Truly Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Earlier in July 2012, I gave a talk on Hiring, Firing and Cofounders in Chicago. This is something love, both because the people and food in Chicago are excellent working with startups is one of my favorite things to do. Perhaps this explains why I have been mentoring startups for years at this point.

After my talk, I was speaking to a few different founders. This ranged from a startup focusing on hair salon supplies to a company that helps customers choose software. The recurring theme was, ‘I need my MVP.’ MVP is a startup term for Minimum Viable Product or the minimum needed to complete a transaction and test if the company can make money. What struck me was the amount of complication that was being introduced. Perhaps this is because I suffer from the same affliction, but here is the experience I shared about the MVP with companies mentioned above.

Salon Supplies Company:

Founder MVP Thoughts: Each salon needs to order on an iPad. This means we need a iOS (iPhone) developer to move forward.

Matt’s MVP Thoughts: You need any open source eCommerce system and relationships with suppliers and salons. Nothing unique is needed for selling the first 100 orders of haircare products.

Software Decision Making Company:

Founder MVP Thoughts: We need a custom built system that has a ranking engine, multiple levels of access and numerous other profile pages for each person.

Matt’s MVP Thoughts: You need a CMS system, hopefully with an affiliate link.

(In fact, this founder had the system built already, but moth balled it pre launch to rebuild it again.)

Sometimes knowledge of a subject is a curse that causes us to overcomplicate. To get to your first 10 customers, a complex and complete system is not needed. Rely on SCI (Swivel Chair Integration) and more labor until you truly need to grow past that level.

What can you remove to get to a barebones, very minimal MVP?