The Art of Business Wars

Battle-Tested Lessons for Leaders and Entrepreneurs from History's Greatest Rivalries

By: David Brown

Narrated by: David Brown

Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Based on the chart-topping Business Wars podcast, stories, and lessons from history’s greatest business rivalries, interspersed with audio clips from the podcast. Using Chinese military genius Sun Tzu’s strategies as a guide, Brown examines why some companies triumph while others crumble.

Business is a fight for survival. In business as in war, leaders match their wills in pursuit of opposing outcomes, they devise strategies, and marshal resources for victory. Success can turn on the smallest of details; a single tactical blunder can topple an empire. Ultimately, one side triumphs - and victory is all that matters.

David Brown, host of the hit podcast Business Wars, masterfully frames some of the biggest business rivalries in history using revered Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu’s insights and pragmatic advice. Each rivalry he examines tells a story of combined wits, strategies, and resources. Brown chronicles the rise of companies as they vanquish rivals, formulate innovative plans, and adapt to keep up with shifting societal needs. The goal? Stay ahead of the competition and emerge victorious as an industry titan.

By compiling powerful insights uncovered over hundreds of episodes and more than a year of in-depth research, Brown has developed a formula for business intrigue that uses popular history as a hook to lure listeners in. The stories in The Art of Business Wars are fascinating, but the lessons we draw from them - about determination, ingenuity, patience, grit, subtlety, and other traits that contribute to a victorious enterprise - are invaluable, whether you're a software-slinging freelancer or the CEO of a multinational manufacturer.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 David Brown (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

repurposed the podcast

lightly overlayed the art of war, but this is really just the podcast but a bit harder to follow

Fun and informational

Good business stories leveraging insights from the Art of War. It makes a difference when the author reads his book, he does.

Good and Informative Read

4.5 stars. Based on the author's podcast (which I never listened to, so this book and its contents were completely new to me), this is a treatise on creating a business and keeping it afloat. Based on Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Brown uses the strategies in Tzu's book and adapts them to the business world.

He tells us about different companies and how they became successful...and importantly...how they maintained their success (or didn't). For example, we learn how salesman Ray Croc saw something about McDonald's that even its sibling cofounders didn't. He tells us how William Wrigley, Jr., out of necessity, defied his father and moved away from selling soaps and cleaning products to focus on chewing gum to become one of the wealthiest men in America. He explains the fight between the Kellogg brothers and how the meeker one went on to create Corn Flakes and other Kellogg's cereals. And, of course, we learn about the fight to build the tallest, most extraordinary building in Manhattan -- the Chrysler Building vs. the Empire State Building.

For people interested in the details of business and what the owners and creators had to deal with (and then continue to deal with) to keep their invention or product or business a success, this is a great read. For those who plan to open their own business or those who study business in general, you'll find it extraordinarily useful.

I normally shy away from authors narrating their own books but Brown is clear-speaking and understandable. It works here!.

Excelente libro, muchos casos de negocios

Recomiendo ampliamente este libro ya que con excelente calidad de grabado, explica historias, relatos, consejos, etc para negocios. Vale la pena

excellent

it was very well done and highly recommend it to everyone. Great book for inspiration and some insight in famous brands!

Excellent

Great example of real world business dealing. Really enjoyed the lessons learned. Simply amazing.

So many great applicable lessons in this book

I have the hard copy but chose to listen to it on Audible because David Brown is such a pleasure to listen to. I don’t work in a typical business environment like the stories shared but still I learned so much that will help me in my career. I highly recommend delving into this book.

Multitude of Business Instruction

When I purchased this book I did so after hearing the preview. The stories are told much in the same way our grandparents heard their radio shows before television. Every story is well written and produced and full of things we listeners can use for our own business ventures.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book especially in its audio format. You won't be disappointed.

Business history within the context of Sun Tzu

great book especially to listen, even if you are not looking for inspiration the stories inspire.

interesting stories, light on strategic insights

This is an interesting collection of historical synopses, but it's not likely to spark special eureka moments. It's more likely to provide support for existing plans that need some evidence of success or examples from others' applications.