Build your MVP

Why this step matters

A minimum viable product is the smallest thing you can build that lets real people get real value from your idea, so you can learn whether they want it. With AI coding tools the build itself has become much faster, which moves the risk: the danger is no longer that the MVP takes a year, it is that you build too much of the wrong thing in a month. The goal of this step is a working product in front of users, not a finished product.

How to do it

1. Write the one-sentence job. "A [user] can [do one thing] so that [outcome]." Everything that does not serve

that sentence goes on a later list. If you validated the idea first, use the problem your interviews confirmed.

1. Map the core workflow. Sketch the three to seven screens or steps a user goes through to get the outcome, from

landing to result. Paper or a simple wireframe tool is enough. This is your build spec.

1. Decide what to buy rather than build. Use managed services for authentication, payments, email sending, file

storage and search. They are faster, safer and usually free at low volume. Your own code should cover only what makes your product different.

1. Build in thin vertical slices. Get one path working from the user interface to the database before adding a

second. With an AI agent, give it one slice at a time with clear acceptance criteria, then test it yourself.

1. Add the minimum trust layer. Even an MVP needs working sign-up and login, sensible error messages, a privacy

policy, basic input validation and backups of your database. Check data protection rules where your users are, for example GDPR in the EU and UK.

1. Write a few tests for what must not break. You do not need full coverage. Cover sign-up, the core workflow and

anything involving money. Ask your AI tool to write the tests, then read them.

1. Put it in front of users early. Invite five to twenty people from your target group as soon as the core flow

works. Watch at least some of them use it live, on a call or in person, without helping.

1. Keep one feedback list. Log every bug, confusion and request in one place. Each week fix what blocks the core

job and ignore the rest until a pattern appears.

1. Decide what "done" means. Set a date or a signal (for example, ten users completing the core workflow twice)

at which you move on to launch preparation instead of adding features.

What it costs and how long it takes

A technical founder using AI coding tools and free tiers can build a simple web MVP for under $100 in direct costs: an AI coding plan, a domain and possibly a database or hosting plan once you pass the free limits. Typical timelines are two to eight weeks depending on complexity. Hiring a freelancer or agency changes the maths completely, from a few thousand dollars upwards; if you go that route, own the code repository and hosting accounts in your company's name.

Free credits, perks and services that help

Cloud providers and developer platforms run startup programs that cover hosting, databases and AI APIs during the build. Look at cloud credits, developer tools perks and AI credits for what is open now, and the wider perks directory for discounts on design, analytics and support tools. If you are not technical, no-code and AI website builders on website builders can carry a simple MVP, especially for marketplaces, directories and booking products.

Common mistakes

• Building for everyone. An MVP aimed at every possible user is vague for all of them. Pick one group.
• Gold-plating. Dark mode, team accounts and integrations rarely decide whether the first users stay.
• Building in secret. Weeks without user contact lead to features nobody asked for.
• Rolling your own security. Home-made login and payment code is where serious breaches start.
• Ignoring data you collect. If you store personal data, know where it lives and how to delete it on request.
• Never stopping. Without a clear finish line the MVP becomes a permanent project and launch keeps slipping.

Go deeper

Find AI coding apps, ready-made Agent Skills and MCP servers that speed up building an MVP on VibeCodes.