blog
contact
hire me
mvp consulting

The Anatomy of a $5K MVP

Everyone says you can build an MVP for $5K. Almost no one tells you what that actually gets you - or what to cut to make it real. If you’re thinking lean, bootstrapped, or just trying to validate fast before raising, here’s the brutal breakdown: what fits in $5K, what doesn’t, and how to squeeze maximum signal out of minimum spend.

First, What $5K Isn’t

  • It’s not your dream product.
  • It’s not a scalable backend.
  • It’s not room for a month of rewrites, pivots, or scope creep.

$5K is a scalpel, not a toolbox. Use it to carve out the one thing you need to prove - not to “start building your startup.”

What $5K Can Buy (If You’re Ruthless)

  1. A Single, Clear User Flow Think: landing → signup → outcome. That’s it. No dashboards, no onboarding flows, no feature bloat.

  2. Functional, Not Fancy Design It’ll look clean, maybe even sharp. But you’re not paying for animations or pixel-perfect UI. You’re paying for clarity.

  3. Hosted, Demoable Product You’ll have something live, clickable, and shareable with users, investors, or early partners. Not a dev-only mess on localhost.

  4. Code You Can Hand Off Built with boring, readable tech (e.g. React, Postgres, AWS). Not duct-taped together with obscure frameworks.

What You’ll Have to Skip

  • Multiple user types or roles (pick one)
  • Fancy dashboards or analytics (you’re the analytics rn)
  • Custom admin panels (manage via DB or basic CRUD)
  • Responsive to the pixel (mobile is fine, but don’t chase perfection)

The Process I Use to Ship These

1. Scope Lock

One call. We define your riskiest assumption, key feature, and what not to build. You don’t move forward until this is clear.

2. Rapid Dev Stack

  • Frontend: React
  • Backend: AWS Serverless
  • Hosting: Cloudflare/AWS
  • No reinventing wheels. Just speed + reliability.

3. Build + Launch (4-6 Weeks)

Tight cycles. You get updates, links, and a live product. You give feedback fast. We don’t go dark.

4. Handoff With Docs

You get the code, setup notes, and next steps. No black box BS. If you raise, your next dev can pick it up without crying or I can help you start thinking about the rest and build that too.

Why This Works

You don’t need $50K to prove you’re onto something. You need momentum, signal, and something that shows you can execute. $5K is enough - if you treat it like a weapon, not a wishlist.


Want to talk through your idea and see what’s actually buildable in the next 30 days? Grab a 30-min slot. No fluff. Just clarity.