The 3 MVP Mistakes We See Every Startup Make

After helping dozens of startups build their first products, we've noticed the same three mistakes come up again and again.

Mistake 1: Building too much

An MVP is not version 1.0 of your product. It's the smallest thing you can build to test your core assumption. If your MVP takes more than 6-8 weeks to build, it's not minimal enough.

Mistake 2: Testing too late

Don't wait until the product is built to talk to users. Test your assumptions with prototypes, landing pages, even paper sketches. The earlier you learn, the cheaper the lesson.

Mistake 3: Solving the wrong problem

The most expensive mistake is building a beautiful solution to a problem nobody has. Spend time in the problem space before jumping to solutions. Interview potential users. Understand their current workarounds. Only then should you start designing.