100 actionable steps
8 sequential phases
3 formats included
What do you get with this resource?
How does the feature work?
Who is this resource for?
For founders who are about to launch
Building without a process is not ambition. It's the most expensive mistake a founder can make.
Every week spent developing unvalidated hypotheses is time you won't get back. Every feature built without a definition of done is debt you'll pay at launch. Most of the problems with a failed MVP are born in the first few weeks—when no one has asked the right questions in the right order. This checklist provides that order: 100 steps with measurable criteria, concrete tools, and the exact sequence that differentiates a controlled launch from an improvised one.
6 Reviews
From making decisions based on intuition to executing with defined criteria
The before and after of acquiring this resource.
Without the checklist
Decisions based on assumptions
The founder progresses guided by what they believe is right: they build the feature that seems most important, launch when they feel ready, and measure what they remember to measure. Without external criteria, the perception of progress replaces actual progress. The problem isn't a lack of effort — it's that the effort has no standard against which to be measured.
Phases 1–5: Validate and build
Every step has a standard
The founder does not move on to the next item until the completion criteria for the current one are met. "Validate willingness to pay" does not close when there are interesting conversations — it closes when there are at least three documented payment commitments. "Define the ICP" does not close when there is a general description — it closes when three real people who perfectly fit the description can be named. The difference between believing you have validated and actually having validated ceases to be subjective.
Phases 6–8: Launch and Iterate
Launch with defined metrics
Go-to-Market does not improvise channels or messages: the steps of Phase 6 are completed before acquiring the first paying user. Phase 7 metrics are configured from day 1, not added when data has already been lost. Phase 8 turns feedback into structured iteration cycles instead of reactions to whatever squeaks loudest at the moment.
Building without a process is not ambition. It's the most expensive mistake a founder can make.
Completion criteria per item
No item closes with "more or less done." Each has a measurable criterion that defines exactly what "completed" means: number of interviews, concrete conversions, documented payment commitments. There is no room for the self-deception of believing something is resolved when it has only just begun.
Specific tool for each step
You don't have to research what to use at each stage. Every item references the specific tool to execute it: Apollo.io for interview outreach, Otter.ai for transcripts, Carrd for the validation landing page, PostHog for product metrics. The process and the stack go together.
The 8 phases cover the entire process
From articulating the problem in a single sentence that any team member can repeat, to closing the first iteration cycles with real data. The phases have a deliberate sequential logic: you cannot jump to Development with holes in Validation without the checklist revealing it.
Active tracker, not passive document
The Excel and CSV formats in Notion are designed to track progress in real-time, filter by stage or priority level, and record notes per item. It's not a resource you read once — it's the active reference for your startup's most critical weeks.
Priority assigned for decisions under pressure
When time is short before launch, the checklist doesn't let you intuitively choose what can be skipped. Each item has a priority level — High or Medium — that distinguishes what is non-negotiable from what can be left for the next iteration. The difficult decisions have already been made.
Three formats, zero adoption friction
PDF for offline visual reference, Excel with formulas and filters for active tracking, and mapped CSV for direct import into Notion or Google Sheets without manual adjustments. You work with the environment you already have — the process doesn't require you to change your tools.
What separates this resource from searching "how to launch an MVP" on Google
Free guides explain concepts. This checklist provides the process: what to do, in what order, with what tool, and how to know it's done. They are two different things. One gives you understanding; the other gives you execution. And in a startup launch, the latter is what counts.
| The 100 Steps to Launch | Free guides / self-paced | |
|---|---|---|
| Measurable completion criteria per item | ||
| Specific tool recommended per step | ||
| Validated 8-phase logical sequence | ||
| Item priority level for making decisions under pressure | ||
| Active tracker with real progress tracking | ||
| Full coverage: from problem to first iteration cycle |