Why You Should Stop Obsessing Over "Disruption" After the pandemic, it's time to start thinking about what people truly need.

Entrepreneurs create solutions — but with the world bogged down in problems, it's hard to know where to begin. Global investor Alexandre Lazarow has some advice: Take inspiration from companies built in the most difficult environments.

Lazarow is the author of the book Out-Innovate, in which he studied 200 companies built in small and often challenging marketplaces — where resources and talent may be scarce, and where economic uncertainty reigns. So how do those entrepreneurs there thrive? "They have sustainability and resilience built into their DNA, and into the operational fabric of the business," he says. Here, he talks about how to take a long-term approach and build for the future.

Related: Innovation Prevails During Times of Crisis