Having been in the Product world for some time now, the part that continues to captivate me is the initial '0 to 1' phase. It's like a painter staring at a blank canvas, with infinite possibilities and stories to narrate 🎨

Looking at a well-functioning product, it's easy to forget its humble beginnings. Its early days were probably filled with uncertainty, excitement, and a good dose of healthy chaos (see how Byrdhouse has evolved over the year)👇

Assuming we've done our homework, identified our market, and understood our customer pain points, what follows is the first proof of our hypotheses 🔍. Instead of plunging into building a full-fledged product - a mistake that we’ve made in the past that wasted tons of time and resources, our goal should be to bring a basic, functioning version (let's call it v0) to our customers quickly and learn from them 💡

Running a startup is like a non-stop, high-energy dance where time and resources are scarce partners 💃🕺 That's why it's so crucial to test our hypothesis with a 'minimum differentiated product'. This isn't just a no-frills version of your product, but the leanest version that still delivers the unique value proposition to your target market. 🎯

We consciously avoid the term 'minimum viable product' because it implies that you're pushing out something that barely works. What we're creating isn't just another face in the crowd. It needs to stand apart, solve a problem, to add tangible value. So, let's not build an inferior version of what big tech or competitors offer. Instead, let's pour unique insights and solutions into this lean product that only does one thing really well to solve the problem better.🌟

Our team took this idea to heart. We committed to shipping the minimum version of the product to production within a month, trimming the unnecessary, and focusing on what truly mattered.

Next came the 'moment of truth' - getting our product in front of our customers. Observing how they interacted with it, tracking their engagement, and asking for feedback - these conversations really became our compass. 🧭

The early adopters are absolutely valuable. They're problem solvers, they're eager to help, and their feedback is often our best learning source. So, we check in with them every day, always asking, "Is it better? How can we improve?" 🔄

This process is a rapid, real-world litmus test of whether your product is a 'nice-to-have' or a 'must-have'. And if something isn't adding up, it's time to dig deep and ask, "What's the one unknown that could change our company's priorities?" Find it, learn about it, and course correct.

Hope our learning can offer a tiny bit of help to someone else building products at an early-stage company. Happy building!