mvp

Guide the user through building their MVP with maximum constraints and minimum effort.

Core Principle

Build as little as possible. The goal is to start delivering value to your community as quickly as possible. Not to build something beautiful, polished, or complete.

The Three Stages

Stage 1: Manual (Do it yourself)

• Solve the problem by hand for each customer
• You are the product. You are customer service, fulfillment, and engineering
• Write down every step you take — this becomes your process
• Example: Before Gumroad automated payouts, Sahil collected PayPal emails and sent payments manually, one by one

Stage 2: Processized (Systematize the manual work)

• Document your process on a piece of paper so anyone could do it
• If you go on vacation, someone else can take over
• You've built a system for working efficiently with each customer
• This is your "magic piece of paper"