Your MVP Isn’t a Wheel: “Lean” Doesn’t Mean “Useless”
Building an MVP is not about minimal parts. It’s about minimal value that still works. If it doesn’t solve the problem, it’s not a product. It’s a prototype.
Sorry — but your MVP isn’t a wheel.
I keep seeing a fundamental misunderstanding in product development circles, especially among early-stage founders and corporate innovation teams. It’s the urge to go lean so aggressively that you end up building something that can’t drive, can’t carry, can’t sell.
Too many confuse “lean” with “useless.”
They hear “MVP” and imagine something like a wheel. Or a scooter. Or a board with a rope.
All of which may technically roll, but completely miss the point if your end goal is a pickup truck.
The MVP (Minimum Viable Product) traps
What an MVP Is and Isn’t
Let’s get this straight:
An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is not about minimal components.
It’s about minimal viability.
That word matters.
Viable means: Can it work? Can it deliver real value? Can it give the user a taste of the future you’re promising?
If it can’t carry any load — like your future pickup truck needs to — then your MVP isn’t lean.
It’s just broken.
The Classic Analogy (That Needs Fixing)
You’ve probably seen the infamous MVP sketch:
Wheel → Skateboard → Scooter → Bike → Car
Nice visual, but misleading.
Because if your final product is a truck that hauls equipment (even off-road), then a scooter isn’t a valid MVP.
Yes, it moves.
Yes, it has wheels.
But it solves none of the real problems: weight, cargo, terrain.
Better Analogy: The Working Prototype
Let’s say your product is a delivery pickup.
Then your MVP might look like:
A stripped-down electric three-wheeler with a flatbed.
Or a repurposed tuk-tuk that can carry small boxes.
Not elegant. Not fast. But it works.
It can already:
Carry a load (even a small one).
Navigate short distances.
Be used by a customer with the same intent they’d have for your final product.
That’s viability.
That’s the point.
Where Most MVPs Go Wrong
Here are the 3 classic traps I see:
1. Too stripped down
You create a beautiful clickable mockup, or a hardware skeleton with no functionality.
It might help you validate an idea in theory. But it’s not a product. Not even close.
2. Purpose amnesia
You get so focused on building “something minimal” that you forget why you’re building it at all.
Your customer doesn’t need a wheel. They need to move their stuff from A to B.
3. The modular myth
You want every part of the MVP to be reusable in the final product. That’s noble, but limiting. Sometimes the best MVP uses duct tape and borrowed code. Because the goal is to learn, not to scale.
What to Do Instead
Here’s the better approach:
Start with the job to be done. Not the form factor.
Build for the use case. Not for elegance.
Validate real behavior. Not just opinions or clicks.
If you’re building a product to transport cargo, your MVP should transport something.
If you’re testing an app for scheduling, your MVP should let users book real slots.
If you’re creating a coaching program, the MVP should actually help someone.
This is what separates a Minimum Viable Product from a Minimum Useless Shell.
Drawing the Line in the Sand
Every startup or innovation team hits this question:
What’s enough to test?
The answer isn’t a number of features.
It’s whether your MVP can be put in front of a real user, solve a real problem, and teach you something critical about what to build next.
That’s your line in the sand. Draw it.
And then frame your decisions around it.
Ask yourself:
What must this product do to work?
What can I strip without breaking that?
What does the user absolutely need to experience?
Final Word: MVPs That Matter
It takes guts to build less. But it takes clarity to build enough.
If you’re serious about launching something valuable — whether you’re a founder, PM, or corporate innovator — your MVP should:
Solve the right problem.
Deliver some form of real value.
Teach you something you didn’t know before.
Otherwise, it’s not a product. It’s a distraction.
And nobody needs another wheel lying in the garage :)