Sun Tzu’s Strategy for Business
Business is competition with resources instead of armies. The same principles Sun Tzu applied to war — choose where to compete, strike weakness, move with timing — map directly onto running a company.
Position before you fight
Sun Tzu’s “win first, then go to war” is a positioning rule: arrange the market so the outcome is already decided. Enter segments you can lead, not ones where you are outgunned.
Use resources efficiently
The chapter on waging war is about not exhausting yourself. In business that means short, self-funding campaigns and living off advantages you already have, rather than prolonged cash burn.
Sun Tzu lessons on this topic
Related strategy topics
Frequently asked questions
How do you apply The Art of War to business?
By treating strategy as the discipline of choosing ground and timing: compete where you are strong, avoid fights you cannot win, and act decisively when the opening appears. The quotations here show the original wording.