How to build MVP for $100 or less
Today, almost every MVP can be built with tools that cost $100 or less, plus a social media account. Here’s how it can be done.
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When I was thinking of launching my first startup 4 years ago, I spent $50K on developers. If I started today I would have gotten x10 of what I got 4 years ago for $100. I’m not kidding. The approach to launching startups has changed so dramatically that today you simply can’t jump into building a product before you get market validation. Therefore, your main focus should be getting it as soon as you can with the lowest expenses possible.
I’d better illustrate the difference.
In other words, spend small portions of time and money on testing hypotheses and invest only in those that proved to be true.
Luckily, 90% of hypothesis today are easy to validate almost without any budget involved. How?
- No-code tools
- a social account (Twitter, Slack, IG, Facebook, etc.)
Example: SaaS For Beekepers
Let’s presume you have a hypothesis that you can build a business on serving independent beekeepers of New Jersey. You think that they produce honey but they are not sure what the local prices for other manufacturers are so they are hesitant about the pricing policy. They would probably love to know where the local weekend markets are held to apply in time for a spot to sell honey. You’re planning to charge them $15/month for this service.
What you need:
- A landing page where you can describe your service, the features and the pricing policy.
- Button “I want it now” will send visitors to a subscription form to catch emails.
- After the mail is captured the visitor will see a pop up informing them that the product is still under development and as soon as you have it they will be notified.
Don’t mention that it is being built on the landing page! If you do, people would be more inclined to sign up. It doesn’t require any commitment, right? So they press…