Your MVP is a question, not a smaller product

Founders often treat the MVP as the full product with features removed. That framing leads to long builds and vague results.

A better frame: the MVP is the cheapest way to answer one question. Will this customer pay for this outcome? Will they come back? Pick the question first, then build only what is needed to answer it.

Write the question on the first page of your backlog. When a feature does not help answer it, it waits. You will launch sooner, and you will learn something you can act on.