Most founders I know made the same mistake: they spent months building before talking to a single user.
Here is what actually works — and how 01MVP helps structure this process.
The Three-Step Validation Flow
1. Build a Landing Page (Not a Product)
Your first deliverable should be a Notion page, a Carrd site, or a Google Doc. Describe:
- What problem you solve
- Who it is for
- How much it costs
Make it look real. Add a payment link (you can refund later).
2. Manually Service Your First 10 Users
This is the uncomfortable part. Instead of building, you pretend the product exists and manually do the work for each user.
Why? Because you need to observe:
- Do users come back?
- Do they pay?
- What do they actually ask for vs. what you assumed?
3. Only Build After Validation
If 3 out of 10 users are willing to pay for a manual version, you have signal. That is when you start coding — or hire a developer — or use a no-code tool.
The Tool I Use: 01MVP
01MVP (built by the Nomos team) turns this methodology into a workflow: idea → landing page → user feedback loop. It removes the overhead so you can focus on the only thing that matters — figuring out if anyone actually wants what you are building.
The Real Lesson
The P in MVP stands for Process, not Product.
Your first release can be a Google Form. A WhatsApp group. A Notion page. The format does not matter. What matters is whether you are learning from real users or building in a vacuum.
Stop writing code. Start asking questions.
Originally published as part of the Nomos Build-in-Public series.
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