My Recovery Connect
Streamlined MVP development for addiction recovery mobile app, transforming chaotic development into a structured founder-led process while dramatically reducing scope for faster market entry.
The Challenge
The founder of My Recovery Connect came to me with a fully scoped MVP featuring complete Figma designs, thorough market research, and a pilot client already lined up. The mobile app was designed to help individuals struggling with addiction in prison settings, focusing on mindful spiritual practices and fitness integrations to support recovery.
However, despite having two junior developers working on the project, progress was frustratingly slow. The team was struggling with constantly changing priorities, lack of clear project management structure, and an overwhelming scope that made it difficult to focus on delivering the essential features first.
The founder needed help not just with development, but with learning how to effectively manage a startup development process and guide his team toward meaningful progress.
The Solution Process
Phase 1: Team Assessment & Individual Coaching
I began by meeting individually with both junior developers to understand their perspectives, skills, and challenges. They revealed their frustration with constantly shifting priorities and lack of clear direction, which was undermining their confidence and productivity.
These conversations helped me understand the root causes of the slow progress and provided insight into what the team needed to succeed.
Phase 2: Founder Education & Project Management Setup
I worked closely with the founder across multiple sessions to teach him how to use Notion as a comprehensive project management tool. Together, we transformed his Figma designs and scattered Excel feature lists into a structured, prioritized backlog.
This wasn't just about tools—it was about helping him understand startup development principles and how to communicate priorities clearly to his team.
Phase 3: Scope Reduction & MVP Focus
One of the most critical interventions was helping the team dramatically reduce the MVP scope. We identified the core features that would deliver immediate value to users and shelved everything else for future iterations.
This scope reduction was essential for creating momentum and allowing the team to focus on delivering something tangible rather than being overwhelmed by an impossibly large feature set.
Phase 4: Founder-Led Development Transition
I introduced the founder to Loveable, a platform that would allow him to be more directly involved in development and help bring his vision to life. I designed a new development process that was founder-led, giving him more control over priorities and implementation decisions.
Key Interventions
Project Management Training
Taught founder how to use Notion effectively and create structured backlogs from design documents
Scope Reduction
Dramatically reduced MVP scope to focus on core features and achieve faster market entry
Individual Developer Coaching
Met with each developer to understand their challenges and provide startup education
Process Design
Created founder-led development process using Loveable for more direct involvement
The Outcome
Educated Team Transition
After learning about startup realities and how priorities naturally change in early-stage companies, the junior developers made an informed decision that this opportunity wasn't the right fit for them. This was actually a positive outcome—they gained valuable insights about startup life.
Founder Empowerment
The founder gained essential project management skills and a clear understanding of how to structure development processes. He was now equipped to lead development himself using Loveable.
Strategic Focus
With a dramatically reduced MVP scope and clear prioritization, the founder could focus on core features and find experienced contractors for specific technical challenges he couldn't handle himself.
Sustainable Development Process
The new founder-led development process ensured better alignment between vision and execution, reducing the communication overhead and priority confusion that had plagued the initial team.
Lessons in Startup Development
"Sometimes the best help you can provide is teaching people what they actually need to know, even if it leads them to make different choices than originally planned."
This project highlighted the importance of education and honest communication in startup consulting. By helping both the developers and founder understand startup realities, we achieved better outcomes for everyone—even if those outcomes looked different than initially expected.