Disrupt or Die: Lead with Values, Stand Out in Your Market, and Avoid the Price Trap

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by competition, market shifts, or economic pressures? Do you find yourself constantly looking outward, wondering how to keep up? You’re not alone.

The good news is that this feeling isn’t inevitable. The answer isn’t to react, but to realign with an integrated market disruption strategy. Here’s what I mean…

When I started Structure, I reacted to everything. And, no surprise, our clients did too.

In the early days, I was fixated on what others were doing—chasing trends, endlessly comparing myself to competitors, scrambling to keep up. But I don’t do that anymore because I don’t have to—and the truth is, neither do you.

My change of mind didn’t come from discovering a trick to drop prices, finding an untapped niche, or benefiting from a lucky break. It came from a moment of clarity when I realized the real obstacle wasn’t “out there.” It was “in here” (pointing to my heart). The issue was internal—rooted in who I was, what I stood for, and how my team and company showed up in the world.

In short, I wasn’t bold enough to declare what truly mattered to me, what I wanted my business to stand for, and who I wanted to serve. But once I did, everything changed.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Grow or die.” If you’re not growing, you’re dying. But I’ve come to see it more fully: disrupt or die. If you’re not disrupting—starting with yourself—you’re already on the path to decline. Disruption isn’t just a one-time fix, and it doesn’t start with market positioning. It starts within, by aligning deeply with your vision, values, and impact. It starts by shaking up what’s “normal” and embracing what’s “valuable.”

Let’s dive into what that actually looks like for you and your company.

Disrupt Your Market by Shifting from Comparison to Clarity

Right now, you might feel like you’re trapped in a cycle of comparison.

If you’re measuring success by what competitors are doing, watching market trends, or evaluating yourself against industry standards, you’re looking in the wrong place. Here’s the truth: the more you’re fixated on these external markers, the more you sacrifice the internal ones.

True market disruption strategy—the kind that positions your company as a leader—begins when you shift your focus from controlling external outputs to mastering the clarity of your vision, values, and how you deliver value.

For me, this understanding didn’t come overnight. In Structure’s early years, we were obsessed with keeping up—comparing strategies, adjusting prices, and making sure we “fit in.” But every time we looked outward, our vision shrank. Our future got smaller. Every day, I could feel our confidence waver, and it was exhausting.

Ultimately, we were losing sight of our core belief that Business Is Personal™. That phrase isn’t just a catchy tagline; it’s our promise—to treat every client, team member, and interaction with authenticity, vulnerability, and humanity.

Rediscover & Realign with Your Core Beliefs

I remember pacing around my bedroom one holiday, feeling utterly stuck. 

It was Labor Day, and while everyone else was enjoying their time off, I was spiraling. I felt like I’d hit a wall. I couldn’t ignore the truth any longer: I didn’t know who we were as a business anymore, and I couldn’t see a way forward. The only thing I could think to do was go back to where we’d started—back to that original belief that business is personal.

That moment was a breaking point. I realized I had to make a decision: continue chasing what the market, my team, or my LinkedIn feed “wanted,” or step back, realign with our values, and rebuild something I was proud of—something that made a mark. Even if it meant breaking from norms.

Amplify What Sets You Apart

This decision to “go back” to our beliefs wasn’t just a mental shift for me—it was a cultural shift for our entire company. And little did I know, it was the lifeline we needed. Once we refocused on what we believed, everything changed. I began to lead with clarity, make decisions without second-guessing, and finally see a future I wanted to be part of.

Within 12 months, we doubled revenue and tripled our team. All this happened while revamping operations and letting go of clients that weren’t the right fit—not to mention, we were navigating an election year and mortgage rate spikes. Go figure!

When we parted ways with half our clients, it felt risky—but those who remained shared our vision, creating partnerships built on trust and shared values.

Practically, this is what Mike Michaolowicz’s Pumpkin Plan strategy is all about. His approach is to, “Focus your attention and energy on your core client group and serve them so well that they start to clone themselves.” Just like growing pumpkins, some stay small and “normal” while others grow into truly remarkable showpieces. The difference? Focus on only the things that make the pumpkin grow to achieve its full potential, and eliminate the rest. In time, the pumpkin will be an outlier to the entire patch.

The lesson: stop measuring success by doing what others are doing. 

Instead, focus on what makes your company unique. Success isn’t about outdoing competitors; it’s about amplifying the values only you can bring to life. When your vision and values drive your decisions, growth becomes an inevitable outcome.

Escaping the Commodity Trap is a Market Disruption Strategy Secret

The easy road is to become just another option, competing solely on price and struggling to stand out.

Here’s the hard truth: when you’re indistinguishable, you’re forced into low-profit, high-stress work, constantly fighting to keep clients from choosing the next cheapest option. This is the trap of “commodity thinking,” and if you’re caught in it, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s exhausting.

At Structure, we’ve faced this challenge head-on with ourselves and our clients. Here’s what we’ve done.

First, we started by getting clear on what we stand for: business is personal. I don’t just want to deliver results—I want to transform our clients’ businesses in a way that feels genuine, human, and deeply impactful. This isn’t just a slogan; it’s our foundation. By choosing to be uniquely ourselves, we naturally positioned ourselves as a high-value partner, attracting clients who resonated with our approach and were excited to invest in it.

How Warby Parker Disrupted Eyewear with Accessibility & Impact

In the crowded, competitive eyewear market market, Warby Parker entered with a bold, value-driven mission: make high-quality glasses affordable and accessible, while giving back to communities. 

By establishing a one-for-one model—where each pair of glasses sold equates to one donated—they disrupted a market dominated by a few high-priced players. 

Their commitment to social impact and affordability didn’t just build a customer base; it built a community of supporters who believe in the brand’s mission. And while Warby Parker does provide affordable eyewear, it’s not cheap. Their success shows that companies who prioritize accessibility and transparency—over price competition and commoditization—can create lasting loyalty, even in crowded markets.

If You Have to Compete, Compete on Values

Recently, a client came to us asking for a discount, caught in their own cycle of commodity thinking. 

Instead of negotiating price, I challenged them to focus on value—on output, outcomes, and results. We worked to uncover what made both of us truly unique, and they began to see us (and themselves) differently. We were no longer just “another option.” 

What’s better is they left, empowered to become a leader in their own space, competing on value and drawing customers willing to pay a premium.

What would happen if you stopped competing on price and started leaning into your unique vision and values? 

Breaking free from commodity thinking isn’t easy, but when you align with your core strengths, you’ll find yourself building lasting value instead of chasing the next quick win.

Be a Product of the Product

Authenticity isn’t a marketing tactic. It’s a long-term growth strategy that sparks breakthrough success.

When you lead with authenticity, you attract customers who believe in what you stand for, who trust your vision, and who are loyal because they see something real. Authenticity isn’t just a differentiator; it’s a multiplier. It draws the right clients, empowers your team, and sustains long-term success by creating relationships that last.

Authenticity is a Key Market Disruption Strategy

I’ll never forget watching a friend turn down a multi-million dollar contract. 

He was being offered everything—recognition, income, a massive platform—but it didn’t align with who he was. 

That choice didn’t just protect his integrity; it solidified his mission. Soon, people noticed that he stood by his principles, and his authenticity drew new clients who trusted he was true to his word. They weren’t buying what he sold; they were buying who he was.

Prioritize your values, even when it feels risky. 

Authenticity is more than a buzzword; it’s a strategy. When clients see that you’re genuinely aligned with your values, they’re not just buying a product—they’re investing in a relationship. They’re choosing you for who you are, not just what you sell.

3 Key Action Steps to Lead Market Disruption from Within

Now that we’re clear on the importance of internal focus, here’s how to become a market disruptor by beginning with your life, your team, and your business.

Step 1: Clarify Your Unique Value

Take a step back and ask, “What am I the best in the world at?” 

This isn’t about comparing yourself to others; it’s about amplifying your strengths. Know what makes you unique, and then build relationships with clients who resonate with those qualities. When you’re clear on what you’re bringing to the table, you’ll start attracting clients who value it too.

Crossing the Starting Line

Practically, the best way to clarify your unique value (other than ask the question above) is do a time and energy audit. 

In this process, you’ll want to:

• Log everything you do in 15 minute increments for 2 weeks. 
• At the end of each day, add 1 – 4 dollar signs ($) to represent the value of the task. 
• Highlight each in GREEN (gave energy) or RED (took energy).

Then, spend as much time as possible doing the things that give you energy and are of high value. Everything else can be replaced or delegated.

Step 2: Focus on Input Metrics

Too often, businesses measure success by outputs they can’t fully control—sales, leads, or market trends. 

Instead, measure success by your internal alignment: How well does your work reflect your vision and values? What are you doing each day to build toward that bigger goal? When you control your input metrics, you’re building a sustainable foundation that external factors can’t shake.

Crossing the Starting Line

How you start is by defining your output metric. What do you want to achieve?

Then, you’ll want to reverse engineer the process, working backwards to define metrics and milestones all the way to the first thing you need to do to start the process. This is your “input metric—we call this your Lead Domino Metric™. 

This is the domino you are in full control of to push over and, assuming all the dominos are lined up, you’ll get what you want at the end. Know what it is and push it over.

Step 3: Think in Decades, Not Days

Imagine what you want to build over the next 10 years. 

Picture the clients you’ll serve, the team you’ll build, and the legacy you’ll leave. At Structure, we anchor everything we do for ourselves and our clients in a long-term growth strategy that includes a 10-year vision and 3-year mission, reminding ourselves that growth happens through transformation, not quick fixes. 

When you think in decades, you start building something sustainable—something worth protecting and investing in at deeper levels.

Crossing the Starting Line

Gather your team and brainstorm a few ways you could take bold action on your values in a way that is abnormal in your industry. By abnormal, I mean “opposite.”

REI is a great example. They’re known for a commitment to the outdoors and its community of outdoor enthusiasts. In a bold move, the company decided to close all its stores on Black Friday—one of the busiest shopping days of the year—encouraging employees and customers to #OptOutside for the day instead. 

This campaign wasn’t just a market disruption; it reflected REI’s values around environmental stewardship and work-life balance. The campaign strengthened REI’s brand identity and deepened customer loyalty, proving that putting values above immediate profit can pay off significantly in the long term.

Shift from Competitive Differentiation to Collaborative Disruption

Right now, everyone else in your industry might seem like a rival. But what if they weren’t?

What if your competitors were potential collaborators with unique strengths?

At Structure, we chose to embrace collaboration over competition. This shift from scarcity to abundance has transformed our business, broadened our reach, and deepened our impact.

When you see competitors as collaborators, you’re building a network that multiplies value for everyone.

The Ultimate Disruptors: Authenticity, Alignment, & Abundance

When people see that your actions match your values, they’re not just investing in a service; they’re investing in a shared vision. 

This is why Yvon Chouinard’s words resonate so deeply with me:

“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between work and play, his labor and leisure, his mind and body. He simply pursues his vision of excellence, leaving others to determine if he is working or playing. To himself, he’s always doing both.”

At Structure, we aim to live by this principle. Our work is an extension of who we are, and this authenticity has propelled our growth. Clients know that when they work with us, they’re joining a company that values them as individuals and shares their vision for something bigger.

Disrupt or Die: The Choice is Yours

Here’s my challenge to you: Will you decide to disrupt or let external pressures shape your business?

Remember, when you fixate on what’s happening around you, you’re vulnerable to every market shift. But when you build on your unique strengths and values, you create a resilient, visionary business that others are drawn to.

You have a decision to make. Keep reacting to market trends, or start building a company that reflects who you are—a business that stands out, leads, and pulls people toward it.

The future is big and bright, but only for those willing to create it. Let’s disrupt. Let’s build. Let’s create something extraordinary.

How Structure Can Clarify Your Market Disruption Strategy

At Structure, we’re an outsourced marketing partner and IT consulting firm that provides Strategic Workshops, Digital Growth Systems, and Fractional CMO Consulting with one purpose: to help clients create sustainable growth.

Our clients are ambitious business executives in mid-sized companies across industries like manufacturing, private equity, and transportation. 

They often face challenges like:

• Fragmented Marketing Efforts: Lack of a cohesive digital marketing strategy leading to suboptimal results
• Outdated Technology: Needing digital transformation to stay competitive
• Scaling Barriers: Hitting a plateau in growth and seeking the next leap forward
• Market Disruption: Navigating industry disruption and needing innovation partners to adapt

Through a tailored strategy, we solve these challenges by delivering results in areas like digital strategy, web design & development, IT infrastructure, and content marketing. We implement long-term systems that support sustainable growth and transformational impact.

Most importantly, we provide the leadership, strategy, and implementation, creating a true white-glove relationship. Instead of building and maintaining a multi-functional team, we’ve already done that and are ready to start. We’re looking for companies ready to partner for the long haul. If you’re committed to creating a deep relationship that drives growth aligned with your long-term vision, we’d love to help.

Start by taking our free Digital Maturity Assessment™ to see how you score across 10 components of digital maturity. Or, schedule a free Virtual Digital Strategy Session and speak directly with our team.