From Overengineered to MVP — Launch in 12 Days
Turning editorial ambition into rapid execution
Frustration
The Founder
Founder & CEO
My Role
Product Strategy & Modern Stack Implementation
⚠️ The Problem
The initial product was overbuilt before it was validated.
Instead of launching lean, the team tried to solve for every possible editorial edge case — quickly outgrowing Ghost CMS and needing custom development far too early.
What happens when perfectionism becomes paralysis?
💥 The Impact
The overengineering backfired.
Ghost couldn't handle the complexity, so the team pivoted mid-build.
Custom development became urgent, leading to last-minute hiring and inconsistent execution.
Costs ballooned, with rushed freelancers and unclear specs.
They missed the market window, watching others launch simpler products first.
"We thought we were being smart by building everything editors might want.
In reality, we were slowing ourselves down — and solving for problems we didn't even have yet."
The hidden cost: Not just money—but momentum.
Fix
Framework
Rebuilt using a **high-speed, modern product stack**: flexible tools and elite partners that prioritize momentum over overkill.
⚡ Actions Taken
Used Base44 and lovable.dev together for rapid brand identity and UX clarity — turning ambiguity into clean, conversion-focused designs in days
Rebuilt frontend on ShadCN UI, tapping into a modern component system to slash development time by over 60%
Used Claude Code for rapid prototyping and faster iteration cycles
Ruthlessly trimmed scope to what real users needed — not theoretical "must-haves"
Re-centered around shipping fast and learning live, instead of perfecting on paper
🎯 Outcomes
MVP shipped in 12 days, down from 3+ months of spinning wheels
Dev costs dropped by over 50%, thanks to smarter tooling and scoped effort
Validated user demand with early subscribers, creating a feedback loop to guide V2
Team morale soared — no more firefighting, just focused progress
Future
💡 Key Lesson
Speed wins. The right tools and collaborators can get you to market fast — with a product that looks great, feels premium, and delivers results.
📋 Prescriptions
Don't customize early — constrain scope and build what users will pay for now
Use Base44 and lovable.dev to design a brand and UX that converts — without hiring a full team
Build on ShadCN UI to avoid reinventing UI from scratch
Prototype and iterate with Claude Code to reduce engineering drag
Facing similar challenges?
Let's talk. I'll help you decode the gap, align your team, and weaponize AI for speed, not chaos.
Schedule a Tactical Briefing