Startups usually have an excess of ideas but a deficit of resources.
It’s important for startups to validate their idea before investing time and money, and more importantly, investing efforts into building a product. To do that, many startups take the route of MVP outsourcing.
What is an MVP?
MVP is short for a minimum viable product that is created to collect the maximum amount of client feedback while spending the least resources on building it.
The term MVP was introduced and popularised by Eric Ries in his book called The Lean Startup. In the book, Ries argues that it is smart to build an MVP first, and then go all-in if the idea proves to be viable.
The process of creating an MVP typically consists of 4 steps:
- Validating the idea through market research. Here we understand the key client pains and outline the core issues that will be addressed.
- Defining what your MVP will look like. Once you know about the pains and the needs, it’s time to figure out what features will go into the MVP. It should be the least resource-consuming and least complicated way to solve the problem of the potential client.
- Developing the MVP which, again, would only entail the core features. Any extras can be added later in the future iterations of the solution.
- Launching an MVP means sharing it with clients. Here, we let them test and try the solution in return for feedback.
Benefits of building an MVP
Beginning with an MVP helps startups test the waters before fully committing to the product. But that’s not the only upside of working with the minimum viable product.
Other benefits of MVPs include:
- Validating the idea early in the game. You get invaluable feedback from real people who see the drawbacks and notify you of them at the very beginning of your startup journey, so you can fix them asap. And the more feedback you get early on, the less redesign and rebuild you’ll have to do later.
- Saving resources in case the idea doesn’t work out. It’s a simple and smart approach, preventing you from wasting money on an idea that doesn’t work in the real world.
- Estimating market potential with the real product — not just data and speculation.
- Having a real-life case to pitch to investors. It’s always better to demonstrate a real product than a PowerPoint presentation or a screen prototype.
To build MVP yourself or outsource?
Many startups don’t consider the idea of outsourcing because they want to be fully immersed in the process.
But ideation and development are two very different things. It’s one scenario when you’d like to build an app and you are proficient in software development, but what if your skills are not enough to deliver your vision to the fullest? In that case, a brilliant idea could be killed by mediocre execution.
And if you don’t build an MVP yourself but decide to hire a team, you might spend months looking for the perfect match and not find it in the end.
Benefits of outsourcing MVP
We’ve talked about the benefits of MVP, but what exactly are the benefits of outsourcing an MVP?
- Gaining the freedom to focus on the business side of things and leave the rest to the software development company.
- Access to talent. The beauty of working with an agency offering software development services is that they have a unique pool of talent consisting of rare and niche specialists, as well as highly experienced resources with expertise in general areas. Matching their level is unattainable for most startups.
- Access to IT consultancy. Outsourcing agencies have tons of experience and knowledge that can serve your startup well. Emphasoft, for example, offers a separate MVP consulting service helping founders polish their ideas and action plans.
- Time savings. You get a quick turnaround when a group of experienced professionals is involved. Plus, companies like Emphasoft can start working on your project within just a few days.
- Cost savings. You don’t go through hiring and onboarding. There are no benefits and medical insurance to cover, no office rent, and utility bills. Your application development company takes care of it all.
- Building an in-house team is hard. From having to do countless CV screenings and interviews to finding people with matching ethics and the right soft skills – you will be swamped with daily routines and paperwork, losing precious time.
- Building a long-term partnership with the outsourcing agency. Even if you end up hiring an in-house development team, you can still work with the company that’s created your MVP down the road. By then, they’ll already know the details and nuances of your solution, so you can use them for side-projects or little enhancements. You can also hire niche specialists who you might only need for a few months, when full-time employment doesn’t make sense.
Final thoughts
Outsourcing your MVP will likely lead to better results and a higher chance of getting your next round of investments. You can obtain a team of highly skilled and knowledgeable developers working on your idea from day one. Their combined expertise shortens the development time because they work more efficiently and don’t make the typical mistakes less experienced teams tend to make.
But remember, outsourcing your MVP is not a magic pill. You still need an innovative idea paired with a solid plan and a little bit of luck to end up among profitable startups.
Emphasoft can’t come up with an idea for you, but we can take care of the rest!
Our team of 170+ specialists share a diverse expertise from web development to business automation. And with over 135 projects delivered within the last 2 years, we understand how to deliver high-quality products fast.
We can start working on your project within 3 days, so please reach out to us with your idea and we will bring it to life!
