launch Signups: If you’ve got a website or landing page, collect emails from people who are interested in your product. These early signups are often your most engaged users.
When you do find these customers, focus on learning from them. Set up user interviews, observe how they interact with your product, and ask them detailed questions. You’re not just looking for feedback on what’s wrong—you’re also trying to understand the context in which they’re using your product and why they’re willing to use it despite its imperfections. This will help you prioritize improvements and understand where the real value lies.
Some users will ask for features that won’t actually solve their problem, while others may point out critical flaws that need to be addressed immediately. Prioritize feedback that focuses on solving the core problem, and be cautious of feature creep. Your MVP is supposed to stay lean and focused.
Here’s a final tip, stay transparent with your early customers. Let them know you’re still in the early stages of development, and thank them for helping shape the product. Most users appreciate being part of the process and are more forgiving of flaws when they feel like their input is valued.
Now, let’s move on to iterating on your MVP. Once you’ve launched and have feedback coming in, your next job is to continuously improve. The beauty of starting with an MVP is that you’ve built a foundation that allows you to pivot and adjust quickly without the baggage of unnecessary features.
Iterate in Small Steps: Don’t try to overhaul your product in one go. Focus on small, manageable changes that directly address user pain points. This way, you can continue to validate each improvement with your customers.
Measure Everything: Track how users are engaging with your product. Use tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, or Hotjar to understand what’s working and what isn’t. Data-driven decision-making is essential to stay on the right track.
A/B Testing: If you’re not sure whether a change will work, consider running A/B tests to compare different versions of your product or features. This helps you experiment with minimal risk and lets the data speak for itself.
As you iterate, keep asking yourself and your team one question: “Are we solving the core problem better?”. This is your North Star. It’s easy to get distracted by new ideas, requests, or even the competition, but your focus should remain on solving that one core problem that your customers are experiencing.
Finally, let’s talk about scaling. Once your MVP has gained traction, and you’ve refined it based on user feedback, it’s time to think about growth. Here are a few tips for scaling up:
Optimize for Performance: As you grow, your product needs to handle more users and data. Invest in optimizing your infrastructure, ensuring your app or service is fast and reliable.
Automate Where Possible: Whether it’s customer support, marketing, or internal processes, automation can help you scale without exponentially increasing your workload. Tools like chatbots, email marketing automation, and even CRMs can help lighten the load.
Invest in Marketing: Experiment with different channels—whether it’s paid ads, content marketing, or social media campaigns—and find what works for your target audience. But don’t forget the value of word-of-mouth and referrals, which are often the most effective form of growth for early-stage startups.
Scaling also means bringing in more people. As your startup grows, you’ll likely need to expand your team. My advice here is to hire slowly and with intention. Every new hire should have a clear purpose and impact on your business, especially in the early stages.
Lastly, don’t forget about your exit strategy. Whether you’re aiming for an acquisition, IPO, or simply a profitable business that can run itself, it’s essential to have a clear idea of what success looks like for you.