We see it constantly: A founder comes to us wanting Kubernetes clusters, microservices, and sharded databases for a beta app. This is "Premature Optimization," and it is the silent killer of startups.
Optimized for Speed, Not Scale
The function of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is to answer a single question: "Does anybody care?"
If the answer is "No," then your beautiful microservices architecture is just a very expensive monument to a bad idea. At elitics.io, we practice Disposable Architecture for MVPs. We build knowing that if the product succeeds, we might rewrite 50% of it in Year 2. And that is a *good* outcome.
The 6-Week Rule
If you cannot ship a version of your core value proposition in 6 weeks, you are over-scoping. Complexity grows exponentially with time. By constraining the timeline, you force prioritization of the only features that matter.
Technical Debt as Leverage
Engineers hate technical debt. Founders should love it—strategically.
Taking on technical debt (e.g., hardcoding a variable, skipping automated tests for a prototype, using a BaaS like Supabase instead of a custom backend) is like taking a loan. You get speed now, and you pay interest (refactoring) later.
In the early days, speed is the only currency that matters. If you die before you get traction, you never have to pay back the loan.
The "Wizard of Oz" MVP
The best MVPs are often manual processes wrapped in a digital shell.
- Don't build an AI matchmaking algorithm. Have a human match them in a spreadsheet.
- Don't build automated invoicing. Send PDFs manually via Stripe.
- Don't build a robust admin panel. Edit the database directly.
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