Disruption is about more than finding a way to offer a product or service for less than the established competition. It’s about identifying an opportunity triggered by changing regulations, changing customer behavior or a technological shift, to do things differently.

But the only way for a disruptor to reach its full potential — you want to go from being a wild stallion to a unicorn, right? — is to turn that initial spark of differentiation into a fire of sustained competitive advantage.

If you're getting customers excited and the establishment is getting nervous, you already have one-half of what it takes. You have a startup’s agility; you have vision and you have energy. You’re not tied to legacy systems and you’re not trying to transform an existing business plan. And yet, without access to the right expertise that ensures you keep serving and delighting your customers, no matter how ambitious your growth aspirations, that spark is just a flash in the pan. Don’t forget, in the U.S. alone, 20% of startups fail within their first year and 50% within five years1.