Sun Tzu and the Art of business Strategy

Is it feasible to build a successful business enterprise and beat your competitors without ever having to fight them? Are there parallels that can be drawn from military strategy and entrepreneurialism?  Those of us who have had the fulfilling experience of running small businesses know the feeling that many times it can be outright war. Business enterprises at their core are competitive with each other.

Arguably the greatest text on tactical strategy, Sun Tzu‘s The Art of War teaches its readers that the most logical way to confront ones competition is to subdue them by never fighting them at all.   In the business battlefield today, known as the market place,  successful business leaders apply Sun Tzu’s strategy and tactics to defeat their competition and win market share. Written  more than 2,500 years ago, The Art of War is heralded for its incredibly insightful advice on warfare strategy. Sun Tzu’s teachings have since been applied by small business leaders and large company CEO’s alike to outsmart their competition.

Sun Tzu tells us to intensely focus on the existing competitors in the marketplace. He wisely counsels us that rather than competing in aspects where your competitor is superior, first conduct research, and ascertain what your businessess can do better than your competition and focus on that strength. He forebodes, not go head to head on direct tactics such as pricing, as the outcome will most likely be a bloodbath in terms of hemorrhaged cash; most of the time no winners in such conflicts.

There are many teachings in Sun Tzu’s manuscript that can serve as valuable insights for small business owners have clarity of purpose, strategy, and mission. In this illustration, valuable lessons gleaned from the ancient text that applies to today’s business environment.—knowledge leveraged by successful entrepreneur, and ignored by the unsuccessful.

Philip Kotler who is marketing master in the United States discussed the application of the art of warfare in marketing in his book “Marketing Management”. There is SWOT strategy in the modern business management strategy. SWOT means strength, weakness, opportunity, and threats. John Alley who is American scholar taught economics in China. He links SWOT with the chapter Truth in the Art of War. He stated that the sub-reality of and the effect of realizing false results in the Art of War is similar to SWOT analysis. SWOT analysis is one of the most popular methods in the marketing management strategies. The method analysis company’s weakness and strengths, and also the opportunity and threats from the market. The point of SWOT method how to use own strength to look for opportunity is similar with the view in Sun Tzu’s Art of War.

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