6.11

"The few is one who prepares his people. The many is one who causes others to prepare themselves."
- Sun Tzu

This is a very critical line that reveals the core of Sun Tzu's battle strategy. It both summarizes his thinking and defines the terms of use. For Sun Tzu, a relative size advantage is directly related to who has control over the dynamic of the battle.

The one who forced to "prepare" (bèi) is put on the defensive. They are few, as Sun Tzu explains, because their defenses must be thinned out. The one who forces others to prepare (i.e. through deception) has the advantage because they can concentrate their forces at the enemy's weak points.

 Thus, relative size is determined not by physical size, though it is measured that way. Rather, it is determined by psychology - by a person's decision-making to allocate resources at areas where they think they need protection. 

It doesn't matter whether overall one's army is bigger than the enemy's. What matters is that one's forces are concentrated with speed at the points where the enemy has the least number of resources - i.e. where he is least prepared. This starts by keeping the enemy on the defensive at every turn.

In life, the same is true. Stop focusing on how big or impressive or well-advantaged your competition is! Don't get distracted by that. Always try to focus on where your competitors are not concentrated. What areas are they forgetting about? Which clients are they ignoring? Which markets are they really underserving? Which relationships are they not cultivating? What internal needs are they neglecting or failing to address?

Then ask: of these areas, in which can I dominate? In which can I concentrate my forces with full speed?

As a result, because your competition does not have the resources, they will be "few." And because you are concentrated and ready to dominate, you'll be "many."