Build the MVP that tests the hypothesis, not the one that proves you can build.
MVP development requires a specific skill: knowing what to leave out. Founders want every feature; the correct MVP has exactly the features needed to test the core hypothesis. Everything else ships after validation.
Need to build an MVP — fast enough to validate, well enough that it won't need to be rebuilt when the hypothesis proves out
Two MVP anti-patterns:
The feature-complete MVP: Founder wants every feature from the product roadmap in V1. The "MVP" takes 18 months and $150k. By the time it ships, the market has moved and the assumptions haven't been tested.
The throwaway MVP: So fast and dirty that it needs to be rebuilt after the first 50 users. Technical debt from day one. Common in Bubble/Webflow migrations where the founders wanted proof-of-concept but got production traffic.
The correct MVP:
- Core user flows only (the thing the user came to do)
- Basic authentication (login, signup, password reset)
- The specific data model that enables the core hypothesis
- Enough UI that users understand what the product does
- Deployment that's stable and observable (error monitoring, basic analytics)
What's NOT in the MVP:
- Admin panel (manual database queries are fine at 50 users)
- Advanced filtering and search (basic works for 100 users)
- Integration with every third-party service (pick the critical one)
- Mobile app (web works fine first)
- Multi-tenant until there's a second tenant
MVP shipped in 8-12 weeks: core user flows, basic auth, and the specific features that test the business hypothesis
Core user flows
the 2-3 things the user came to do
Auth
signup, login, password reset
Core data model
designed to extend, not to throw away
Deployment
Vercel + Neon, observable, stable
Basic analytics
Posthog for user tracking
One honest number to start.
Fixed-scope, fixed-price. The number below is the starting point — final scope is built from your brief.
MVP shipped in 8-12 weeks: core user flows, basic auth, and the specific features that test the business hypothesis
Three steps, every time.
The same repeatable engagement on every project. No surprises, no mystery, no billable ambiguity.
Brief & discovery.
We send you questions, then get on a call. Output: a written scope with every step, feature, and integration listed.
Build & ship.
Fixed schedule, weekly reviews. No scope creep unless you change the scope — and if you do, we reprice it transparently.
Warranty & retainer.
30-day warranty on every launch. Most clients stay on a monthly retainer for ongoing features and maintenance.
Why Fixed-Price Matters Here
MVP scope is the short list of core flows. Fixed-price for the specified scope.
Questions, answered.
The test: "What's the minimum feature set where we learn whether the core hypothesis is true?" Every feature that doesn't answer that question is post-MVP.
No-code for pure proof-of-concept (internal demos, investor decks). Code for MVPs that will get real users — no-code migrations at production scale are painful and expensive.
Tell Ryel about your project.
Describe what you’re building and what outcome you need. You’ll have a written, fixed-price scope within the week.