Your MVP Isn't Minimal, Viable, or a Product

"We'll just build an MVP."

Every time I hear this, I know I'm about to see a bloated feature list disguised as a "minimal" product. Let's be honest - you're not building an MVP. You're building your entire product vision and calling it "minimal" to feel better about it.

The MVP Death Spiral

Here's how it always goes:

  1. Initial MVP Plan:
  • User authentication
  • Basic dashboard
  • Core feature
  • Simple reporting
  1. One Week Later: "Oh, we also need..."
  • Social login
  • Team permissions
  • Custom branding
  • Export to Excel
  • Mobile app
  • API access
  • Enterprise SSO
  1. Two Weeks Later: "It wouldn't be viable without..."
  • White labeling
  • Advanced analytics
  • Custom workflows
  • Integration with everything
  • AI-powered recommendations

Congratulations. Your "MVP" is now a full enterprise platform that would take 2 years to build.

Let's Talk About Minimal

You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.

Minimal means:

  • One core problem
  • One core solution
  • Nothing else

Not:

  • "Everything our competitors have"
  • "All the features users might want"
  • "The whole platform but simpler"

The Viability Lie

Here's a real conversation I had:

Founder: "Users won't accept it without feature X!" Me: "Have you asked them?" Founder: "No, but I know our market!" Me: "So you're guessing." Founder: "It's not viable without it!" Me: "You're solving problems you don't have yet."

Stop confusing "viable" with "complete."

Viable means:

  • Solves ONE real problem
  • Well enough that someone would use it
  • Even if everything else sucks

A Real MVP Story

Let me tell you about a real MVP I worked on:

Initial pitch: "Marketplace for freelance developers"

Their "MVP" spec:

  • User profiles
  • Project posting
  • Bidding system
  • Messaging
  • Payment processing
  • Review system
  • Time tracking
  • Contract generation
  • Dispute resolution
  • Escrow service

Reality check: "You're building Upwork. It took them years and millions of dollars."

What we actually built:

  • Google Form for project specs
  • Airtable for developer profiles
  • Manual matching via email
  • Stripe payment links

Ugly? Yes. Minimal? Yes. Viable? Made $50K in the first month.

THAT'S an MVP.

How to Actually Build an MVP

1. Find the Core Problem

Bad:

"Users need a better project management tool"

Good:

"Development teams waste 2 hours per day updating
tickets in multiple systems for different stakeholders"

2. Strip Everything Back

Bad approach:

Features needed:
- Gantt charts
- Resource management
- Time tracking
- Budget tracking
- Risk management
- Document storage
- Integration with everything

Good approach:

To stop duplicate updates we need:
- Create ticket
- Update status
- Auto-sync to other tools

That's it. Nothing else.

3. Set Real MVP Rules

MVP Rules:
1. If we can do it manually, we don't automate it
2. If users don't ask for it, we don't build it
3. If it's not solving the core problem, it's not included
4. No "nice to have" features
5. No "future proof" architecture
6. No "while we're at it" additions

The Features You Don't Need

Your MVP doesn't need:

  • User settings
  • Customization options
  • Multiple themes
  • Advanced reporting
  • Bulk operations
  • Import/export
  • API access
  • Mobile app

You know what successful products launched without?

  • Gmail: No folders/labels at launch
  • Instagram: No video at launch
  • Twitter: No threads, no retweets
  • Amazon: Only sold books

How to Know Your MVP Is Too Big

Red flags that your MVP isn't minimal:

  1. "Users might want..."
  2. "We should future-proof..."
  3. "While we're at it..."
  4. "Our competitors have..."
  5. "It's only a little extra work..."

If you're saying any of these, stop. You're not building an MVP.

The Real MVP Test

Ask yourself:

  1. Does it solve ONE clear problem?
  2. Could you launch with less?
  3. Are you embarrassed by how basic it is?

If you answered "no" to any of these, it's not an MVP.

A Real MVP Breakdown

Bad MVP:

Project Management Tool MVP:
- User authentication
- Project creation
- Task management
- Team collaboration
- File sharing
- Time tracking
- Reporting dashboard
- Mobile app

Good MVP:

Problem: Teams waste time updating multiple systems

MVP Solution:
1. Simple ticket form
2. Status updates
3. Automatic sync to Jira/Trello

That's it.

Not included:
- Fancy UI (use Bootstrap)
- User management (one shared login)
- Custom features (do it manually)
- Mobile app (use responsive web)
- Advanced reporting (use spreadsheets)

The Hard Truth

Your MVP should embarrass you a little. If it doesn't, it's not minimal enough.

Remember:

  • Minimal enough to build in weeks, not months
  • Viable enough to solve one problem well
  • Product enough to get real user feedback

Everything else is just your ego getting in the way.

Need help cutting your MVP down to what actually matters? Try Refinewise - we'll help you write tickets for what you need, not what you want. No signup needed.