Ancient wisdom should not be quickly discarded, even in modern circumstances. The principles of … [+]
Sun Tzu’s Art of War is a renowned ancient Chinese military treatise that has been studied and applied for centuries. Although originally written for warfare, the principles laid out in the text can be applied to various fields, including businesses and startups.
Ancient wisdom should not be quickly discarded, even in modern circumstances. The principles of the world have not changed much despite the ever-changing makeup of our times.
Here are five quotes from the ancient text that can inspire and guide modern startup founders:
1. “Every battle is won before it is fought.”
This quote from Chapter 6 highlights the importance of preparation and planning for success.
Before launching a startup, founders should conduct in-depth market research and analysis to identify potential opportunities, competition, and challenges. This preparation is essential to develop an effective strategy and position the startup for success. Startups also need to have a clear mission, vision, and goals to guide their efforts and keep them on track.
2. “If you know the enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the outcome of a hundred battles.”
To be successful as a founder, you need to have a deep understanding of your project’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You also need to understand your competitors, including their strengths, weaknesses, and strategy.
Although this is obvious, it is much easier said than done. Having a superficial understanding of either could be fatal, because the devil is in the details. That’s why the best way to get a deep understanding of your project and its environment in the early start-up phases is to perform validation testing.
3. “All warfare is based on deception.”
Chapter 1 emphasizes the importance of deception in war. While disappointment isn’t the right word for startups (since they’re not face-to-face with most of their stakeholders), creativity and originality are key to success.
Successful startups use storytelling to create an emotional connection with their audience and differentiate themselves from their competitors.
4. “Opportunities multiply as they are taken.”
Chapter 5 emphasizes the importance of opportunism.
This is probably even more important in the field of startups – innovative projects need to be nimble and quick to respond to market changes, including emerging trends, shifts in consumer behavior and competitor moves. This requires a culture of innovation and experimentation, where failures are seen as learning opportunities and pivots are adopted when necessary.
5. “In war, the way is to avoid what is strong and strike what is weak.”
As a startup, you can’t take on established companies head-on. Instead, you need to differentiate yourself and deliver more value to customers in areas where businesses struggle to do so. These are typically new, dynamic market niches that require rapid innovation and agility – qualities that large companies lack.
