The Art of War – the Internet Entrepreneurs interpretation

// October 31st, 2008 // Featured, Strategy

artofwar The Art of War the Internet Entrepreneurs interpretation The Art of War the Internet Entrepreneurs interpretation
One of the most prestigious and influential books of strategy in the world today is Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. It is eagerly studied in Asia by politicians and executives, just as it has been studied by military leaders and strategists for at least two millennia before.

Especially in Japan, which was transformed directly from a feudal culture into a corporate culture virtually overnight, contemporary students of The Art of War have applied the strategy of this book to modern politics and business. Some people say that the success of postwar Japan is the perfect illustration of Sun Tzu’s dictum of the classic, “To win without fighting is the best.”
The Art of War consist of 13 chapters, each composed of several Chinese idioms, these are:
  1. Strategic Assessments
  2. Doing Battle
  3. Planning a siege
  4. Formation
  5. Force
  6. Emptiness and Fullness
  7. Armed Struggle
  8. Adaptations
  9. Maneuvering Armies
  10. Terrain
  11. Nine Grounds
  12. Fire Attack
  13. On the use of spies
One of the key principles of The Art of War is, like I wrote above, “to win without fighting is best”. This ideal strategy, to accomplish the most by doing the least, is characteristic of Taoism, the ancient tradition of knowledge that fostered both the healing arts and the martial arts in China.
The Book of Balance and Harmony, another chinese classic, explains:
To sense and comprehend after action is not worthy of being called comprehension. To accomplish after striving is not worthy of being called accomplishment. To know after seeing is not worthy of being called knowing. These three are far from the way of sensing and response.
Indeed, to be able to do something before it exists, sense something before it becomes active, see something before it sprouts, are three abilities that develop interdependently. Then nothing is sensed but is comprehended, nothing is undertaken without response, nowhere does one go without benefit.
Read that quote again.
Think about it for a minute before continuing reading…
To comprehend this principle is especially important for an Internet Entrepreneur. The climate and conditions on the Internet change more quickly every day.
Just imagine what you could accomplish if you where able to sense trends before they occur and reach your goals with minimal effort.
The Tao-te Ching, or The Way and Its Powers, also says something along these lines that has heavily influenced my work, from the first day I read it:
Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small. The most difficult things in the world must be done while they are still easy, the greatest things in the world must be done while they are still small. For this reason sages never do what is great, and this is why they can achieve that greatness.
Planning and knowledge is the key. One should not try hard to achieve success, instead you need to assure your success by careful planning and understanding of what you are trying to accomplish.
The Art of War contains all the principles you need to understand to become a successful Internet Entrepreneur. I intend to write a series of articles covering each of the 13 chapters, how I interpret them from the Internet Entrepreneurs viewpoint, and reveal how I have applied these principles to achieve my own success.
I will base this series of articles on Thomas Clearys translation, which is available on Amazon. I strongly suggest that you order yourself a copy. Not only because that is an affiliate link and will make me some money, but also because it will give you a lot of inspiration and be of great value for your as an entrepreneur and business strategist.
I would like to point out that I am not interested in any military or religious applications of the Taoist principles or The Art of War. I read and apply The Art or War solely from a business strategy viewpoint.
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One Response to “The Art of War – the Internet Entrepreneurs interpretation”

  1. Pages tagged "the art of war" says:
    November 10, 2008 at 9:40 pm

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