I’m UK based and I’ve been building it for a while and funding development myself from a warehouse job (no outside funding yet).
I’m not looking to pivot or validate the idea I’m committed to shipping and learning from real users.
I’d really appreciate any advice specifically for this stage: (pre-launch, early users, MVP feedback, avoiding common early mistakes)
Thanks in advance just trying to execute well and learn fast
I’d just like to see if any founders with success or real skin in the game have any advice for me at the stage I’m at currently.
I’m 18 and launching my first MVP in 1-2 months
byu/ApprehensiveMonk1698 inEntrepreneur
Posted by ApprehensiveMonk1698
4 Comments
Good on you for bootstrapping this yourself man. The warehouse grind to fund your own project shows you’re serious about it
Biggest thing at your stage – don’t get caught up making the MVP “perfect” before launch. Ship it when it solves the core problem even if it’s rough around the edges. Real user feedback beats your assumptions every time
Also document everything from day one, especially user convos and feedback patterns. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re trying to figure out what actually moved the needle
At this stage, the biggest risk isn’t the product, it’s silence. You want real users touching the MVP as early as possible, even if it’s uncomfortable. Don’t ask them what they think. Watch what they do. Where they hesitate, where they drop, what they ignore. That behavior matters more than feedback.
I’m not in SaaS specifically, but my background is in media buying and customer acquisition, and the pattern is always the same: people don’t buy or use products because they’re “good,” they do it because the message hits a real pain clearly and fast. Your first job post-launch is learning how users perceive the value, not how you intended it.
Avoid over-iterating on features early. Focus on one core action you want users to take and optimize everything around getting them there. Once you see consistent usage, then you build.
Ship fast, keep scope brutally small, one core problem, one core flow, everything else is noise. Talk to users immediately after they use it, not surveys, real conversations, watch where they get stuck. Do not overbuild, do not polish UI too early, bugs are fine, confusion is gold. Set up basic analytics from day one, but do not obsess over numbers yet. Charge earlier than feels comfortable, even a small price filters real users. Biggest mistake at this stage is building alone for too long, feedback beats opinions, including yours.
here is some advice which might help.
you have to keep launching multiple times, there is nothing like one launch and done.
when you complete a feature make a video of it what it does how it is useful etc. and show it to public, twitter/bsky etc. are ideal for it. dont do this on reddit , not at this stage. if users can actually try it its even better but if not stick to videos. It will also help you later when you crete documentation.
try to recruit early users who could try your product and give you feedback. Dont try to get strangers try to see if there is anyone in your own network who can use your product. if not approach fellow builders and exchange feedbaack by giving them feedback. profile of builder should be same as people you are targeting. if you are targeting developers approach a dev trying to create something if its marketer than look for marketer trying to create something. They will be more sympathetic to use your product since it would be half baked at initial stage and you should do the same, its a win win since both of you will be exchanging feedback. try to give honest feedback that could improve product.
try to keep scope to minimal for lauching but polish it so users have good experience.
Avoid big reddit communities like this one to get feedback you are likely to get banned try it on smaller communities or dm users dont be over aggressive respect boundaries and dont pester/remind if someone does not responds.
communication is as important as product itself see what messaging best resonates with your target users. keep experimenting it and changing it until you get a proper message that appeals to your target users.
if you learn something try to document it, it can be private for now, it will be helpful later when you start seo.
all the best.