Art of War - A concept for business change
Richard Adam FCMA
Delivering commercial insight, identifying competitive advantage and driving value to the bottom line for SME owners and leadership teams.
Sun Tzu was a Chinese Military General and Philosopher who wrote "The Art of War", and by chance I have a copy. A slim volume, my favourite quote among many is.
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"Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small."
This is a great concept for the entrepreneur or small to medium business that is looking to grow and develop.
?Understandably, many SME leaders are engaged in the day to day running of their businesses and it is difficult to find the time and brain space to consider planning for the future, but it is worth it.
“Plan for what is difficult while it is easy…
Stating a future ambition is easy, “double sales”, “increase margin”,” improve customer satisfaction” Actually doing any of these can be difficult, so planning is required. What commercial resources do we need to double sales? What investment do we need to cut cost and increase margin? What does the client think of us and are we effective?
All scenarios need planning.
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….do what is great while it is small.”
For me, this is about designing, planning, and implementing the processes and systems that unpin delivery against future ambition.
“Double sales” – Have we got the right people and are they well trained and motivated? Do we need to invest in a good Customer Management system and is it linked to our finance system.
“Improve Margin” – Have we got a good data set that underpins great management information and does it feed into commercials for profitability analysis. Can we make value added decisions?
“Improve customer Satisfaction” – Do we have a quality benchmark and do we record customer feedback. Should we implement ISO9001 quality management standards?
All of these, and others are best considered before embarking on a growth journey.
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There is plenty of help available and professional services are available on a fractional basis with no long-term financial tie in’s and represent excellent value. If you would like to discuss a project or idea, please get in contact with me and if I cannot help I probably know someone who can.
3D Design Consulting | Metaverse design | VR & AR experiences | Expo and Interior design | CAD & Illustration | Author, MK the Guide
6 个月I thought it would have more text to it! It’s all one line quotes and poems really! Still it’s all valuable advice ????
Delivering commercial insight, identifying competitive advantage and driving value to the bottom line for SME owners and leadership teams.
6 个月Hi Matt Wilson FCA, you are welcome to borrow our copy of Art of War. Its about an asymmetrical approach and as no two forces or businesses are exactly the same, it works.
An experienced finance leader with time served in the manufacturing, distribution and FMCG sectors, including multiple transactions and external funding activities.
6 个月Great article Richard…The Art of War and The Prince are two books in my “to read” list! Some absolute gems of strategy which have transcended the ages!
Senior Managing Director
6 个月Richard Adam FCMA Great post! You’ve raised some interesting points.