What can entrepreneurs learn from Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher?Quite a bit.
Most notably Sun Tzu authored The Art of War, an
influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy, which has been put into
practical use by multinational corporate leaders and small businesses, alike.
If you’re unfamiliar, the premise sheds light on the importance of positioning
in military strategy, which can easily correlate to entrepreneurship.
“The decision to position an army must be based on both
objective conditions in the physical environment and the subjective beliefs of
other, competitive actors in that environment. Sun Tzu thought that strategy
was not planning in the sense of working through an established list, but
rather that it requires quick and appropriate responses to changing conditions.
Planning works in a controlled environment; but in a changing environment,
competing plans collide, creating unexpected situations.”
How are Sun Tzu’s military strategies relevant to your
small business?
Here are four lessons entrepreneurs can leverage and
employ to position themselves for victory:
1. Strategy
“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but
what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.” Sun Tzu
In a utopian business society, entrepreneurs would first
develop a perfect strategy then execute on tactics. This is ideal, but it’s not
a reality for most small businesses.
However, if you’re picking your marketing tactics out of
a proverbial hat, it may be time to give thoughtful consideration to how you
gain customers, market your business and increase sales. These thoughts can
generate ideas, that will lay the foundation for your strategy — thus improving
your trial and error.
Why is strategy so important?
Because it lays out a blueprint in which you can focus
and derive tactics. As you scale your company, if you continue to operate on a
“wild, wild west” tactical plan without a true strategy that delineates focus
your company could easily fall on “friendly fire.” This can play out in various
ways — inefficient use of budgets, lost sales, high customer acquisition costs
and so on.
It’s easy to observe other companies in your industry and
see the tactics that make them successful. But don’t forget that there is
likely an overarching strategy guiding their tactics.
This is why many deem it unwise to do what you see your
competitor doing, and think “If it worked for them, it can work for me!” This
is rarely the case.
Your business is unique and so are your customers. In
order to develop winning tactics, set out an unassailable strategy from which
your victory will evolve.
2. Mindset
“You have to believe in yourself.” Sun Tzu
Does a military commander go into battle without a high
expectation of winning? Not likely.
So why do you?
Do you believe you can secure startup capital? Do you
believe that your team has the talent and skill to increase market share?
If you don’t believe you can — you won’t.
Belief in yourself and faith in your abilities is a
common thread amongst all successful entrepreneurs. The human brain entertains
70,000 thoughts per day. Not all of them are productive. So it’s important to
selectively entertain thoughts that lift your vision and business higher.
3. Opportunities
“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” Sun Tzu
Big opportunities often come gift-wrapped in unsuspecting
packages.
As you grow a small business, you will be faced with
numerous decisions and opportunities.
What looks small can often act as a stepping stone to
something much greater — taking on a domino effect; a chain reaction.
A niche blog post can easily be ready by a journalist at
a larger news magazine looking for a story, who’s readership can exponentially
magnify your message, make it viral and expose your company to a local radio
station, who then requests an interview. This is merely one way in which
opportunities in business can multiply as they are seized.
The disconnect for most startups is the failure to
realize an opportunity when it presents itself. Remember: your next opportunity
may not look like you thought it would yet it has the potential to multiply
once you act on it.
The Art of Business War: 4 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can
Learn from Sun Tzu
by: Erica Nicole
