When I first heard the term MVP, I thought it referred to football. Years into running a business, I discovered it meant “Minimum Viable Product.” The funny thing? I’d been instinctively building them for years.
Back when I was running my company from the kitchen table, I didn’t know the buzzwords — MVPs, white-labeling, drop-shipping. But I did know how to test, adapt, and launch quickly. Later, as I began interviewing founders and writing about entrepreneurship, I realized how many myths were still swirling around the concept of MVP development.
One founder recently asked me, “Which bit of my business should I focus on first?” Great question — and one with a surprisingly simple answer: the part your customers want most, that you can deliver easily and profitably. That’s what an MVP is meant to uncover. But to use it well, you have to cut through the confusion.
Let’s bust some of the worst myths.
Myth 1: MVPs Are Only for Tech People
They’re not. MVPs aren’t reserved for coders or Silicon Valley darlings. The idea is simply this: test your concept with the lightest, fastest, cheapest version possible — and learn from real customer behaviour.
One classic MVP story? Nick Swinmurn wanted a pair of shoes he couldn’t find in-store. He built a basic website using photos from local retailers and waited. If someone ordered, he’d buy the shoes and ship them. That bare-bones store became Zappos — eventually acquired by Amazon for $1.2 billion.
Myth 2: Eric Ries Invented the MVP
Not quite. The concept predates The Lean Startup by a decade. It was coined by Frank Robinson in 2001 and championed by Steve Blank, who laid out a customer development model that startups could actually afford. Ries helped popularize it, but he didn’t invent it.
Myth 3: MVP = Launch Strategy
Wrong again. An MVP isn’t just how you launch — it’s how you learn. It’s a low-cost, high-insight experiment: will people buy it, use it, and want it again?
Traditional market research asks people what they might do. MVPs show you what they actually do. You test demand, pricing, delivery method — even branding. And you get sharper answers because the customer is in action, not theory.
Even Apple used MVP thinking. The early iPhone wasn’t about flashy features — it was about proving that people could live without a keyboard and browse the internet on mobile. Only once that was validated did the bells and whistles follow.
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Myth 4: MVPs Guarantee Success
They don’t. A bad product, poor messaging, or sloppy data collection can all sabotage your MVP.
Many founders forget the groundwork. Before testing, you still need to research the market, know your competition, and understand your core proposition. And once you’re running an MVP, you need to collect the right data — from customer engagement and conversion rates to acquisition costs and funnel behaviour.
Worst of all? Ignoring the results. Some founders cling to a failing idea, refusing to adapt. Others get lost chasing perfection, tweaking endlessly instead of launching. MVPs only work if you let the feedback shape your direction — even if that means walking away.
Myth 5: You Need a Prototype to Start
Not true. Your MVP might be a landing page, a handout, or even a pair of bins.
When I launched my first furniture business, I had no money and no samples — just a scrappy leaflet with rough drawings. Some designs got early interest. Others never did and were quietly dropped. That was my MVP.
Innocent Drinks famously tested their concept at a music festival with a simple question: “Should we quit our jobs to make these smoothies?” Customers voted with their rubbish — and filled the “Yes” bin.
Embrace the Mess
Startup success doesn’t come from polish — it comes from clarity. MVPs aren’t about being ready. They’re about getting real.
As Reid Hoffman said:
“If you’re not embarrassed by your first product, you’ve launched too late.”
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