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Even before General Tzu's book became popular, it was a very basic, common mistake to see competition in business as being similar to military conflict. In most circumstances, you are better off all but ignoring your competition on a day-to-day basis.
Even with no competition at all, you will not be successful unless you sell something which people want to buy. The corollary is that the more people who want what you are selling, the more successful you will be. Thus it must make sense that your customers should always be your primary focus.
Of course it is important to be aware of the activities of others in your field, otherwise you may attempt to supply a demand that is already fully satisfied. And you may not be blessed with original ideas, so you will not have much choice except to jump on other peoples' bandwagons. But unless you are exceptionally good at getting on and off at the right time, at best a business which goes this route will be an also-ran and for anyone with serious ambition, that should always be the last option.
The best business book I ever read was "In Search of Excellence" by Tom Peters. The basic concept is simple enough, namely that excellent companies are totally customer oriented and know how to get the most from their staff. The real point of the book is to highlight the difference between companies claiming those virtues and the companies which actually put them into practice. Very few businesses fall into the latter category.
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