Business and Money Tips

Stop Fearing AI Taking Your Job. Start Fearing the Opportunities You May Miss! Sun Tzu Art of War had the answer 2,500 years ago. First Principles Thinking explains why. Everyone is asking:  "Will AI take away my job?" I think we are asking the wrong question. What if AI creates so many new opportunities that we cannot find enough people to seize them? Sun Tzu's Art of War begins with five fundamental factors, placing Dao (道) first. Dao is about shared purpose, direction, and alignment. Before asking HOW to win, we must understand WHY we are fighting. This connects beautifully with First Principles Thinking . Instead of accepting the assumption that AI destroys jobs, question it. What is the fundamental purpose of work? Is it to perform repetitive tasks?  Or is it to create value, solve problems, serve people, and improve lives? If AI can perform certain tasks faster and cheaper, why fight it?  Let AI do what it does best. We focus on creating value that was previously ...

Yes. Pang Dong Lai supermarket in Henan China is a powerful modern example of a principle that is often missed in Sun Tzu Art of War: the purpose of strategy is not to squeeze the maximum out of every transaction; it is to create conditions in which winning becomes easier and sustainable . 1. 道 — Win the People Before Winning the Market Sun Tzu begins his five fundamental factors with 道 (Dao): “道者，令民与上同意也。” In warfare, Dao creates unity between leaders and their people. In business, the same principle can be interpreted as alignment between the organization and its employees. Pang Dong Lai pays employees generously, gives substantial leave, shares economic benefits and treats employees as human beings rather than merely labour costs. Founder Yu Donglai has explicitly described the logic: treat employees well → employees treat customers well → a virtuous cycle develops. That creates a powerful chain: Care for Employees → Employees Care for Customers → Customers Trust the Company → Susta...

How Xie Laishun Embodies Leadership with Sun Tzu Art of War Most people remember Nanzhi's father Xie Laishun as the "drunk old man" in Dear You . He is always drunk and leaves the heavy lifting of running the hostel to his daughter.  He cannot even do his role properly as a watchman, and he led the police to the room upstairs where the children are secretly learning Chinese.  But I remember this drunk man differently.  Read the greatness of this drunk man at here https://andyngtrainer.blogspot.com/2026/07/the-drunked-great-man-xie-laishun-in.html He is a leader who perfectly demonstrates Sun Tzu's highest wisdom. 1. He Won Hearts Without Fighting Sun Tzu's greatest strategy is not defeating people, but winning without fighting . Xie Laishun never relied on authority, wealth, or force. Instead, he earned trust through kindness, sacrifice, and unwavering character. People followed him not because they had to, but because they wanted to. That is the highest form of ...

Why Leaders Fail in the AI Era Sun Tzu Had the Answer 2,500 Years Ago. Everyone is talking about AI. Few are talking about leadership. Ironically, AI isn't exposing a technology gap. It's exposing a leadership gap . Many leaders believe their job is to: Give instructions. Solve problems. Make decisions. Monitor performance. AI can now do much of that faster than humans. So what remains uniquely human? Sun Tzu answered this 2,500 years ago. He placed Dao (道):  shared purpose and alignment: as the first principle of leadership. People don't give their best because they're managed. They give their best because they believe. Today's organizations don't suffer from a lack of information. They suffer from: Too little trust. Too little alignment. Too much internal competition. Too many leaders trying to control instead of inspire. Sun Tzu's highest strategy was never to fight harder. It was to win without fighting . That means creating such trust, clarity, and comm...

At first glance, they couldn't be more different. One is a 2,500-year-old military classic. The other is a heartwarming movie that has touched millions through its message of Qing Yi (情义) —care, loyalty, integrity, and courage. Yet both teach the same timeless truth. Sun Tzu wrote: "The supreme excellence is to win without fighting." He also taught that the highest form of leadership is to unite people through the Dao (道) —a shared moral purpose that inspires willing commitment rather than forced obedience. In Dear You , we see this lived out through Qing Yi . People do not stay because they are forced to. They stay because they care. They sacrifice because relationships matter. They choose loyalty over convenience. That is leadership through the heart. In today's organizations, leaders often rely on authority, KPIs, and processes. These are necessary, but they are rarely enough to inspire discretionary effort. People may comply with authority. But they commit to Qin...

Most leaders can quote Sun Tzu: "Know yourself, know others, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." But many misunderstand what it means. They think it is about knowing: * Their strengths * Their weaknesses * Their competitors That is only the surface. In the corporate world, "Know Yourself, Know Others" is really about understanding **human motivations**. Why does one employee embrace change while another resists it? Why does one stakeholder support your proposal while another quietly opposes it? Why do capable people sometimes create unnecessary conflict? The answer is often not competence. It is fear, incentives, values, aspirations, and perceptions. The most effective leaders understand that people rarely resist change itself. They resist: * Losing control * Losing relevance * Losing recognition * Losing certainty This is where many leadership approaches fail. They focus on processes, systems, and KPIs. But Sun Tzu understood that every strategy...

Sun Tzu Art of War 4 Wisdom:  1. Poverty comes from yielding blindly or constantly clashing. In The Art of War , the principle is clear: Those who do not understand when to advance and when to retreat will fail. Some people struggle in life not because they lack effort, but because they lack strategy. If a person always yields without principles, they lose respect and opportunities. If a person constantly clashes and argues, they create unnecessary enemies. 2. Blessings come from patience and yielding. Sun Tzu teaches that the best commanders do not act out of anger. Great people are not those who are the most aggressive, but those who have the greatest self-control. Patience is emotional discipline. Yielding is a sign of a large heart. 3. Wealth comes from planning and thinking. Sun Tzu said: The victorious army wins first and then goes to battle. People who become truly successful are rarely the busiest people. They are the ones who think the most. Planning means ...

Most people don’t close deals during public holidays. Top performers prepare to dominate after them. That’s why I’m running Sun Tzu Sales Secrets one last time this year — before 2025 begins. ⚔️ SUN TZU SALES SECRETS How to Win More Sales Without Pressure, Discounts, or Chasing 🗓 Date: Tuesday, 30 Dec 🕘 Time: 9.15 am – 12.30 pm 📍 Venue: 269 Waterloo St #01-241, S180269 💻 Zoom option available 💰 Special Fee: $49 only (usual $149) ⏳ Only 7 seats left 👉 Secure your seat now: https://asiatrainers.org/szs 🔥 What You’ll Learn (Content People Pay Thousands For) This is not theory. This is battle-tested sales strategy: 1. Sun Tzu’s 5 Elements to Win in Sales: positioning before persuasion 2. 7 Considerations of a Sales Leader: why deals are lost before meetings begin 3. Art of War’s 4 Levels of Strategy: sell without fighting price wars 4. Art of Deception in Price Negotiation: protect margin without confrontation 5. How to Close Every Sale Strategically: timing, terrain, and psychology...

When Sun Tzu says, “To win without fighting, you must know your terrain, understand your rivals, and above all, master yourself,” he is describing strategy. But strategy alone is not enough. What powers these three elements is love,  not soft love, but intelligent love. Knowing your terrain requires attention, curiosity and sincerity. You must genuinely care about the people you serve. If you don’t love your market, you won’t bother to understand their fears, desires, timing, or energy. Love helps you see what others overlook. Understanding your rivals is not about hatred or fear. Sun Tzu never taught that. He taught respect, awareness, and wisdom. With love in your heart, you don’t attack competitors; you learn from them, partner when possible, and differentiate with grace. Love removes ego, and ego is the biggest cause of unnecessary battles. Mastering yourself is impossible without love. Because mastery requires calmness, discipline, confidence, and emotional ...

Top 3 Frustrations of Corporate Leaders — and How Sun Tzu Art of War for Success Solves Them 1. Constant Firefighting, No Time to Think Leaders feel trapped in urgent tasks and reactive decisions. 👉 Sun Tzu Solution: Learn to “win before the battle” — master foresight, timing, and positioning so problems are prevented, not managed. 2. Misaligned Teams and Resistance to Change Strategies fail because people move in different directions or resist execution. 👉 Sun Tzu Solution: Apply Dao–Tian–Di–Jiang–Fa (Purpose–Timing–Position–Leadership–System) to align hearts, minds, and methods for unified momentum. 3. Pressure to Deliver Results with Limited Resources Budgets tighten, talent is scarce, yet expectations keep rising. 👉 Sun Tzu Solution: Discover how to “win without fighting” — use leverage, influence, and strategic adaptability to achieve more with less effort and conflict. In just 2 days , leaders walk away with: ✅ Clear frameworks to think and act strategically....

How Sun Tzu Helped Costco Win Big in China while Others Failed When Costco entered China, many doubted it could succeed. Retail giants like Tesco and Home Depot had already failed. But Costco surprised the market — its Shanghai store opening in 2019 drew such massive crowds that it had to be closed early for safety reasons.  As of 2025, Costco has maintained growth in its sales despite tough market.  How did Costco win where others stumbled? Let’s analyze through 5 key strategies from Andy Ng’s book  Win Without Fighting with Sun Tzu Art of War . 1. Win Before the Battle (Preparation is Victory) Sun Tzu: “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war.” Costco prepared meticulously before its launch: It studied Chinese consumer behavior for years. It secured Alibaba’s Tmall partnership to reach millions online before opening its first physical store. Membership pricing was set at only 299 RMB/year ($45), far below Western standards, to remove barriers an...

Forward to Win Without Fighting book by Andy Ng When Andy Ng invited me to write the foreword for this book, I paused — not because I hesitated, but because I recognized the sacredness of what he was offering the world through these pages. Win Without Fighting with Sun Tzu Art of War is not merely a book on strategy; it is a blueprint for inner alignment, authentic leadership, and transformative peace in action . In a world obsessed with hustle and domination, Andy revives the forgotten power of clarity over chaos, wisdom over warfare, and purpose over pressure. As someone who champions the PLG (Purpose, Love, Gratitude) framework globally , I see in Andy’s work a powerful convergence: Purpose:  the Dao that aligns teams beyond KPIs. Love: the Yin energy that dissolves resistance. Gratitude: the calm anchor that transforms challenge into wisdom. Andy doesn’t just teach Sun Tzu. He lives it. And he refines it — integrating ancient Eastern principles, the Yijing, and the ...

People Set the Wrong Goals and Achieve Them!  The worse thing that ever happens to anyone is NOT to never set goals, or to set goals and never achieve them, but to set the wrong goals and achieve them!  Many people don't even know that they set the wrong goals.  Sun Tzu in the Art of War first sentence said that the Art of War is very important, for it determines your life and death.   The entire chapter 1 of the Art of War talks about planning. It says that you must do this right or you will die.  He listed the 5 criteria for any goals.  They are Dao Tian Di Jiang Fa.  So when you set the wrong goals, you are on the wrong path.  Worse still is to achieve your wrong goals!  What are wrong goals? 1. Make a lot of money ($xxx) this year  2. Get promoted in my career 3. Get elected as President of my association 4. Get my child to score A in his exams 5. Slim down 5 kg The above are examples of wrong goals.  To know if your goals ...

This article was originally published at Inspire Beats. I’ve always been a fan of the Art of War. The Art of War has been around for thousands of years and I’ve applied its strategies to anything that I do in life. This includes marketing, entrepreneurship, sales, and just life in general. The Art of War is broken down into 13 intensive chapters. Even though it might just sound like a simple war strategy book, every single chapter could be applied to closing deals and increasing sales. Let’s take a quick look at each chapter and how it can be applied to a sales team at a rapidly growing startup. Detail assessment and planning The first chapter talks about detail assessment and planning. The chapter explores the five fundamental factors (the Way, seasons, terrain, leadership and management) and seven elements that determine the outcomes of military engagements. By thinking, assessing and comparing these points, a commander can calculate his chances of victory. Whether yo...