Most MVPs fail. Not because of bad code or ugly design—but because they answer the wrong questions.
After partnering with 50+ founders to launch products, we've watched this pattern repeat: Founder has brilliant idea. Spends $50K building it. Launches to crickets. Shuts down 6 months later.
The problem isn't execution—it's validation. Or more specifically, asking the right validation questions before writing a single line of code.
The Three Questions That Separate Success from Failure
Question 1: "Who Has This Problem Right Now?"
Not "who might have this problem" or "who could benefit." Who is actively suffering from this problem TODAY and looking for solutions?
Real example: We worked with a founder who wanted to build "better project management for remote teams." Generic. Saturated market. We pushed: "Who specifically?" After research: "Engineering managers at Series A startups managing 5-10 distributed developers." Now we had a target.
The more specific your answer, the better. "Small business owners" is not specific. "Solo real estate agents managing 10-20 listings without a VA" is specific.
If you can't name 10 real people (not hypothetical personas) who have this problem, stop building.
Question 2: "What Are They Using Now?"
This is the question most founders skip. They assume if the problem exists, people are waiting for a solution. Wrong.
Everyone has a current solution. Maybe it's a spreadsheet. Maybe it's manual process. Maybe it's a competitor. The question is: Why would they switch?
Case study: Curve (one of our successful launches, now processing $50K MRR) targeted agencies using Stripe + manual invoicing. The current solution worked—barely. But it was painful enough that they'd switch for something 10x better. We knew what "10x better" meant because we understood their current workflow.
If people aren't currently solving the problem (even badly), they probably don't have the problem.
Question 3: "Will They Pay for This Next Month?"
Not "would you pay?" or "how much would this be worth?" Will they literally commit to paying next month if you build it?
We challenge founders: Get 5 people to commit $100/month before building. Not LOIs. Not "yeah I'd probably use it." Actual commitment. Credit card on file if possible.
Example: Thryve (AI study platform we built) got 30 students to commit $10/month before we wrote code. They launched to 15,000 users in 6 months because they validated demand first.
If you can't get pre-commitments, you don't have a business—you have a nice-to-have feature.
What Most Agencies Won't Tell You
Here's the uncomfortable truth: Most agencies will build whatever you ask for. You say "build this marketplace," they say "sure, that'll be $80K."
We don't work that way. We'll tell you NOT to build. We've killed more ideas in discovery calls than we've shipped—and our clients thank us for it.
Because the $50K you spend building the wrong thing is $50K you can't get back. Better to spend 2 weeks validating than 3 months building something nobody wants.
Ready to validate your idea? Book a discovery call. We'll walk you through these three questions and tell you what we'd do if it were our money. No pitch. No pressure. Just truth.
