What an MVP actually includes
A first version is not a tiny version of everything. It is one job, done, with a clear line under payments, accounts and extra platforms.
An MVP is the smallest product a real user can finish a job in. It is not a sketch of your eventual platform. If the job needs logins and card payments, the MVP is a Build, not a cheaper Launch with a stripe sticker later.
Founders use “MVP” to mean three different things: a demo, a first version, and a two-sided marketplace. Only one of those is a package. The other two are a prototype or Custom. This page maps the word onto Launch, Build and Scale so you stop arguing with yourself in Notion.
What should an MVP include?
The screens and rules that complete one job, on one platform, with the data you must save. For us that is either Launch (content, forms, email capture, no payments) or Build (accounts, a database, one integration such as Stripe). If the job cannot be finished without two stores, three APIs and roles, it is Scale or Custom — still a first version, just not a small one. Write the job in one sentence before you write the feature list. The brief guide is how.
Is a Launch package an MVP?
Yes, if the job is “people can view this, send that, and we get the email.” Five screens, one platform, two weeks, £1,999 (normally £2,499). It is not an MVP if you need members, saved work, or taking money. Those are a backend and an integration. We will not bolt Stripe onto Launch and call it agile. That starts at Build (£3,999, normally £4,999).
When is Build the real first version?
When someone has to sign in, see their own data, or pay. Up to twelve screens, one platform, custom backend, one integration, basic admin, four to five weeks. This is the MVP most companies actually need. Chat, maps, a CRM, a second payment method — that is a second and third integration, which is Scale, or extras on a quote.
Why isn’t a marketplace an MVP at £1,999?
Two-sided products have two jobs: the buyer’s and the seller’s. That is more screens, accounts on both sides, payments, and usually messaging or maps. It is a Scale or Custom shape. Calling it an MVP does not shrink the wiring. If you only have budget for Launch, pick one side and one job — for example, a seller onboarding form that emails you — and admit the marketplace comes next. Pretending otherwise is how hourly quotes balloon; see fixed-price vs hourly.
What should I cut from the first version?
- Referral programmes, points, and “community” until someone uses the core job twice.
- A second platform. iOS vs Android vs web is the decision, not a bonus icon.
- Admin for every possible report. A basic dashboard on Build is enough to see whether the job works.
- Integrations you cannot name. “We will plug into the CRM” is not a scope. Name HubSpot, or Pipedrive, or nobody.
Keep the painful manual step if it is rare. Automate the daily one.
How do we know the MVP is done?
You can complete the job on a device without us on the call. Launch and Build include portal feedback and a short bug-fix window after release (14 days on Launch, 30 on Build). That window is for defects, not the backlog you saved for later. Scale has 60 days and an account manager. If the definition of done is still “feels like the vision”, it is not an MVP yet — it is a mood board.
What happens after the first version ships?
You have a product people can use, and a list of things they asked for once they used it. That list is a new quote, or Custom if it is going to keep coming. We would rather ship Build and price the next slice than hold Launch hostage until it looks like Scale. Live studio work on the Work page is that shape: booking, ops, payroll — first versions that do a job, not platforms that do every job. Book the £49 call with the one-sentence job written down.
Four packages. Zero surprise invoices.
Every package is a fixed price. A founding offer is on until 30 September — then prices go back to list. A £49 scoping call gets the ball rolling.
Launch
A single-purpose app that needs to exist fast. No payments, no custom backend.
- Up to 5 screens, one platform
- Content, forms and email capture
- 2-week delivery
Build
A proper product you can put in front of real users.
- Up to 12 screens, iOS, Android or web
- Custom backend, database and accounts
- 1 integration — payments, auth, maps
Scale
A cross-platform product ready to handle real growth.
- iOS + Android or full web app
- Up to 3 integrations, including payments
- Dedicated account manager
Custom
Ongoing products, complex integrations, or a dedicated crew.
- Multi-platform and enterprise work
- Phased roadmap or retainer
- SLA-backed support after launch
Founding prices end 30 September — list is £2,499 / £4,999 / £9,999. The £49 scoping call is credited toward your package if we go ahead. Launch does not include a payment gateway.