The Entrepreneur's Guide to the Art of War: The Original Classic Text Interpreted for the Modern Business World

by Mark Smith

"Essential reading for the business leaders of tomorrow and a fascinating study of the boardroom as the new battlefield" - Booklist

THE CLASSIC MILITARY TEXT, NOW ANALYZED FOR TOMORROW'S BUSINESS LEADERS.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu has been a much-studied work of military strategy for hundreds of years, influencing great leaders in all walks of life. Here, respected business journalist Mark Smith applies the lessons to the role of the entrepreneur by showing how the axioms of General Sun Tzu apply to business and other ventures to develop strategies for long-term success.

The Entrepreneur's Guide to The Art of War contains the full text of The Art of War , with commentary breaking down each section. It is illustrated with numerous case studies of business owners whose strategies show how these ideas can work and containing quotes and tips from well-known business leaders and innovators, The Entrepreneur's Guide to The Art of War will show you how

• Lay firm foundations for your intended business
• Choose your staff and co-workers effectively
• Study your competitors in order to be stronger and better at what you do
• Maintain a good working environment and happy employees
• Work out your business's path to continued success

This beautiful hardback is presented with gold embossing and colored endpapers. Whether intended as a gift or a personal guide, business leaders in the making and any enterprising spirit will find this an invaluable companion.

Genres: Business, Self Help

192 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Darya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book because it has a nice mix of wisdom with its application to entrepreneurial adventures. The art of war is the book that has multiple areas of application and understanding such dissolved well as its application to real life scenarios can help to gain advantage. I have read through stories that I was familiar with as well as those that were completely new. Overall I can say that I gain new ideas from this book and would recommend reading it.

[Bjorn Dawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The passages from The Art of War itself were the most interesting part of the book for me. At times, the interpretation is really stretching to try to make a connection to the original texts. The book as a whole is a collection of high level tips for entrepreneurs but it lacks anything truly new or groundbreaking.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

It gives general business advice which was good for me, with it being my first business book. I wish it went more into detail.

[Sara Landricombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone with 3 small businesses I really liked this book - it makes some long winded metaphors and compares the aspects of advice from The Art Of War and applies those analogies to the art of small business. It gives some solid straight forward advice of which I would personally give people if they were to ask me how to start a small business - the analogies add an extra layer to think about when approaching “your enemies” your competition in a market and when to “reflect within” evaluate your goals and put small increments in place on how to reach those goals - no matter what they are.
I mean there’s nothing to argue with there is there? Its the fundamentals of behaviour change - create a vision , educate yourself on how to implement those steps and actually takes steps to achieve a goal. Know when to cut your losses or audit your use of time in conjunction with how much you are spending on certain activities. It’s very practical actually especially, if you’re new to starting a business. - Its a realistic take on things and possibly the reason it’s scoring low on review sites is because everyone wants a quick fix in regards to how you can make a business with absolutely no effort, I’m afraid that doesn’t really happen - 6 months of hard work to become “full time” in any new venture is my experience and not to mention the hours of admin and marketing as a sole trader is required but if you’re doing something without passion it will never take off anyway, so keep that in mind- if you are doing something without a team of people who all share the same vision (your army) then it will clash and likely not succeed. So I do recommend you read this book and take what you need from it because after 10 years of small business ownership I too have come to these conclusions whether you want to hear it or not. I would have liked a little more humour perhaps from this book to have made it a five star read - but a solid 4 stars from me.

This book review was made possible by Net Galley - always appreciated and never a chore #netgalley #theentrepreneursguidetotheartofwar #arcturusdigitalaudio

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[Muhammad Athmir · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Entrepreneur’s Guide to the Art of War by Mark Smith is a practical reinterpretation of Sun Tzu’s classic for the modern business world. Smith simplifies complex ideas, showing how strategy, preparation, and adaptability are the keys to thriving in competitive markets.

The book stands out for its grounded approach—balancing philosophy with actionable insights. Smith emphasizes integrity, discipline, and self-awareness, proving that success isn’t just about winning but building something meaningful. It’s not a manual for quick victories but a guide for enduring challenges with wisdom and purpose.

Concise, reflective, and deeply relevant, this book offers entrepreneurs tools to think strategically and lead with intention. A quiet but impactful read.

[Melon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given this by a relative and I am unsure why as I have no interest in starting a business anytime soon. Anyhow, I would say about 1/3 of the book is just The Art of War. The rest is pretty basic information about running a business, I believe. Something that I kept thinking about was that some of the folks the author used as examples seemed to already have resources, related experiences, or some sort of leg up before starting their businesses which I feel the average reader of this wouldn't have.

[Quinten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly felt like the metaphor was really losing steam in the latter half of the book. The book is pretty short all together and half of the length is dedicated to the original Art of War text so all in all there isn't much substance. This feels more like an intro guide to business more than anything.

[Nathan Wagoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the perfect way of comparing Tzu’s “The Art of War” to the modern business world. It teaches a lot of valuable lessons on the many different sectors if business, as well as giving new insight and tactics that are being introduced today.

[Reyu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book relates The Art of War to modern day business warfare. I can relate to most of the interpretation as an enterprenuer myself. Overall a good read.

[Drei Jumarang · Rating 3 out of 5]

basic but the implementations of the original text of the art of war is in actual fact interesting

[Johnnysbookreviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book slowly, and I absorbed the content in the book over the last couple months. This book is the interpretation of what Mark thinks the Art of War means related to the business world.

[Maven Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book’s unique take. The author walks the reader through a section of the original Art of War, then how its wisdom applies to the business of selling, ending with the actual section from the original to compare. The cover and interior artwork is also absolutely beautiful.

This book focuses more on mindset and applied strategy (like the book on which it is based) rather than actionable steps to start up your own business. For the latter, you’ll want to pick a different book.