Here’s something I see all the time: founders come to me after 3, 6, sometimes even 12 months “building an MVP.” They show up with a product that has more features than a Swiss Army knife, a tech stack that could run a bank, and a monthly cloud bill that would make a CFO sweat. And still, zero real users. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Why Founders Get MVP So Wrong

Somewhere along the way, MVP-Minimum Viable Product-got rebranded into “Maximum Vanity Project.” Founders treat it like a checklist, not a survival tool. The result? Wasted time, burned cash, and a product nobody asked for.

A real MVP is not a half-finished product. It’s a test. It’s the absolute simplest thing you can put in front of real users to see if your idea actually solves a problem. If you’re building for months, adding features “just in case,” or deploying to clusters before you have any users, you’re not building an MVP. You’re building a monument to your own assumptions.

The Real Cost of Getting It Wrong

Let’s talk numbers. Most early-stage startups should be spending $1,000–$5,000 a month on infrastructure, not $10k or $20k. I’ve seen teams with less than 100 users burning $2,000+ monthly on cloud bills-before they even know if anyone wants what they’re selling. Multiply that by six months and you’ve just set fire to your runway.

But it’s not just about tech. I know a founder who spent $30,000 out of her budget on design and branding. By the time she was ready to build the actual product, there wasn’t enough cash left to finish it. The project never went live. This happens more often than you think.

What Real MVPs Look Like

  • Dropbox: Their MVP was a three-minute video. No code, just a demo. Result? 70,000 signups overnight.
  • Airbnb: Their MVP was literally air mattresses on their living room floor and a basic website. That’s how they learned people would pay to stay in a stranger’s home.
  • Zappos: Started with a basic website and photos of shoes from local stores. No inventory, no warehouses-just a test to see if people would buy.

None of these MVPs needed six months or $30k in cloud spend. They needed hustle, speed, and a willingness to learn.

The 5-Day MVP Framework

  1. Day 1: Define the one problem you solve. No features, just the pain point.
  2. Day 2: Build a clickable prototype with Figma or Webflow.
  3. Day 3: Run ads or reach out to 100 target users. Drive them to a landing page.
  4. Day 4: Offer early access for feedback calls. Listen more than you talk.
  5. Day 5: Build only what users beg for.

Don’t Forget the Marketing

Building an MVP is only half the battle; the other half is making sure people see it. No one will “just find it.” If you don’t have a plan to get your MVP in front of real users, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. A landing page, a simple ad campaign, or even a WhatsApp group can do more for validation than another month of coding.

Reality Check

If your MVP costs more than $10k or takes longer than 8 weeks, you’re doing it wrong. The market doesn’t care about your tech stack-it cares about solving their pain. Launch fast, learn faster, and save your cash for what actually matters-traction.

I see it every month: founders who could have launched in four weeks, but instead spent a year building features no one will ever use. Don’t be that founder. Build lean, launch fast, and let the market tell you what to build next.