The Real MVP: How Founders Can Stop Overbuilding and Start Scaling Part 1

Show Notes:

 

In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons sits down with serial entrepreneur and fractional CTO John Bentley, II, a technologist turned multi-business founder who’s spent decades helping startups build smarter, scale faster, and avoid the costly pitfalls that sink most early-stage products.

John shares his journey from programming on a TRS-80 at age 10, to corporate leadership at Sprint, to launching multiple tech ventures including SpotOn.Pet, 10XTS, and his fractional CTO practice. He breaks down the biggest mistakes founders make when building products, why 80% of software is never used, and what a real MVP should look like (hint: it’s far less than you think).

John also introduces his framework for a Micro Convertible Offering (MCO),  a powerful way to validate market traction before sinking money into development. He and Heather dive deep into customer research, early adopter psychology, product-market fit, and how to de-risk software development as a non-technical founder.

Whether you're preparing for your first product build or scaling a growing startup, this episode delivers tactical, founder-friendly insights you can apply immediately.

 

Bio:

 

John Bentley, II is a fractional CTO with over 35 years of hands-on experience with technology. He is a serial entrepreneur passionate about early-stage startups. He travels the Product Journey and guides others on the paths that lead from Idea to Market.

 

To connect with our guest, click on the links below:

https://linkedin.com/in/johnbentleyii

https://www.instagram.com/prdjrn

Website:  https://prdjrn.com

 

Connect with me:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-parsons-cfo/

 

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