Sunzi · The Art of War
Avoid strength and act on weakness: meaning and business applications
Reconsider the setting, use case or route before competing on identical terms.
Edited by: sakimyto · Published: · Updated:
Business application ↓Use with AI ↓Source and summary
兵之形，避實而擊虛。Using water as an analogy, the text describes avoiding strength and approaching weakness.
The Art of War · Weak Points and Strong ↗The summary is editorial. Follow the source link to read the original text.
Modern interpretation
Choose ground where your strengths matter
Find conditions your resources can serve and existing options underserve. Check both demand and why competition is limited.
Business application
When matching a larger competitor feature for feature exceeds your resources.
- Break down customer work and identify an underserved use case.
- Offer a small solution and investigate why it is used and what would sustain its use.
- Deliverable
- A focused use case, resource requirements and a demand-testing prototype.
Limits
An underserved market may have no demand. Distinguish limited competition from demonstrated customer need.
Question to test
Can the chosen setting use your strengths and remain useful when conditions change?
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