Welcome to the Now Is The Time newsletter!

Most newsletters follow the same sort of formula: A bunch of information here, A couple of helpful tips there.

But here we do things a little differently.

Instead of treating this as a traditional Issue No. 1 followed by an endless stream of issues, think of this as the "pilot episode" of a brand-new series.

Kinda like that new Disney+ show that just came out a month ago, where you’ve been checking the creator’s Instagram page religiously to try to figure out when the next episode is coming.

The only difference is here you’ll ACTUALLY be learning something useful.

AND you won’t have to check in every other day to see if there is a new episode. Every season will be two months long, with a new episode released every second Tuesday. Here’s how each issue will work: we’ll kick things off with a gripping historical story, then break down the real-life lessons that connect the past to your business world today, and finally give you a practical, actionable tip you can use right away.

Consider this your cheat code to turn ancient secrets into modern breakthroughs.

Now, let’s not waste any more of your precious Time.

Our story begins in October 539BCE, outside Babylon—the most impregnable city in Mesopotamia. Famous for its immense wealth, culture, and formidable defences, Babylon stood as a symbol of ancient strength and sophistication.

Now up to this point, the Babylonians and their (lovely neighbours, the Neo-Assyrians) had been ruling their empires through a brutally cold iron fist model.

Essentially, these empires were like the giant corporations that just completed a violent, hostile takeover. And immediately, as they took control, they stripped the entire original system down, fired all the regional managers, and replaced them with their own.

Who would have thought this would have pissed absolutely everybody involved off?

Though this allowed them to expand rapidly, these empires relied on rule by fear and coercion, which led to constant rebellions and the need to deport all the natives of the newly conquered territory at enormous cost.

Now, being this incredibly exploitative was just standard empire-running practices around this time. That all changed with the arrival from the east of a revolutionary genius and soon-to-be founder of the first ever 'worldwide' superpower: Cyrus the Great.

Born in Persia around 600 BCE, Cyrus came from relatively humble beginnings as the son of a local Persian ruler. Through ambition, strategic alliances, and bold military campaigns, he quickly united the Medes and Persians under his leadership, creating an empire that would eventually stretch from the Mediterranean Sea to the borders of India.

Much like the mega corporations of today, Cyrus and his Persian army had already destroyed their closest competitors and amassed an enormous amount of power by the time he had reached Babylon.

The Babylonians believed their city was so well fortified that they decided now was the time to hold a drunken festival, leaving the city mostly wide open and undefended. So all King Cyrus had to do was divert the Euphrates River that surrounded the city into large reservoirs upstream from the city, and he could conquer the impenetrable city of Babylon.

Simple, right?

As it turns out, it was that simple. Cyrus’ men, led by General Ugbaru, dug up trenches and reservoirs upstream from the city and then simply walked through the now knee-high Euphrates River and into the city of Babylon virtually uncontested.

Now, if you think the Babylonian King Nabonidus’ day was already pretty bad, well, it was certainly not going to get any better soon.

Again, following ancient empire traditions, Nabonidus had done well to alienate the native population of conquered territory, such as the Jews. Though Nabonidus thought he should take it a step further and alienate his own populace, favouring foreign deities over the local Babylonian cult of Marduk.

Fantastic question.

As Cyrus walked through the streets of Babylon, he immediately launched one of the earliest instances of propaganda - what we now know as the Cyrus Cylinder.

Essentially proclaiming himself as chosen by Marduk to restore peace and order to Babylon, and following up that bold claim by abolishing forced labour and restoring religious sanctuaries.

And it worked; many Babylonian citizens and priests welcomed Cyrus as a liberator.

Cyrus, during his conquest of Babylon, displayed a level of tactical brilliance that was state-of-the-art. By completely taking advantage of every small exposure of his enemy, he not only effortlessly captured a well-fortified capital city with minimal loss, but he also immediately gained the favour of the religious elites and worked to maintain and secure loyalty through a policy of “continuity without cruelty.”

In modern-day terms, Cyrus had studied his closest competitors intensely and discovered that one of his biggest competitors in the area had an entire division of managers and staff furious with the current CEO and were getting ready to hand in their letters of resignation, which would, of course, deal a crippling blow to the company.

Cyrus saw this internal power struggle as a perfect opportunity to launch a hostile takeover, yet instead of allowing those who wanted to leave to walk out the door, he demonstrated his knowledge and ‘admiration’ (whether he believed in it or not) of the company's core values and announced a return to those roots.

He then took this a step further by offering employees bonuses and compensation that matched their performance.

Now, some of you may look at this and think Cyrus was actually a bit of a pushover, spending resources where he didn’t really have to.

But in fact, it's the complete opposite.

Cyrus executed a multi-step masterclass that eliminated the costs of replacing an entire division of high-level management whilst simultaneously performing a complete 180-degree shift in morale throughout the newly acquired organisation.

Cyrus understood something many leaders still miss today: power is expensive to maintain when people obey out of fear. It becomes far more durable when people believe they benefit from your success as well.

Cyrus was not the inventor of human rights, nor was the Cyrus Cylinder a human-rights charter. However, he was an exceptionally effective conqueror and state-builder who often secured loyalty by working through existing local institutions and religious traditions rather than relying solely on terror and mass displacement. This administrative pragmatism helped create one of the largest and most durable empires of the ancient world.

The corporate giants of today dominate their industries like ancient Babylonians—blindsided by their own success, alienating their best talent, and frustrating their customers. Just as Cyrus conquered Babylon by ingeniously diverting the Euphrates River and entering the city through its unguarded gates, today the gates to their city are wide open. You just need to know where to redirect the flow.

Don't waste millions trying to fight them head-on with brute force. Instead, learn to execute a Cyrus-inspired takeover with strategy and precision to achieve victory.

Here's one thing you can do this week: Pick one competitor or household-name company in your industry. Spend 15 minutes analysing where they might be taking their strengths for granted while ignoring customer frustrations or team morale. Jot down one overlooked weakness, and brainstorm two ways you could turn this into your advantage.

Think back to Cyrus outside the walls of Babylon. The Babylonians were so confident in their defences that they left a gap wide open, never imagining anyone would exploit it. Cyrus looked for what others dismissed, spotted the overlooked vulnerability, and used it not just to get in the door, but to peacefully secure control.

In your business, there are similar gaps—areas where bigger players may have become complacent or disconnected from their teams or customers. Just as Netflix saw that Blockbuster never imagined anyone could challenge its rental empire and used the overlooked "convenience" gap to win over customers with streaming and no late fees, spotting and acting on these "unguarded gates" is how you seize the advantage. One sharp observation about where your competition is blind or rigid could be the breakthrough that changes everything for you, just as it did for Cyrus.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few quick prompts to get your ideas flowing:

Pick one area, and ask yourself: What simple step could I take that would make frustrated customers or talented employees want to come your way instead?