Episode Summary

What if you could ship something real in seven days for almost any idea? This episode shows you how to take any product idea—no matter how big—and cut it down to a shippable thin slice using a five-step framework.

Resources MentionedFree Resource

Build Something Smaller Cheatsheet (7-12 min PDF)

Scope scissors prompts, MVP definition rules, and a simple version 1 boundary line.

→ Download here

Recommended Kits

Scope Shrinker Kit ($39)

Cut your product to something shippable with must-have filters, risk weights, and a scope trim canvas.

→ Get the kit

MVP Map Kit ($59)

Map v1, v2, v3 thin slices with stories and sequencing logic for a buildable plan.

→ Get the kit

Ship List (Do This Week)

1. Write your core job sentence: Use the format "This product helps [who] [do what] without [the thing they hate about current solutions]." Be specific.
2. List all your features, then cut ruthlessly: Run the "would they still use it without this?" test. Move everything that fails to your "later list."
3. Write your 7 daily milestones: Each day should have one concrete, finishable task. Day 7 is always "Ship."

Measure List

One metric: Did you ship something on day 7?

Not "Did you finish everything?" Not "Did you build it perfectly?"

Did you ship something—anything—that a real person could use?

If yes → You succeeded. Learn and iterate.

If no → Your scope was too big. Cut more. Try again.

Key Takeaway

Shipping a thin slice in seven days beats building the full product in seven months.

Name the core job. Cut everything else. Define "good enough." Break it into 7 milestones. Ship on day 7 no matter what.

Worked Example: Bug Tracker

Core job: "This product helps engineering teams capture bugs from Slack and track them without manual copy-paste."

Features cut: Assignments, priorities, GitHub integration, notifications, reports, search, filters

Features kept: Capture from Slack, track status (open/in-progress/closed), add comments

7-Day Build Plan:

• Day 1: Slack listener captures messages
• Day 2: Store bugs in database
• Day 3: Display bug list
• Day 4: Add status dropdown
• Day 5: Add comment field
• Day 6: Test with one real team
• Day 7: Ship

About Ship Something

Ship Something: The Unstuck Product Show helps founders turn stuck into shipped. Each week, we take one common product problem and turn it into a simple framework and a real action plan.

New episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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Follow Product Kit OS

• Website: ProductKitOS.com
• Twitter (X): @SeanHiltos (founder, Product Kit OS)
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• YouTube: @ProductKitOS

Episode produced: January 2026

Hosted on: RedCircle

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ship-something/donations