I look at a lot of MVPs. Hundreds, maybe thousands at this point.
And I've noticed something: the same mistakes keep showing up.
Not different mistakes. The same ones, over and over.
Founders with brilliant ideas build the wrong thing, talk to the wrong people, or ship at the wrong time. They don't fail because their idea was bad. They fail because they made predictable errors that they could have avoided.
Let me share the seven mistakes I see most often—and how to avoid them.
Mistake #1: Building Without Validation
This is the granddaddy of all MVP mistakes.
You have an idea. You're excited. You immediately start building. You spend 3 months coding, designing, and refining. You launch with a flourish.
And then... crickets.
Nobody cares.
What happened: You built something based on assumptions, not evidence. You validated nothing. You tested nothing. You assumed your idea was so good that people would beat a path to your door.
The reality: Great products are built on validated insights, not great ideas. The idea is just a hypothesis. You need to test it.
The Fix
Before you write a single line of code:
- Talk to 10-20 potential users. Not your friends. Not your family. Real potential users.
- Ask about their problem, not your solution. "Tell me about the last time you dealt with X" beats "Would you use a tool that does X?"
- Test demand before building. Landing page with email capture. A concierge version. A simple survey. Something that tests willingness to engage.
The question to ask: "If this existed today, what would stop you from using it?"
If the answer is anything other than "nothing," you've got work to do.
Mistake #2: The "Minimum" in MVP Is Missing
Here's how most founders define MVP:
"The smallest version of my full vision."
Wrong. That's the problem.
Here's the real definition from Eric Ries:
"The version of a new product that allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort."
Notice what's not there? Your vision.
The MVP is not "my full product but smaller." It's "what I need to learn to move forward."
What happens: Founders include features that are essential to their vision but unnecessary for learning. They build a mini-product instead of a learning experiment.
The Fix
Ask this question for every feature:
"What will I learn if I build this? What will I learn if I don't?"
If you can't answer the first part, don't build it.
Example: For a marketplace, do you need payments to learn if people want to transact? Maybe. Do you need reviews? Maybe not—you can learn about trust later. Do you need messaging? Probably not—you can learn about communication later.
Build to learn. Build only what you must.
Mistake #3: Solving the Wrong Problem
I've watched founders build elegant solutions to problems that don't exist.
They've identified a pain point. They're sure of it. They've felt it themselves. They build a beautiful product.
And then they discover: nobody else cares about this problem.
What happened: Founders confuse their personal pain with market pain. Just because you're frustrated doesn't mean a market exists.
The Fix
Before you solve a problem, verify three things:
- The problem is real. People are currently dealing with it.
- The problem matters. It's not a nice-to-have; it's a must-have.
- The problem is urgent. People want to solve it now, not someday.
The test: Ask potential users to describe the last time they encountered this problem and what they did about it. If they shrug and say "I just deal with it," you don't have a problem worth solving.
Example: "I wish my photos organized themselves" is not a problem worth solving. "I spent 4 hours looking for a photo I knew I had" might be.
Mistake #4: Ignoring the "Who"
Your MVP should solve a problem for someone. But who?
The biggest mistake is building for "everyone." Your product becomes relevant to no one.
What happens: You build a generic solution that doesn't deeply solve any specific person's problem. You can't attract early adopters because you're not speaking to anyone specifically.
The Fix
Define your beachhead:
- Who is the one person you're building for? (Not "small business owners"—a specific persona)
- What problem do they have that keeps them up at night?
- Where do they hang out?
- What are they currently doing to solve this problem?
Your MVP should be designed for this one person. Not 10 personas. Not a broad category. One specific person.
If you can't describe this person in detail, you don't have focus.
The test: If I met [Persona Name] at a coffee shop, could I describe exactly what your product does and why they'd care? If not, you're not focused enough.
Mistake #5: Building in a Vacuum
The lone founder, working in their apartment, building the next big thing.
It's romantic. It's also dangerous.
When you build in isolation, you lose perspective. You can't see what you're doing wrong. You can't get feedback that matters. You build exactly what you imagined—and exactly what nobody wants.
What happens: Confirmation bias. You only see what you want to see. You interpret "nice" feedback as "I'll pay for this." You miss the signals that your product is off.
The Fix
Build in public. Get feedback constantly.
- Share your progress on Twitter, LinkedIn, or a blog
- Show your work early—even when it's ugly
- Find mentors who've done this before
- Join founder communities where you can get honest feedback
- Talk to users weekly—not just before launch
The test: Have you shown your MVP (or prototype) to 10 strangers and gotten their honest feedback? If not, you're building in a vacuum.
Mistake #6: Launching Without a Launch
I've seen founders spend 6 months building a product, then launch it with a tweet that gets 12 likes.
That's not a launch. That's a whimper.
What happens: You invest all the time and money in building, but none in launching. The product dies quietly. You conclude nobody wants it.
But maybe they did. Maybe they just never heard of it.
The Fix
Plan your launch like you planned your build:
- Define success metrics. What does a successful launch look like? 100 users? 1,000 signups? 100 paying customers?
- Identify your launch audience. Where will your first users come from?
- Create launch content. A blog post. A video. Something to explain what you built.
- Reach out personally. Don't just post—message potential users directly.
- Iterate on launch. If day one is quiet, adjust and try again.
The test: If you launched today, would 100 people hear about it? If not, you're not ready to launch.
Mistake #7: Measuring the Wrong Things
Your MVP is live. You're getting users. Everything is great!
...Or is it?
What are you measuring? Signups? That's a vanity metric. Active users? Better. Paying customers? That's revenue.
The mistake is measuring activity instead of outcomes.
What happens: You optimize for the wrong things. You celebrate growth that doesn't matter. You miss the signals that your product isn't working.
The Fix
Define your North Star Metric—the one metric that tells you if you're on track:
Business Type | North Star Metric |
|---|---|
| Marketplace | Number of successful transactions |
| SaaS | Paid customers or MRR |
| Content | Time on site or return visitors |
| Mobile app | Day 7 retention |
Then track everything that feeds into it.
The MVP metrics to track:
- Activation: % of signups who complete the core action
- Retention: % of users who come back (Day 1, 7, 30)
- Referral: % of users who invite others
- Revenue: Conversion rate and average revenue per user
If these numbers aren't good, nothing else matters.
The Mistake Map: Where Do You Fall?
| Mistake | Signal | Quick Fix |
|---|---|---|
No validation | Crickets at launch | Talk to 10 users first |
Too many features | 6 months to build | Cut 50% of features |
Wrong problem | "Nice idea, but..." | Re-discover the problem |
No target user | Everyone's a user, no one's a user | Define one beachhead persona |
Built in vacuum | Feedback only from friends | Build in public |
No launch plan | Quiet launch | Plan 100 people to hear |
Wrong metrics | High signups, no revenue | Define North Star Metric |
The Minimum Viable Checklist
Before you launch your MVP, check yourself:
- I've talked to 10+ potential users
- I've validated the problem is real and urgent
- I can describe my MVP in one sentence
- I've cut features that aren't essential for learning
- I have a clear picture of my target user
- I've shown my work to strangers and gotten feedback
- I have a launch plan with defined success metrics
- I know my North Star Metric
If you can't check all these boxes, pause. Fix the gap. Then continue.
The Bottom Line
Most MVPs don't fail because of bad luck or bad markets. They fail because of predictable mistakes.
The founders who succeed are not the ones with the best ideas. They're the ones who avoid these traps. They validate early. They stay focused. They measure what matters.
You can do the same.
Avoid these seven mistakes, and you'll be ahead of 90% of startups trying to launch.
Need Help Avoiding These Mistakes?
At Startupbricks, we help founders validate ideas, define scope, and avoid the traps that kill startups. Whether you need:
- A fresh perspective on your MVP
- Help validating with users
- A scope review before you build
- Guidance on metrics and launch
Let's talk. We help founders build better MVPs—faster.