“With regard to accessible ground, be before the enemy in occupying the raised and sunny spots, and carefully guard your line of supplies.”
When both can move freely, the one who seizes the better spot and protects supply wins; speed and logistics.
Chapter 10’s first ground rule: on accessible ground, be before the enemy in occupying the raised and sunny spots, and carefully guard your line of supplies. Open ground is egalitarian — anyone can go anywhere — so advantage comes entirely from two acts: getting to the good spot first, and keeping yourself fed while there. The verse pairs the visible race with the unglamorous logistics.
A new category opens up — accessible ground, every vendor can enter. Two entrants race: one grabs the visible high spots (conference keynotes, category-defining content, the flagship customers) while quietly signing exclusive capacity with the two suppliers who matter. The rival matches the visibility but not the supply line, and its growth chokes in year two when component allocation tightens. Same ground, same speed; one guarded the line of supplies.
Guarding supply is not defensive hedging — on open ground it is the aggressive move, because the race is won by whoever can stay, and staying is logistics. The misreading chases position alone and treats the supply line as operations’ problem, discovering at the moment of victory that the prize goes to whoever can still ship.