Define Your MVP: How to Build Smart and Learn Fast

We often see people hesitate when we break down a big vision into an MVP. Most have heard the acronym, but there’s often confusion about what it really means. A Minimum Viable Product is your idea stripped down to its core—just enough to make it useful for your users while solving a real problem.

Everything Can Have an MVP

Why? Because startups and new ventures are like explorers navigating uncharted waters. Nobody knows exactly where the journey will lead. That’s the key difference between launching a startup and, say, opening a bakery (nothing against bakeries!).

In a world of uncertainty, learning is crucial for success. And structured learning works best. Think about preparing for an exam: you start with the basics before moving on to advanced topics. Building a company works the same way.

You need to figure out: What’s the core assumption you need to test? What’s the one thing that could make or break your product?

Examples: You think there's a market for a subscription-based fitness app. Instead of building a full platform, an MVP could be a simple WhatsApp group where you send daily workouts and get feedback.

The Big Misconception

Many people push back, saying, “But my product is different. People won’t understand it if it’s too stripped down.” This is where a big misunderstanding happens. Each part of MVP matters:

• Minimum: Built with the least amount of effort.
• Viable: Still provides value to customers.
• Product: Something real that people can actually use.

Nobody wants to use a product that’s not viable. But the key is to focus on the core value proposition. This is where the MVP shines. It’s not about building a half-baked product; it’s about creating something that solves a real problem for your users. With minimum effort.

Do What Doesn’t Scale

A common trap is trying to build a system that scales perfectly before even having a single user. Of course, it’s great to have infrastructure capable of handling millions of customers. But does that matter if you only have ten?

Take Facebook, for example. In its early days, it didn’t start with a globally distributed architecture. Instead, it had separate databases for each university. Was it a great scaling solution? Not really. But did it work? Absolutely.

That’s why we love the Do What Doesn’t Scale mindset. Early on, it’s more important to validate demand than to optimize efficiency. If you’re starting a grocery delivery service, you know you can’t personally shop and deliver for thousands of customers. But if you only have five? Maybe you can. And by doing so, you’ll learn exactly what works and what doesn’t—before investing in automation and logistics at scale.

The Name Doesn’t Matter—The Learning Does

Depending on your background, different terms might make the concept of an MVP clearer. A Minimum Viable Prototype might make sense if you're focused on experimentation—something quick and dirty to test an idea. If you’re a software engineer, the term Minimum Viable Monolith might resonate more—it’s a simple, fully functional system that isn’t designed to scale just yet, but works well enough to prove the concept.

But in the end, it’s not about what you call it. Whether you prefer Minimum Viable Prototype, Minimum Viable Monolith, or something else entirely, the goal is always the same: solve real problems in the smartest way possible.

The framework you use isn’t as important as the mindset you bring. Focus on learning, testing, and iterating—because that’s what really leads to success.