“Battles are won before they are fought.”
Sun Tzu was ruthlessly clear.
And yet, thousands of entrepreneurs every day continue to improvise, deciding from their stomachs, reacting late, putting out fires…
And so, they lose wars that should never have been started.
📍 The trap of the entrepreneur-reactive
How many times have you made decisions like this?
- Launch a new product because “something has to be done”.
- Copy a competitor’s campaign without analyzing whether it is for your audience.
- Change prices because others did.
- Entering a market because “there seems to be demand”.
Welcome to the world of the blind strategists.
Those who die on the corporate battlefield… for not having prepared the war from the planning table.
🧠 Winning companies plan before they act.
Sun Tzu taught that wars are not won on the field… but in the mind of the leader, in invisible strategy, in careful planning.
At Advixy we know:
Strategy is not a luxury.
It is the only real defense against chaos.
💡 How to plan like a general (not like an improviser)
- Scenarios and simulations.
- Do not make decisions without evaluating at least three possible scenarios.
- War metrics.
- What indicators will tell you that the battle is won… or lost?
- Timelines of invisible actions.
- The best strategy is the one that the enemy does not see coming.
🚨 Real-life cases: companies that won from the boardroom
- Netflix vs. Blockbuster:
Netflix not only planned the transition from the traditional video store to streaming, but anticipated how and when consumption habits would change. By the time Blockbuster reacted, Netflix had already won the war without a fight: its strategy was not to compete on price or catalog, but to change the rules of the game. - IKEA during the 2008 financial crisis:
While many retail companies were suffering and cutting costs reactively, IKEA had already planned for economic downturn scenarios. Thanks to its focus on functional products and adjusted prices, it managed to increase sales during the recession, while others were closing stores. Planning and a deep understanding of its customer were the key. - Apple and the launch of the iPhone (2007):
Apple did not react to what Nokia or Blackberry were doing, but spent years designing a strategy to redefine the cell phone market. The iPhone was launched when everything was ready: technology, marketing and, above all, a carefully planned ecosystem of apps and services. They didn’t improvise: they changed the game from the boardroom table. - Zara (Inditex) and its logistics in the face of the pandemic:
While the textile sector was suffering from supply disruption in 2020, Inditex already had crisis scenarios mapped out and its flexible logistics allowed it to adapt before the competition, anticipating the shift to ecommerce and adjusting inventories in record time.
🔑 Corporate reflection
Are you leading your company with strategy… or are you still playing at putting out fires?
Because remember:
The entrepreneur who does not plan…
is planning his own defeat.
In the next article we are going to take you to an even darker (and more powerful) level:
How to use fire in business to destabilize your competitors and conquer territories that no one dares to touch.
But if you don’t want to keep playing improvisation, Advixy is ready to help you win your wars from the meeting table, before you lose a battle you didn’t ask for.
The difference between an army and a disorganized horde… is the strategy.
Do you want us to show you your invisible plan?
Contact us.
