Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a great concept…in theory. Too many founders I meet are obsessed with a bare-bones launch, and then shocked when nobody cares. An MVP is only valuable if it proves you can actually build a BIGGER business around your idea.
“Can this scale?” Is the Wrong Question
Early on, it’s too abstract. Does it scale to thousands of users, millions, or to new markets? Does it scale with a lean team, or will you need to hire hundreds of salespeople? These vastly different scenarios mean you need to test for scalability from Day One.
Here’s a simple reframe: Instead of MVP, think PoS – Proof of Scalability. This forces you to consider:
- Bottlenecks: Where’s the breaking point? Is it your tech infrastructure, your supply chain, customer acquisition costs? Identifying this early lets you design AROUND it, not discover it the hard way.
- The “Ugly” Scaling Path: Can you handle a surge of demand with duct-tape solutions, before building the perfect system? Often, the scrappiest startups are the ones that survive long enough to reach true scale.
- Your Unit Economics at 10X (or 100X): Do the numbers still work with bigger volumes, higher customer support needs, etc.? If not, a great MVP is meaningless.
PoS Experiments
Here are some techniques to get this data, even pre-launch:
- Stress Test Your Funnel: Blast ads at a small segment, even if it means deliberately losing money, to see where the conversion rates drop off. This is cheaper than learning this after a wide launch.
- The Fake Waitlist: Put up a landing page with a waitlist signup. Don’t be afraid to charge a nominal fee to gauge serious intent. You gain valuable leads AND test price sensitivity.
- “Concierge” Prototyping: Manually provide a stripped-down version of your service to a few clients. Yes, it won’t scale infinitely, but you’ll see what kind of support model is really required.
A Note on Mindset
PoS is about embracing the ‘not yet’ instead of feeling like a failure. Investors worth working with understand this journey, and would rather see well-thought-out experiments than just a polished demo.
What are YOUR favorite PoS techniques? Let’s share some war stories in the comments!
