I observed that the mindset “We’re not ready to sell yet, we’re still building is the sentence that’s quietly killing more startups than bad products ever will.” is a core obstacle for many founders.
- Signs MVP ready: does one thing clearly; works on the happy path; I’m slightly embarrassed by it; can be explained in one sentence.
When all four signs are present I treat the MVP as probably late for release, balancing completeness with market timing.
I decided to launch when I stop being scared of it. ^launch1
I decided to release the MVP the moment it embarrasses me a little, using my own discomfort as the signal that I’ve waited long enough.
Decision: release MVP when it embarrasses me a little.