MVP in 2025: A Founder's Guide to Building What Actually Matters

Why MVP Isn't Just a First Step – It's the Foundation of a Smart Startup

Startups are risky by nature. Even the best ideas can fail if the launch takes too long or the budget is wasted on the wrong features. In a world where time is the most valuable resource and competition is growing fast, it’s crucial to go live quickly and keep costs low.

That’s where the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) comes in – a product built to test assumptions and gather real user feedback before your startup burns out in endless iterations.

So what is an MVP, really?

It’s not a small version of a big product. It’s a tool to test your hypothesis. The goal is to validate the market response as fast and as cheaply as possible.

Key things to remember:

• You don’t need a perfect product.
• You don’t need months polishing the UX.
• You don’t need to be afraid of launching something raw.

A real MVP should feel a bit embarrassing. It might look clunky, lack polish, and need explanations. But its job isn’t to impress — it’s to check if someone actually needs your product.

And before you write a single line of code — remember this:

Sales should come before development.

Even before no-code.

Try to sell the idea first — with a landing page, a pitch, even a simple payment form.

If someone’s willing to pay, that’s your green light to move forward. And when you’re ready – come to the devs, come to us — we’ll help turn it into a real product.

But if you can’t sell the idea without building it — maybe it’s time to rethink it.

Step 1: Your Idea and Hypothesis Validation

Goal: Make sure your product solves a real problem and that people are willing to pay for the solution.

How to do it:

1. Define your core hypothesis:
   • Example: "People will pay for a workout booking service."
   • Why this matters: If the core assumption is wrong, the whole product doesn't need to exist.
2. Ways to validate:
   • Landing pages and prototypes:
     • Tilda, Carrd – fast and simple pages.
     • Webflow – interactive early versions.
   • Surveys & Interviews:
     • Google Forms, Typeform – for quick insights.
   • Pre-orders:
     • Use Patreon, Kickstarter, or even Google Sheets to test willingness to pay.
   • Tiny payments:
     • Use Stripe or other simple forms to collect actual money.

How to know it’s working:

• [ ] People sign up or subscribe.
• [ ] People are willing to pay (not just click "Like").
• [ ] Users come back — early signs of retention.

Common mistakes:

• Testing overcomplicated hypotheses.
• Polishing presentations instead of testing real interest.
• Using the wrong channels to reach your target audience.

Step 2: Building a Clear MVP Roadmap

Goal: Stay focused and avoid endless development cycles.

How to do it:

1. Create a simple roadmap:
   • Phases: prototype → MVP → feedback → scaling.
   • Weekly sprints with visible output.
   • Use Trello, Notion, or Jira to track it all.
2. Feature Prioritization:
   • MoSCoW Method:
     • Must have: sign-up, payments.
     • Should have: support chat.
     • Could have: basic analytics.
     • Won’t have: animations or AI magic (for now).
   • Kano Model:
     • Split features into “must-haves” and “delight” features.

How to know it’s working:

• [ ] You have clear milestones.
• [ ] Every milestone has a success metric.
• [ ] Tasks are evenly distributed — no team burnout.

Common mistakes:

• Prioritizing the wrong features.
• Underestimating the time needed for refinement.
• Skipping feedback loops between iterations.

Step 3: Prototyping and Fast Launch

Goal: Build something functional fast to test with real users.

Before you start, understand why you’re building a prototype.

1. Core Prototype (foundation for your future product)

You’re confident in your direction and want to create a solid base. You’ll keep building on this.

Key focus:

• Project structure.
• Clean architecture.
• Scalable tech stack (e.g., Flutter, Node.js, Python).

When this applies:

• You already validated demand.
• You need to support real data or integrations from day one.

Good tech options:

• Flutter – cross-platform mobile.
• Python / FastAPI – fast APIs or AI/ML backends.
• Node.js / Next.js – scalable web apps.

2. Test Prototype (to explore and validate)

You’re not fully sure yet and want to test multiple ideas or flows.

Key focus:

• Speed over perfection.
• Quick interface creation.
• Low investment, easy to pivot.

When this applies:

• You’re validating interest or exploring concepts.
• You need quick feedback, not a perfect build.

Good tools:

• Tilda / Carrd – fast landing pages.
• Webflow – interactive MVPs.
• Bubble / Glide / Adalo – no-code platforms.
• Telegram bots / Airtable / Zapier – automate without developers.

How to know it’s working:

• [ ] Users can complete the main flow (e.g., sign up, book, pay).
• [ ] Product gives some value, even if it’s rough.
• [ ] You’re hearing from actual users — not just friends.

Common mistakes:

• Overengineering when it’s just an experiment.
• Trying to scale no-code instead of rewriting properly later.
• Focusing too much on design instead of feedback.
• Not knowing what you’re testing (idea, UX, model, or feature?).

If you're confident about your product, we’ll help you lay the right tech foundation. But first — let’s make sure someone wants it.

Step 4: Testing and Feedback

Goal: Learn what users actually think and whether they’ll pay.

How to do it:

1. Talk to users directly.
   • Run 5–10 short interviews (Zoom, voice messages, calls).
   • Ask: Why did they try it? What was useful? What was annoying? Would they pay for it?
2. Add a feedback button right in your product.
   • “What would you improve?”
   • “What’s missing for you?”
   • This could be via Telegram bot, Google Form, or email.
3. Track actions, not just words.
   • Who actually completed something (signup, form, checkout)?
   • Who returned at least once?
   • Who tried to pay?
4. Watch user behavior.
   • Use Hotjar / Fullstory (if web-based) to spot where users get stuck.
   • No-code platforms may offer simple click/session tracking.
5. A/B test if needed.
   • Trying 2 hypotheses? Launch both and compare traction.

📌 Want to dive deeper? Check out our article on idea validation.

How to know feedback is useful:

• [ ] Users say what exactly was confusing — not just “meh”.
• [ ] They return without being asked.
• [ ] Someone says, “Can you add this feature too?” — that’s a sign they care.

Common mistakes:

• Trusting numbers but ignoring behavior.
• Not asking the money question: “Would you pay for this?”
• Only getting feedback from friends who won’t be honest.

Step 5: Scaling Beyond MVP

Goal: Turn your MVP into a real, scalable product without starting from scratch.

How to do it:

1. Think ahead:
   • Use a scalable stack (e.g., Flutter + Firebase).
   • Design an architecture that’s ready for growth.
2. Prepare for load:
   • Enable autoscaling for your servers.
   • Use a CDN to deliver content faster.
   • Optimize your database for growing users.
3. Document everything:
   • Architecture diagrams.
   • Clear onboarding for new developers.

Curious about CDNs and more? We've got a tech glossary for founders

How to know you’re ready to scale:

• [ ] Architecture handles more users without crashing.
• [ ] Product runs fine during traffic spikes.
• [ ] Your team can ship new features without chaos.

Common mistakes:

• Scaling before validating demand.
• Ignoring performance issues early on.
• Lacking documentation — which slows everything down.

Final Takeaways

✅ MVP isn’t about beauty — it’s about survival.

✅ Don’t build castles. Build bridges to the market.

✅ Think about tech debt early.

✅ Track what really matters — engagement and value.

✅ Perfectionism kills startups faster than mistakes.

Ready to build smarter and faster?

Don’t waste your time and budget. Book a free consultation with Cherrypick experts and get:

• A review of your idea and MVP plan.
• Support at every step — from hypothesis to scaling.
• Real advice based on real projects.

📅 Book a free consultation