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Unhinged rules I have as a solo founder
@philsmy
5.6K followers · usually 1.5K views a post
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Selling · SaaS › Other SaaS
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Why it worked
The content resonates with founders by addressing common pain points like scope creep and the difficulty of defining an MVP. The use of concise, relatable rules and a clear call to action encourages engagement and positions the creator as a knowledgeable resource for startup challenges.
Summary
This slideshow presents a series of rules and philosophies for solo founders, emphasizing focus on core problems, avoiding feature creep, and prioritizing customer validation over extensive development. It argues that many founders struggle with scope rather than technical ability, and that true business success is validated by customer payment.
Structure
- 1Unhinged rules for solo founders
- 2MVP definition and scope
- 3Avoiding procrastination with tools
- 4Product clarity and definition
- 5Customer-centric development (no dashboards before customers)
- 6The reality of business validation (payment)
- 7Focus on building vs. other aspects
Original caption
Most solo founders don’t have a technical problem. They have a scope problem. I’ve seen this over and over again, including in myself. We keep adding features because features feel productive. Another dashboard. Another integration. Another settings screen. Another week of “refining.” But a bloated MVP is usually fear wearing a productivity costume. The uncomfortable truth is that most developer-founders are fully capable of building something real. The thing blocking them is making a small enough decision to expose to the market. One user. One painful problem. One ugly version. One actual launch. That’s where the real learning starts. Not in another planning document. Not in another framework. Not in another AI-generated roadmap. I’ve built software companies for over 20 years. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that complexity often arrives long before customers do. You do not need a bigger product. You need a smaller target. If this carousel felt a little too familiar, that’s probably useful information. Link in bio if you want help cutting your MVP down to something real and shippable. #entrepreneurship #solofounder #saasfounder #railsdeveloper #buildinpublic
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