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 […]
Managing Teams Through Constructive Conflict
Managing Teams Through Constructive Conflict “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” — Sun Tzu Imagine walking into your business and sensing an unspoken tension. Two team members are barely speaking, tasks are slipping through the cracks, and the mood feels off. You hope it’ll blow over, but the […]
Building Unstoppable Momentum
Building Unstoppable Momentum “When torrential water tosses boulders, it is because of its momentum.” — Sun Tzu Have you ever faced a challenge in your business that felt impossible to overcome? Maybe it was trying to boost sales in a slow season, dealing with empty tables during the week, or finding the energy to keep […]
Every Move Matters
Every Move Matters “In planning, never a useless move; in strategy, no step taken in vain.” — Sun Tzu If you’re like most small business owners I know, you’re busy almost all the time. The problem is that being busy doesn’t always mean being productive. Days get filled with tasks that feel urgent but don’t […]
Visionary Leadership
Visionary Leadership “To foresee a victory which the ordinary man can foresee is not the acme of skill.” — Sun Tzu This morning, I was reading The Art of War, Chapter 4, and came across the story of Han Hsin. His strategy seemed absurd—his own generals doubted him, and the Chao army mocked him for […]
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 […]
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 […]
Clarity or Chaos
Clarity or Chaos Have you ever felt like your business is spinning its wheels? Everyone’s busy, but nothing moves forward. Instead of confidently pursuing your goals, you’re stuck putting out fires and reacting to the next crisis. It’s exhausting—and often, it comes down to one issue: confusion. Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese military strategist, wrote […]
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 […]
Winning Sustainably
Winning Sustainably This morning, I was reading The Art of War when I came across this line: “Your aim must be to take All-under-Heaven intact.” It’s a simple but profound idea. Sun Tzu is saying that the ultimate victory isn’t about destruction—it’s about achieving success while preserving the resources, relationships, and value that you aim […]
