Family firms would not survive across multiple generations without the ability and willingness to innovate and adapt to changing circumstances. In fact, countless revolutionary inventions that have changed the course of industries and history have come from family firms. The notion of disruptive innovation deserves a closer look in the family business context. Exploring this challenging topic, Professor Alfredo De Massis, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Business and Director of the Centre for Family Business at Lancaster University, shares his insights and observations on why family businesses provide the ideal environment for disruptive innovation – provided the timing is right.