Create Content Like An MVP
I am definitely not a sports fan,
(Even though I played almost every sport under the sun as a child because my parents are HARDCORE leisure sports fans),
So, I promise this article is not a reference to being “the most valuable player” of your business.
Instead, against literally every aspect of my better judgment,
The inspiration for this advice comes from the wild wild West of tech start-ups and entrepreneurial CEO jargon.
(I know, I am just as surprised as you, but hear me out on this one)
The power of an minimum viable product (MVP)
Two years ago, my partner got hired by (a now defunct) tech start-up.
And while this experience of watching him work at a start-up truly was filled with so many ups and downs it gave us professional whiplash, it did give us both an extensively comprehensive knowledge of tech-bro terms and business slang,
One of which is the concept of the MVP, also known as the minimum viable product.
Essentially, an MVP is the most bare-bones version of what you are looking to create,
Made to help you get started and get things published and out to the market, with the hope of attracting potential early adopters to want to invest in and learn more about your product or services.
Basically, it’s the idea of creating a functional (but not polished) version of whatever project you want to start, without worrying about all the extra razzle-dazzle that will come later.
Traditionally, creating an MVP refers to working on a physical product or SaaS app, but I have found that it can also be used to help improve freelance content creation:
Instead of spending hours creating full sample blog article pieces for your work portfolio, write small snippets to showcase your writing to send to potential clients
Instead of belabouring over which website layout and design you want, get a functional website up and running as quickly as possible to start attracting leads
Instead of committing to a weekly self-published blog, try posting once a month to actually get your name out there and the content written and published
Using the MVP method for your freelancing business
It’s no secret that most freelance writers (especially medical writers with experience in direct patient care) are prone to perfectionistic tendencies,
Which can be a huge barrier when trying to start or grow your freelancing business.
But, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:
80% of the way is a whole hell of a lot better than 0% — and you can use the MVP model to actually get going on projects rather than hyper-fixating on making it perfect.
As a tried and true perfectionist (I have been since I was in grade school when I used to create extra homework for myself to ensure I perfectly understood every lesson), I know how hard it is to turn these worries off.
But, even with these tendencies, I have still been able to adopt the MVP mentality into my business, and it has made such a huge difference in my personal productivity levels.
Today, I use the MVP model to:
Save me time, effort, and energy
Encourage me to play around with new ideas without over-extending
Help get me in the habit of outputting content on a regular basis
And as a result, I have never been more productive and organized in my life 🤯
So, yes — despite all odds, I have to thank the tech start-up bros for introducing me to an actually helpful business working concept.
Who would have thought!? Is this even possible????????????
Hope you enjoyed the read, and please feel free to reply to this article and let me know how you plan to use the MVP model to improve your business.
I love hearing your success stories, so please don’t be shy!