MVP = Minimum Viable Payment
Money is the best form of feedback
The “minimum” in MVP is the minimum it takes to get a stranger to open their wallet, not the minimum it takes for the product to work.
Many folks say “The minimum in MVP should be enough for people to give feedback.”
I don’t think feedback is a reliable signal for product-market fit. It’s important for iteration, yes, but not enough.
Because feedback is too easy to give. One can give it without having skin in the product as a customer. It’s just… words. Talk (feedback) is cheap.
Very often someone will say, nice, great stuff, but if you ask them to pay, they hesitate. Opening the wallet, that’s when it gets real.
Money is the best form of feedback.
And even amongst payments, not all are equal. Family and friends don’t count. Definitely not your mom. Only payments from strangers. Because if someone who doesn’t know you is willing to give you money, that means you got something good going.
MVP should really be defined as Minimum Viable Payment!