Stop Building, Start Solving: A Strategic Take on Escaping the Build Trap

A Review of Melissa Perri’s Escaping the Build Trap for Founders and Product Leaders

I. Introduction

Startups die in many ways, but one of the most invisible—and most common—is feature debt. Founders celebrate roadmap completions. Teams hit every sprint goal. Customers… stay confused, disengaged, or churn.

Welcome to the Build Trap.

In Escaping the Build Trap, Melissa Perri names the dysfunction every product leader has felt but struggled …