Stop Building What Nobody Wants: The MVP Mistake That Kills 90% of Apps

If you're a non-technical founder ready to turn your idea into reality, this could save you months of frustration and tens of thousands of dollars.

Why Most Apps Never Make It Past Launch (And How to Beat the Odds)

Picture this: You've got an amazing app idea. It keeps you up at night with excitement. You can see exactly how it'll change your users' lives. So you do what every passionate founder does - you start building it.

Six months and $50,000 later, you launch to... crickets.

Sound familiar? If so, you're not alone. 90% of startups fail, and the #1 reason isn't bad technology or poor execution - it's building something nobody actually wants.

The Fatal Flaw in Most MVP Strategies

Here's what most founders get wrong about MVPs: They think "minimum" means "basic version of my big idea."

So they build a simplified Instagram, or a lite version of their dream platform, launch it, and wonder why nobody cares.

But here's the truth: The most successful apps didn't start as smaller versions of what they became. They started as solutions to very specific, painful problems.

  • Twitter didn't start as a social network - it was an internal tool for a podcasting company
  • Instagram wasn't originally a photo app - it was a location check-in app called Burbn
  • Slack wasn't built to compete with email - it was an internal gaming company communication tool

Notice the pattern? Each started by solving one specific problem extremely well.

The Real MVP Blueprint: Start With Problems, Not Solutions

The most successful MVPs follow a different playbook entirely:

1. Find a Problem Worth Solving

Not just any problem - a problem that people are already spending time, money, or significant effort trying to solve badly.

2. Build the Smallest Solution That Creates Real Value

This might not even be an app. It could be a manual process, a simple tool, or a service. The key is delivering value immediately.

3. Test With Real Users, Not Friends and Family

Your mom will lie to you. Paying customers won't.

4. Iterate Based on What Actually Happens

Not what you hoped would happen, but what the data and user behavior actually show you.

The $10,000 Question Every Founder Should Ask

Before you write a single line of code or hire any developer, ask yourself:

"If I could solve this problem with just a spreadsheet, a phone call, or a simple landing page, would people still pay me?"

If the answer is no, you don't have a problem worth solving. You have a solution looking for a problem.

What This Means for Your App Idea

I'm not saying your big vision is wrong. Instagram eventually became much more than Burbn. Slack grew far beyond gaming company chat.

But they succeeded because they started with something people desperately needed right now, not something people might want someday.

The Path Forward

If you're ready to build something that matters, here's what I recommend:

  1. Start with problem validation, not solution building. Find 10 people who have the problem you think you're solving and understand exactly how they're dealing with it now.
  2. Create the smallest possible test. This might be a landing page, a manual service, or a simple tool. The goal is to prove people will change their behavior for your solution.
  3. Measure what matters. Not downloads or signups - actual usage and value creation.
  4. Build only when you have proof. Once you've proven people want what you're offering in its simplest form, then you can start thinking about apps and scale.

Ready to Build Something That Actually Matters?

If this resonates with you, you're already ahead of most founders. You understand that success isn't about having the best idea - it's about solving real problems for real people.

On this site, I share everything I've learned about turning ideas into businesses that matter. From validation techniques that work to the technical decisions that scale, it's all here.

Want to dive deeper? Explore the latest articles where I break down exactly how to validate, build, and launch apps that people actually want.