How Strategic Thinking from the Battlefield Gives You a Competitive Edge in Business

Let me tell you something I see all the time: you think you need a business plan, so you draw up steps for your next launch, delegate tasks, and kick things off. But when the market shifts, competitors undercut your prices, or your campaign fizzles unexpectedly… suddenly, your well-crafted plan falls flat. Sound familiar?

There’s a reason for this. What you actually need, especially in fast-changing, competitive environments, is not just a plan, but true strategic thinking. And some of the best lessons in strategy don’t come from your MBA textbook, but from centuries of military history.

Strategy Isn’t Planning, It’s Outthinking the Opposition

Most founders, marketers, and entrepreneurs mistake planning for strategy. If you’re rolling out a new offer, your natural instinct is to outline steps A, B, and C, then expect result D. That’s fine, if you’re operating in a vacuum. But business, just like war, is a world full of moving parts and opponents: competition, platform algorithms, customer expectations, all constantly reacting to your every move.

Karim Gonzalez, guest expert on our latest episode, makes the distinction crystal clear: planning works when no one’s reacting to you. Strategy is necessary when your “opponent”, the competitive environment, rivals, even your savvy customers, gets a vote too. In other words, if you’re in a game where every move you make triggers someone else to respond, you need to think strategically, or risk getting ambushed on the predictable path.

The Paradox of the ‘Best’ Path: Don’t Be Predictable

Let me ask you, are you always taking the most logical, smooth, or well-lit course in your business? Be honest. It’s easy to default to what seems efficient or obvious. But here’s the paradox Karim explains: the best, most direct path also makes you the easiest to predict and, therefore, easiest to counter.

If all your competitors expect you to launch big on TikTok, they’re already bracing to outrank you or divert your audience. Just like an army that always marches down the main road, you set yourself up to get blindsided. Sometimes, the “rougher path”, maybe an unconventional channel, an unexpected offer, or a surprising campaign, gets you the win precisely because no one sees it coming.

The Danger of Unchecked Success, And Why ‘Less is More’

Ever notice how the companies that rise fastest are often the first to stumble? Here’s another lesson straight from military history: when you’re riding high, overextending without changing tactics can turn wins into losses. Whether you claim too much market share, deliver results so good your customers outgrow you, or rely on a once-winning formula for too long, success can sow the seeds of its own reversal.

If you’re too effective, competitors will notice and adapt. Push for dominance, and you can unite your rivals against you. Even in your marketing, if you find something that “works,” everyone else will copy, and effectiveness quickly dries up. The antidote? Build regular assessment into your business, limit your visibility when it’s strategically smart, and always plan to adapt before it’s forced on you.

Why Strategy Means Constant Adaptation

The world isn’t static, and neither is strategy. What works today, your killer ad creative, that AI-powered copy prompt, that sales script, will inevitably stop working as competitors catch up. Think of it like running on a treadmill that’s always speeding up. To stay in place, you need to update, adjust, and outthink, not just out-execute.

Here’s your challenge: stop clinging to the dream of a permanent winning tactic. Instead, focus on reading the environment, anticipating opposition, and adapting again and again. Strategic advantage goes to the quickest learner, not the first mover.

Bring It All Together: Build Strategic Muscles, Not Just Better Plans

The biggest takeaway? If you want to build a business that scales and survives, you can’t afford to just plan. You need to practice seeing the landscape strategically. Ask yourself with every move: “Who else gets a vote? Who will react?” And then, think a step ahead.

Whether you’re a founder, marketer, or entrepreneur, it’s time to bring a bit of battlefield wisdom into your boardroom. That’s how you move from playing checkers to chess and start winning where it counts.

Ready to flex those strategic muscles? Listen to this episode of The Scalable Marketing Machine Podcast and get inspired to think differently about your next big move.

Take a listen! 

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