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Let’s talk about MVPs.
MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product. Which is really just a fancy way of saying:
Build the simplest version of your idea, launch it fast, and see if anyone cares enough to pay for it.
Most founders overcomplicate this. They spend months—or years—adding features no one asked for, trying to make it perfect.
That’s not how I’m doing it this time.
Here’s how I’m building the MVP for Marvelous, and the three biggest lessons I’ve learned from launching (and selling) multiple SaaS companies.
1. Scratch Your Own Itch
This is where it all starts.
Marvelous exists because I was sick of chaotic, inconsistent weekly meetings. Spreadsheets, docs, scattered to-dos—none of it worked.
So I built something I actually needed.
If you don’t need your own product, you probably shouldn’t be building it. You won’t have the empathy, the drive, or the patience to do it right.
The best businesses start by solving your own pain. Every time.
2. Say No to Shiny Objects
This is where most founders get stuck.
They chase features. They confuse “more” with “better.” But more isn’t better. Better is better.
Your MVP should be as simple as possible:
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Sign-up
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Login
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Core feature
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(Maybe) payments
That’s it.
As Steve Jobs once said, “Focus means saying no to the hundred other good ideas.” Write that on your whiteboard.
3. Get 10 Customers, Not 1,000
Here’s the mistake I see all the time: founders think too big, too fast.
They imagine thousands of users before they’ve even gotten one.
Peter Thiel told the Airbnb team something brilliant:
“Don’t try to get a million users. Just get 10 people who love your product.”
That’s the move. If 10 people won’t pay for it, 1,000 won’t either.
Your job with an MVP isn’t to scale—it’s to validate.
Recap: The 3 Rules of a Great MVP
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Scratch your own itch. If you don’t need it, don’t build it.
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Launch fast. Set a date, strip it down, and ship.
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Get 10 paying users who actually care.
Final Thoughts
The MVP philosophy doesn’t end at launch.
You should use this same approach when building every new feature:
Launch the simplest version, label it as beta, gather feedback, improve from there.
Fail fast. Learn faster. Move on.
I’ll leave you with a quote I keep close:
“I never lose. I either win or I learn.” — Nelson Mandela
Talk soon,
Marvin