Professor Kingsfield, Sun Tzu....and your main street business

March 9, 2025

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In The Art of War, Sun Tzu famously declared, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” For over two millennia, this timeless wisdom has guided generals, strategists, and—yes—small business owners like you. I recently stumbled across a clip from the 1970s TV series The Paper Chase (check it out here), where Professor Kingsfield skewers a student with the line, “You come in here with a skull full of mush, and you leave thinking like a lawyer.” The subtext? Information is power, and without it, you’re just guessing in the dark. For small business owners, gathering intel isn’t optional—it’s the difference between thriving and tanking.

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Sun Tzu’s Lesson: Knowledge Is Victory

Sun Tzu didn’t mess around when it came to preparation. He knew that battles are won before the first sword is drawn, through meticulous understanding of the terrain, the enemy’s moves, and your own strengths. Translate that to your small business: the “terrain” is your market, the “enemy” might be your competitors or economic shifts, and “knowing yourself” means understanding your cash flow, customer base, and operational limits. Without this data, you’re swinging blind.

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Take the coffee shop owner who’s losing foot traffic to a new chain down the street. Does she know why? If she digs into customer feedback, tracks local trends, or even scopes out the rival’s pricing, she’s got a fighting chance to adapt—maybe with a loyalty program or a killer seasonal latte. Sun Tzu would approve: “The leader who wins is the one who has gathered the most knowledge.” Information turns guesswork into strategy.

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The Clip: From Mush to Mastery

That Paper Chase scene hits home for small business owners. Kingsfield’s student flounders because he hasn’t done the work—he’s got no foundation to stand on. Too many entrepreneurs operate the same way: a “skull full of mush,” relying on gut instinct instead of hard facts. Passion’s great, but it won’t tell you if your margins are shrinking or if your target demographic’s scrolling TikTok instead of walking through your door. Gathering information—sales data, competitor analysis, customer surveys—transforms you from a dreamer into a decision-maker. Like Kingsfield’s law students, you’ve got to leave the mush behind and start thinking like a strategist.

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Why Small Businesses Can’t Skip the Homework

Running a small business is a daily battle—against rising costs, shifting consumer habits, or that big-box retailer muscling into your niche. Sun Tzu’s advice isn’t abstract; it’s practical. Here’s how info-gathering plays out:

• Know Your Market: Are you selling handmade candles online? Research demand spikes (hello, holiday season) and what platforms your buyers haunt—Etsy, Instagram, or somewhere else.
• Know Your Competition: That boutique across town just slashed prices. Are they desperate, or do they know something you don’t? Peek at their reviews or social media buzz to find out.
• Know Yourself: Pull your financials. If your overhead’s creeping up faster than revenue, you’ve got a leak to plug before it sinks you.

I’ve seen businesses collapse because they didn’t bother to look. One owner I know ignored a dip in repeat customers, assuming it was “just a slow month.” Turns out, a new competitor was offering free delivery—and he didn’t catch it until half his base was gone. Sun Tzu would’ve shaken his head: “To be ignorant of one’s situation is to invite disaster.”

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Gather, Act, Win

So how do you avoid that fate? Start small but start now. Track your numbers weekly—sales, expenses, foot traffic. Chat up your customers—what do they love, what’s missing? Scour the web for industry trends or competitor moves (yes, X posts and Google searches count). If you’re overwhelmed, tools like QuickBooks, Google Analytics, or even a simple spreadsheet can turn chaos into clarity. The point isn’t to drown in data—it’s to arm yourself with enough to act decisively.

Sun Tzu didn’t win wars by hoping for the best, and you can’t build a business that way either. Information isn’t just power; it’s survival. Like Kingsfield drilling his students, the market doesn’t care about your excuses—it rewards those who show up prepared. So, ditch the mush, embrace the grind, and let knowledge be your weapon. As Sun Tzu put it, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war.” For your small business, that war’s already started—time to get winning.

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