You shipped an MVP in 3 weeks. First users, first feedback, first urges to rewrite everything. Stop. Here are the 5 steps to turn an MVP into a product that lasts.
Step 1: Measure before coding
Before adding a feature, ask: how many users need it? Otherwise you’re building for yourself, not the market.
Step 2: Tech debt is an investment
An MVP is necessarily messy. And that’s fine. The rule: refactor only when code slows the team down, not for aesthetic principles.
Step 3: The right stack to scale
Next.js + PostgreSQL + serious hosting (Vercel, Railway). Avoid Firebase if you plan large-scale real-time or complex queries.
Step 4: Obsessive onboarding
If the user hasn’t had their first Aha moment in the first 5 minutes, they won’t come back. All your product work must converge on those 5 minutes.
Step 5: V2 is not a redone V1
V2 keeps 80% of V1 and adds what users asked for (and paid for). Not what the team finds cool.