One of the most profitable strategies during disruption involves temporal arbitrage—profiting from timing mismatches between problems and solutions. These opportunities arise because different groups adapt at different speeds.
Fast Adopters/Slow Infrastructure
When individuals change behavior faster than systems adapt, gaps create opportunity. During 2020, workers went remote overnight, but IT infrastructure lagged. Those who could bridge this gap profited immensely.
Bryan, an independent IT consultant, recognized this mismatch by day 45. While large firms were still developing enterprise solutions, he offered simple, immediate fixes for home offices. His "Remote Tech Concierge" service grew from zero to 200 clients in 30 days by solving today's problems with today's solutions while others built tomorrow's platforms.
Regulatory Lag Exploitation
Regulations always lag reality during disruption. This creates windows where new models can establish before rules catch up. Not about breaking laws, but moving faster than bureaucracy.
Christina launched a telemedicine platform for mental health services in the regulatory gap. Traditional providers waited for clear guidelines. She operated carefully within existing rules while building a patient base. When regulations finally clarified six months later, she had first-mover advantage in a legitimized market.
Supply/Demand Timing Gaps
Disruption creates temporal mismatches between supply and demand. Identifying these gaps and connecting them creates value.
Roger noticed restaurants had excess kitchen capacity while residential areas faced food delivery shortages. He created a simple platform connecting underutilized restaurant kitchens with neighborhood meal prep services. The temporal arbitrage opportunity existed only during the specific window when this mismatch was acute.