How to Make Your First Version So Valuable, People Can’t Ignore It

Hi, and welcome to The Atomic Builder!

Summer’s nearly wrapped - the kids and I have done everything from scale the roof of the O2, to navigating what felt like 5,000 foot high zip lines (spoiler, they weren’t…) as well as hitting the London musical circuit (Starlight Express anyone?!). Good food has featured prominently, shouldn’t it always?

Before we dive into today, If you’ve got a friend who’s been meaning to build with AI but doesn’t know where to start - forward them this. The next chapter of The Atomic Builder might be just what they need.

On to today’s issue…

This is the third and final part of our 3-part arc on what it really takes to launch a successful AI product in 2025.

If you’ve been following along:

• In Issue 1, we explored distribution — how to get seen in a noisy, AI-saturated world.

• In Issue 2, we tackled trust — how to keep users believing after that first glitch.

• And now, in this Issue 3, we’re landing on the one thing that turns interest into obsession: value.

Because a working product isn’t a winning product. And in the AI era, “Minimum Viable” is often just that - viable. Barely.

Let’s talk about how to build a v1 that actually sticks.

Why “Build Fast” Has Become a Trap

One of the great misconceptions of the AI era is this:

This is just not true anymore. The problem? So can everyone else. Your colleague, your competitor, the business across the street.

With GPT-5 and even the more legacy models, anyone with a half-decent prompt and a basic UI can spin up an AI tool.

You can easily clone an idea. You can easily mimic a workflow.

I’ve prototyped entire apps using ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini and a few screenshots for input. Landing pages, dashboards, sample outputs, all done in 40 minutes or perhaps a morning. Don’t get me wrong - there is huge value in that…

…But building fast ≠ building deep.

So, beyond prototype, the question shouldn’t be “Can I build it quickly?”

It’s: “Will anyone care enough to come back?”

MVPs used to be about learning. And to be fair, they still can and should be, to a large extent. But now, they’re also about traction and trust.

Which leads us to a more useful goal…

Enter: The Value-Loaded MVP

If you take nothing else from this issue, take this:

A value-loaded MVP isn’t just about proving something works. It’s about proving it’s worth caring about.

That means your v1 should do one of the following shockingly well:

1. Save real time

2. Unlock a new capability

3. Deliver an outcome they can’t get elsewhere

What does that look like in practice? Let’s break that down:

A decent MVP is something users tolerate.

A value-loaded MVP is something they tell people about. That’s where we need to be.

Real-World Contrast

Let’s take a look at two tools that nailed this from day one:

✨ Case 1: Gamma.app

Category: AI-powered presentation creator

I’ve been using Gamma recently to prepare for presentations. When everyone was launching basic slide generators, Gamma went deeper. Instead of asking “What’s the minimum we can ship?”, they asked, “What’s the most useful version we can deliver right now?”

Why it works:

• Gamma didn’t just generate slides - it produced contextually aware, well-structured decks with real visual polish.

• Its “magic redo” and “AI edit” features let users co-create, not just accept generic outputs.

• The value? It saves hours while delivering results good enough to actually present — a clear outcome win.

This was a deck I created using Gamma - it’s the first slide. You’ll see more of this in a few weeks!

🗣️ Case 2: ElevenLabs

Category: AI voice generation (Text-To-Speech, TTS)

Dozens of TTS tools existed.

While others were chasing “robot voice but better,” shudder….ElevenLabs asked: what would it take for someone to use this in a real production workflow on day one? And then they delivered exactly that.

Why it works:

• ElevenLabs didn’t just launch TTS - they launched, let’s call it atmospheric presence.

• The voices were eerily human, instantly usable in podcasts, videos, and product demos.

• Their API and sharing tools made it functional for real workflows, not just fun to play with.

• The result? Creators adopted it fast - because it slotted into work that mattered.

• It wasn’t a test. It was a statement: AI audio was production-ready from day one.

I’ve been using ElevenLabs audio to power my own Spatialearn audio learning platform.

You haven’t heard much about this recently as I’ve been enjoying the summer with the kids - I’m excited to get back to this and take it forward in September.

🧪 This Week’s Challenge

So, with value loaded MVPs in mind, ask yourself:

• What’s the one thing your product could do that makes people say:

  “I need this”, not “neat idea”?

• What feature, use case, or output would instantly separate you from the clones?

• What result would make your user look good to their boss, their client, or their community?

Now go build just that. Nothing else!

Here’s a quick mini-framework:

• Magic First – Start with your boldest “wow” use case — not the easiest to build.

• Slice Ruthlessly – Strip away anything that doesn’t contribute to that one “wow.”

• Ship the Feeling – Build the version that proves the value, not just the concept.

Final Thoughts

Let’s close the loop on this 3-part arc.

In Issue 1, we talked about distribution — how to get seen.

In Issue 2, we focused on trust — how to keep users believing.

And now, in Issue 3, we’ve hit value — how to make them stay, and tell others.

I think that’s the atomic foundation of any good AI product:

• 🚀 Distribution brings them in.

• 🤝 Trust keeps them around.

• 💥 Value makes them loyal.

Lets remember that as we build - this will take us all far.

Until next time, keep experimenting, keep building, and as always - stay atomic. 👊

Faisal

This Week’s Build Beats 🎵

Each issue, we pair the newsletter with a track to keep you inspired while you build.

This week, to celebrate imminent and exciting changes to the Atomic Builder…

🎧 “Changes” – David Bowie

Grab the playlist on Spotify - I add to it each week!