Plenty of agencies sell full packages — great in the long run, but for idea‑stage founders it’s often too early and too expensive. Here we’d rather put the market before the design system.
If you need an ultra‑lean MVP, the goal is simple: build the minimum to learn the maximum. The rest can wait.
Two ways to launch an MVP
There's the full‑package approach (landing + webapp + integrations + SEO + deploy). It works, but it often costs a lot and you end up paying for things you may not need to validate. The other is the ultra‑lean approach: a few days, focus on 2–3 key flows, no frills — just what you need to test in the market.
Pricing reality check
Many packages start around ~$5,999. If you already know what to validate, that can be more than needed at the beginning. A focused ultra‑lean block (20 hours @ $50/h = $1,000) lets you verify demand and messaging without burning budget.
Time: weeks vs. days
Promising 2–4 weeks sounds good. But what you usually need is a first version in a few days to see if anyone wants to use/pay. Early iterations beat late polish.
Cut the nice‑to‑haves
Baseline auth, 2–3 core flows, perhaps a simple admin view, and a clean data layer. Out of scope at the start: payments, notifications, complex roles, advanced SEO, mobile app, custom infra. We add them only if the idea sticks.
- Email + password auth
- 2–3 key workflows (post, submit, browse, messaging — depending on the project)
- Essential admin view (if needed)
- Functional data flow (Supabase / Airtable, etc.)
- Clean, professional UI
- Code ready to grow
What to intentionally postpone
Not because you can’t do it, but because you first need to see if the idea deserves more investment.
- Payments
- Notifications
- Complex roles
- Infrastructure
- Analytics, blockchain, ...
- Anything not agreed upfront
Minimum definition
Lock 2–3 needle‑moving features. Just what's needed to test.
Ultra‑lean build
20 focused hours. Delivery in about a week.
Test & decide
Put it in users’ hands. If signals are good, extend. If not, we saved time and budget.
Exploring new ideas? Me too.
I’m always curious about early-stage projects, especially the ones that move fast, test early, and aim to solve something real.