Win by Focusing

Win by Focusing “And if I concentrate while he divides, I can use my entire strength to attack a fraction of his.” — Sun Tzu Spreading Yourself Too Thin Is a Losing Strategy You start a business, eager to serve as many customers as possible. At first, it seems like a smart move—after all, more […]

Win Where Others Aren’t Competing

Win Where Others Aren’t Competing “Go into emptiness, strike voids, bypass what he defends, hit him where he does not expect you. To be certain to take what you attack is to attack a place the enemy does not protect.” — Sun Tzu You lower your prices, but customers still choose the bigger brand. You […]

Focus on What You Can Control

Focus on What You Can Control This morning I read this: “That which depends on me, I can do; that which depends on the enemy cannot be certain.” — Sun Tzu This passage reminds me of the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change […]

Timing is Everything

Timing is Everything “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” Timing can make or break a business. Sun Tzu understood this well—acting too soon wastes resources while waiting too long risks losing your advantage. For small business owners, knowing when to act is one of the hardest but most […]

Passing the Torch

Passing the Torch “The wrong person cannot be appointed to command. Lin Hsiang-ju, the Prime Minister of Chao, said: ‘Chao Kua is merely able to read his father’s books, and is as yet ignorant of correlating changing circumstances. Now Your Majesty, on account of his name, makes him the commander-in-chief. This is like glueing the […]

Meetings That Matter

Meetings That Matter “In the operations of war, where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots, as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough to carry them a thousand li, the expenditure at home and at the front… will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver […]

Competent Leadership, Cohesive Teams

Competent Leadership, Cohesive Teams When Leadership Breaks Down This morning, I read this from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: “If one ignorant of military matters is sent to participate in the administration of the army, then in every movement, there will be disagreement and mutual frustration, and the entire army will be hamstrung…” Sun […]

Decision-Making from the Battlefield

Decision-Making from the Battlefield This morning, I was reading The Art of War and read this: “No evil is greater than commands of the sovereign from the court.” Sun Tzu warns against leaders making decisions far removed from the realities of the battlefield. For small business owners, you need to remember this: the further you […]