1 min read
A first version should prove one thing. How to decide what goes in and what waits.
Founders usually arrive with a long list of features. The list is not wrong, but most of it is for later. A first version has one job: to show that someone wants what you are building.
Find the one thing
Ask what a customer must be able to do for your product to be useful at all. For a booking service it is booking. For a marketplace it is one sale. Everything else supports that moment or can wait.
What to leave out
- Features for customers you do not have yet.
- Settings and options nobody has asked for.
- Automation of tasks you can do by hand for the first fifty customers.
What not to skip
Security, backups and a clean foundation. Shortcuts here are the ones that hurt when you grow. A small product on a solid base can be extended. A large product on a weak base must be rebuilt.
How long it should take
If the first version takes longer than three months, it is probably too big. Aim for something real users can try within six to ten weeks, then let their behaviour decide what comes next.
