Cutting Off the Enemy’s Supply Lines

In competitive markets, sometimes you don’t have to out-innovate or out-market your rival.
You can win — or at least delay them — by blocking their access to essential resources, channels, or relationships.

The blocking doctrine frames this as a resource-denial strategy: if your opponent cannot reach the battlefield, they cannot fight.

The Core Idea of Blocking

Blocking isn’t about directly confronting your rival.
It’s about strategic control of chokepoints:

• Owning or locking in critical distribution channels.
• Securing exclusive access to suppliers or raw materials.
• Establishing exclusive partnerships or standards that rivals can’t easily replicate.
• Using contracts, licensing, or compliance requirements to make it harder for newcomers to compete.

A general who cuts off the enemy’s supplies wins battles without ever engaging in combat.

Case in Point: Intel vs. AMD (2000s)

• The Stronghold: Intel had longstanding relationships with major PC manufacturers.
• The Defense:
  • Secured preferential pricing and volume commitments.
  • Incentivized OEMs (like Dell and HP) to prioritize Intel chips.
  • Created a high switching cost for PC makers.
• The Effect:
  • AMD, despite having competitive technology, struggled to gain market share.

By controlling the key supply chain relationships, Intel delayed AMD’s rise for years.

When to Use Blocking

Blocking is particularly effective if:

• You already hold a commanding position in critical supply chains or platforms.
• Your competitors rely on third-party resources or partners you can influence.
• Your market is resource-constrained or dependent on specialized channels.

The Risks

Blocking can backfire if:

• It’s perceived as anti-competitive behavior, leading to lawsuits or regulation (Intel paid billions in settlements).
• Rivals find alternative routes or technologies, rendering your blockade obsolete.
• Customers view your blocking as limiting choice and shift to competitors out of frustration.

The Commander’s Reflection

Blocking is the quiet defense of control and influence.
It’s rarely visible to customers but devastating to competitors.

The battlefield isn’t always where products are sold — sometimes it’s in the contracts, the standards, or the supply lines.

For SMBs, this doctrine offers a critical insight:

You don’t have to dominate the entire market — sometimes controlling a single key channel or resource is enough to hold your ground.

Key Takeaway:

Control the gates, and you control the battle.
Rivals cannot challenge you if they can’t reach the customer or access the resources they need.

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