10 Questions to Ask Before You Code Your MVP

1. What painful problem am I solving - and for whom?

Be brutally specific. “Everyone” is not a target audience.

2. Have I talked to at least 5–10 people in this audience?

Don’t build based on vibes. Talk to real humans.

3. What solution are they using today?

Your biggest competitor is usually Google Sheets, Notion, or doing nothing.

4. What part of the problem do they hate the most?

That’s your MVP. Start there.

5. What’s the simplest version of the product that solves this pain?

1 core outcome. No extras.

6. Do I already have distribution?

An audience, community, or channel to reach users from Day 1.

7. How will I get my first 10 users?

Be specific: LinkedIn, Reddit, cold DMs, micro-communities?

8. What does success look like in 30 days?

Define real usage goals - not just a signup number.

9. How can I validate this without building it?

Test with Notion, Figma, Loom, Typeform, or pre-sales.

10. What am I not going to build right now?

Cut early. Cut deep. Ship sooner.