The One-Idea Rule

TL;DR: Build one idea at a time. Test one hypothesis. Ship fast, learn faster.

Most MVPs die from idea obesity—trying to solve everything instead of proving one thing works.

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The Problem: Idea Bloat

Symptom: Feature lists that never shrink. What kills you: "While we're at it..." thinking. Reality check: Every extra feature is a bet against your core hypothesis.

Your first version should make 100 people love you, not make 10,000 people slightly interested.

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The One-Idea Rule

Pick one behavior change you want to create. Everything else is noise.

Good examples:

• "Get freelancers to respond to project invites faster"
• "Help sales teams log calls without switching apps"
• "Make designers share work-in-progress with stakeholders"

Bad examples:

• "Build a platform for collaboration"
• "Disrupt communication"
• "Create the future of work"

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The 3-Question Test

Before adding any feature, ask:

1. Does this prove the core hypothesis? If no → cut it.

2. Can we test this without building it? If yes → don't build it yet.

3. Will users pay for just this? If no → question the core idea.

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Real Examples

Airbnb's One Idea: "People will stay in strangers' homes if the booking is trustworthy."

• Not: marketplace + payments + messaging + reviews
• Just: post listing → book room → stay safely

Stripe's One Idea: "Developers will pay for payments that just work."

• Not: invoicing + tax + analytics + fraud detection
• Just: seven lines of code → accept payments

Slack's One Idea: "Teams will use chat if it's organized by topic."

• Not: video calls + file sharing + app integrations
• Just: channels → team conversations

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How to Focus (The Scope Knife)

Week 1: Write down every feature idea Week 2: Cut 70% of features
Week 3: Cut 70% of what's left Week 4: Build what remains

If you can't explain your MVP in one sentence, you're building two MVPs.

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The Focus Framework

One user type Don't build for "small businesses." Build for "freelance designers who work with 2-5 clients."

One workflow
Don't solve "project management." Solve "daily standup updates that actually happen."

One metric Don't optimize for "engagement." Optimize for "weekly active users who complete core action."

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Common Traps (and fixes)

"But what about...?" Write it down. Build it later. Stay focused.

"This feature is quick" Quick features become slow features. Scope creep kills momentum.

"Users will need this eventually" Eventually isn't now. Prove the core first.

"Competitors have it" Good. Let them solve ten problems badly while you solve one problem perfectly.

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FAQ

Q: What if the one idea doesn't work? A: Then you learned fast and cheap. Kill it and test the next one.

Q: How do I know which idea to pick? A: The one that customers mention first when describing their pain.

Q: Won't a simple MVP look unfinished? A: Better to ship something that works perfectly for one use case than something that works poorly for many.

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Ready to focus your MVP?

We help founders scope and ship one focused idea in 5 days. No bloat, no distractions.

Quick Build ($750) • Full Sprint ($7,500)

Internal links:

• Go/No-Go: 3 Questions
• Tiny MVPs That Convert
• The 5-Day MVP Scope
• The Anti-Graveyard Roadmap