How to Build an MVP for Solopreneurs Without Breaking the Bank
Kenny Tran
September 17, 2025•8 min read
As a solo founder, you don’t have months—or millions—to waste on building the wrong product. That’s where MVP development for solopreneurs comes in.
So what is an MVP?
“The minimum thing that you need to build to show to customers, or to have customers use to validate your next hypothesis.” -MicroConF
In the industry, that’s what is known as a minimum viable product. It isn’t precisely a prototype. It is more of a hypothesis for the initial product, and there are many ways to create one.
The first thing that you want to figure out is if the problem that you are trying to solve is even worth solving at all.
In this article, we will explore:
Now, let’s dive into what makes an MVP so special.
What is the importance of an MVP?
“42% of startups fail because there’s no market need for their product.” CB Insights
Imagine that you spent six months in your basement writing code and tinkering with ideas, just to find out that it isn’t even something people are willing to buy.
Or worse, you hire a developer and figure out that the problem you thought it was going to solve wasn’t even a real pain point for most people.
This kind of clarity is exactly where an MVP comes in handy.
“An MVP is the most basic version of your product, including only the essential features needed to solve a key problem and gather user feedback. Instead of aiming for perfection, you focus on launching quickly and learning from real users.” -Keith Shields.
An MVP enables you to develop an idea in its most basic form and test it in various ways.
One significant way is that it tests your business idea without requiring an investment in venture capital.
Most startups fail because they are so confident that it will work without even trying it out first.
An MVP is designed to:
To decide which MVP is going to give you the best chance to reach your goals, it is necessary to define what the core features of your MVP will be.
The goal of an MVP is to create the most intelligent version of your concept rather than the most basic product. Your core features should be established first, as this approach provides significant benefits.
Your focus on essential features enables you to launch your product faster.
Your company will obtain critical feedback, market traction, and generate potential revenue before competitors finish developing their additional features.
Every dollar and hour counts.
The MVP approach prevents unnecessary spending on non-essential features by directing resources toward essential value-creating elements.
The lean MVP approach enables fast user testing, which reveals what elements will succeed.
User behavior serves as the primary guide for developing the next version, rather than relying on speculative assumptions.
How do you take this idea of an MVP and actually shape it into something tangible?
It starts with defining your core features.
Here are five steps to define your MVP’s core features.
Solving a single, clear, well-defined problem is what a successful MVP does.
Everything must revolve around solving that one problem, and if it doesn’t, then it isn’t necessary. Without this clarity, it won’t be possible if you can’t fully articulate the why behind your product's existence.
The best way to achieve this is through market research.
A couple of key ways to do this:
Market research doesn’t have to be expensive. Conducting polls on social media, reading free industry reports, or direct outreach can all be cost-effective techniques.
Don’t move on until this first step is absolutely clear.
Now you can define your target audience.
Create an avatar that clearly illustrates that target. This is what represents the ideal customer in terms of their income, needs, gender, age, habits, social status, and any other relevant characteristics.
Make this as detailed as possible.
The avatar won’t be every potential customer, but rather a guiding point. A clear reminder that you are not building for statistics but real people!
An MVP is only one step towards a finished product, and there are many paths to get there.
Here are a few possibilities:
The goal of the MVP defines the features that will eventually be developed for it.
The process of launching an MVP for revenue generation differs entirely from the process of launching one for assumption validation.
A revenue-focused approach requires developing a refined version of one popular feature that users have requested. A basic landing page with a sign-up button serves as a minimal viable product for validating interest because it tracks sign-ups before you start coding.
Now, let’s define your key performance indicators (KPI).
Before you start testing, you want to understand what you are looking for to gauge success. That could look like:
Feedback: How was the input from users, and was it positive or negative?
Retention: Did users stay engaged, and for how long?
Sign-ups: How many users expressed interest?
Using this data really helps flesh out what features need improvement and what could be replaced. Your MVP should, at this point, adequately address the pain point.
If it doesn’t, it wasn’t a failure.
That’s what it was designed to do: test the viability of the idea. Giving you a better idea of the direction you need to head in.
Remember that this is the minimal part of the framework. The bare minimum features that are essential to accomplish your goals.
Restraint is key here.
Focusing on one key feature is how some billion-dollar apps got started.
Try adopting the MoSCoW framework to keep your MVP lean:
Must-have: These are essential features that the MVP can’t perform without.
Should-have: They enhance the MVP but are not essential.
Could-have: Nice to have, but not at this point.
Won’t-have: Features that won’t be possible.
Just keep in mind that, even though it is a stripped-down version, the user interface and experience should still be intuitive and easy to follow.
While there are many ways to build an MVP, we will only cover a few of the most popular approaches.
This MVP involves the sleight of hand, just like the name suggests.
Think of the scene in the movie where they meet the wizard and he says, “Don’t pay attention to the man behind the curtain!” This concept presents the illusion that everything is automated, but in reality, it is all being run by one or more actual people.
Zappos founder Nick Swinmurm used this idea to test out selling shoes online. He went to local shoe stores, took photos of some shoes, and posted them on his website. When a customer ordered them, he would go in, buy them, and ship them himself.
He identified a problem, researched the market, and developed an MVP to test his idea.
And the rest is history.
The Concierge MVP manually provides the service to customers, rather than building an automated system.
For instance, if you wanted to start a financial accounting service, then you would create an Excel spreadsheet and deliver it to a potential client to see if they are willing to pay for it. This way, you can get immediate feedback from the potential customer to implement those first.
A noteworthy example of this type of MVP was OpenTable founder Chuck Templeton.
Before he invested millions of dollars in the technology, he manually booked in guests and checked their feedback, thereby learning his audience in the process.
This style of MVP is only possible if you can collect the existing interface or tools and combine them on a single terminal. A PieceMeal MVP allows you to save time and money because you don’t have to develop a unique new software.
Groupon, the online coupon provider, used to be a WordPress site that did all its interaction via email.
Only after it was successful did it develop the technology into a popular mobile app.
Once you have chosen which MVP works best for your goals, it’s time to grow.
The development of an MVP requires you to fight against the urge to implement all features simultaneously.
Your primary objective should be to establish a basic yet efficient system to demonstrate market potential for your concept. The development of an MVP requires four fundamental elements, which should be the main focus.
Your MVP should excel at one thing exceptionally well. The essential features that solve your users' most critical problems should be the only focus of your product development.
The system requires basic design elements that provide users with an easy-to-use interface.
The design requirements at this stage should focus on usability rather than award-winning aesthetics. A user-friendly interface design enables users to navigate through the product system, which helps you verify that your fundamental features operate correctly.
The absence of measurement tools in an MVP makes it impossible to determine its effectiveness.
The system should include basic tracking features for sign-ups, clicks, and drop-offs, as well as user feedback mechanisms from the first day of operation.
The collected data serves as your direction for creating the following versions of your product.
The system architecture should maintain a minimal approach.
The infrastructure should be basic enough to support initial user traffic without collapsing. The solution can include managed hosting services, third-party connections, and low-code development tools, providing affordable reliability for your system.
To learn more about how to develop the core principles of an MVP, check out our article called What is an MVP, and why should solo founders prioritize it?
Now, we’ll discuss some ways to implement these strategies while staying within your financial scope.
Looking for affordable MVP development services? Check out our MVP Services
Clearly identify the problem you are trying to solve, ensuring that you understand who you are serving.
Ruthlessly minimize your features to only those that are necessary to showcase your product to potential users.
Utilize Saas tools and free open source libraries that offer free tiers or credits for startups.
For those who aren’t technically savvy, you can explore low-code or no-code options to build core features quickly.
Consider using freelancers or contractors for specific tasks to manage costs more effectively.
Working with remote or hybrid teams can significantly reduce overhead costs.
Scrum or Kanban are agile methodologies that enable testing, development, and refinement of features in short cycles, ensuring flexibility.
Aim for rapid development over getting things just right. Keep refining and testing with feedback.
Explore different ways to minimize your overhead. Whether that is money, time, or effort, you can still be effective in testing your business idea.
Detailed planning, tracking expenses, and establishing contingency funds are just a few practical options.
Of course, theory only goes so far. Many solopreneurs choose to hire MVP developers on a freelance basis to keep costs down.
If you’ve made it this far, chances are you’re ready to stop planning and start building.
Ketryon helps solopreneurs launch smarter, leaner, and faster with MVPs built to scale.
🌅 Ready to explore custom MVP solutions for entrepreneurs? Contact Ketryon today, and let’s carry your vision beyond the horizon.
FAQ
How much does MVP development for solopreneurs cost?
The price range for MVP development services can span from $5,000 to $30,000, depending on the project requirements and the selection between freelancers, agencies, and no-code tools. The initial investment for MVP development remains affordable because it allows you to test your concept before expanding your product.
What is the best MVP strategy for startups on a budget?
Startups with limited financial resources should implement their MVP development through a strategy that includes building one essential feature using no-code or low-code tools, with fast deployment for user feedback collection.
The lean approach enables startups to minimize their risks while acquiring essential knowledge before expanding their operations.
Can I hire MVP developers for a single feature?
You can find MVP developers who specialize in creating individual core features for your project.
The process of finding MVP developers who specialize in building single-core features is possible. The initial development of a single core feature enables solopreneurs to demonstrate market demand before investing in comprehensive product development. This approach enables you to validate your concept through a budget-friendly method before deciding to expand your product.
Full-stack developer and founder of Ketryon. Passionate about helping solopreneurs build scalable web solutions.
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