Episode 3: Your MVP is Too Big, Cut It Like This

Episode Description

Your MVP started simple, but now it has 47 features and a six-month timeline. In this episode, I give you three brutal questions that cut MVP bloat fast. Learn how to tell the difference between "must have" and "nice to have" so you can actually ship.

What You'll Learn

• Why MVPs balloon from 2 weeks to 6 months
• The three questions that expose unnecessary features
• How to identify what your MVP actually needs to prove
• The two-week forcing function that creates real MVPs
• How to cut features without second-guessing yourself

The Framework: The MVP Cut Test

Question 1: What's the one thing this proves?

Your MVP exists to test one hypothesis. Every feature should help prove that hypothesis. If it doesn't → cut it.

Question 2: Would they still use it without this?

For each feature, ask: "If I removed this completely, would people still sign up and try the product?" If yes → cut it.

Question 3: Can you ship this in two weeks?

Two weeks is the forcing function. If your MVP takes longer than two weeks to build, it's not minimum. Keep cutting until it fits.

Worked Example

Twitter Thread Writing Tool:

• Started with 8 features (drafts, save, preview, scheduling, analytics, hashtags, AI, export)
• Ran the three questions
• Cut down to 2 features: Write drafts, Save drafts
• Result: Can ship in 3 days instead of 3 months

Ship This Week

1. Write your MVP hypothesis: "This MVP proves that [who] wants [what]." Make it specific and testable.
2. Run every feature through the three questions: Does it prove the hypothesis? Would they still use it without this? Can you ship in two weeks? If any answer is no → cut it.

Measure This

• How many features did you cut? If you started with 15 and you're still at 12, you didn't cut enough. Aim for 5 or fewer features. That's an MVP.

Resources MentionedFree Resources

• Build Something Smaller Cheatsheet: Scope cutting tactics and MVP boundaries
• → Download free at ProductKitOS.com/free

Paid Products

• Scope Shrinker Kit ($39): Structured process for cutting MVP bloat with the 3-question framework, worksheets, and examples
• → Get the Scope Shrinker Kit

About Ship Something

Ship Something: The Unstuck Product Show helps founders turn stuck into shipped. Each week, we take one common product problem and turn it into a simple framework and a real action plan.

New episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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• Website: ProductKitOS.com
• Twitter (X): @SeanHiltos (founder, Product Kit OS)
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• YouTube: @ProductKitOS

Episode produced: January 2026

Hosted on: RedCircle

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