I recently read an article on a great blog called Frontera. In the post, the author talked about giving yourself a personal SWOT analysis.
This is something usually done at a company level but, as we are all somewhat of a little personal brand, we can all technically think of ourselves as little companies that have to be effective at marketing ourselves, selling ourselves, making sure our operations are going strong, our finances are in check, etc.
Whether or not you fancy yourself an actual entrepreneur or not, in your professional life, success comes by way of running this little personal company of “you” well.
I felt I would walk through and share openly my SWOT analysis and I would totally recommend you do the same.
Keep in mind this is mostly career-focused and not personal or family focused.
Find Your Strengths:
What are my skills that people would pay for?
Problem solving, digital marketing/advertising, presenting, speaking, photography, videography, editing, songwriting, guitar/banjo playing, web design…
What feels like play to me and work to others?
Meetings, strategy, future projections, systems creation, big picture thinking, past data analysis, and all the other skill areas listed above lol
In which areas do I have deep knowledge?
The things listed above…. right? This is a pretty relative/subjective concept.
What are the competitive advantages (mindset, connections, financial situation, etc.) I have?
I have a few unique skillsets that aren't usually paired together. From the list above, I have both critical and logical thinking methods as well as creative and visionary talents.
I am super positive and LOVE work. I try and bring that to internal meetings as well as client meetings.
I also really love supporting others in their jobs - words of encouragement, talking through issues, encouraging them to step up, step out, try new things, etc.
My personal brand growth efforts are somewhat parallel to my career path - marketing and advertising myself
Entrepreneurial experience and mindset
What are the good habits I have that increase my self-respect?
Looking back, I enjoy and have done a decent job of building structure and systems as well as pushing for team growth.
I love starting work early in the day
Though I am an introvert, I love working with others and trusting their knowledge and expertise
Constantly learning - reading, listening, watching content to help improve my knowledge on personal, industry, and business topics
Find Your Weaknesses:
If I were my own mentor, what skills would I suggest to improve?
Larger social gatherings and small talk
Being a little more assertive - especially if I plan to lead bigger teams one day
Writing skills can always be improved
Taking time to polish off work so that it goes from okay to good to great - I tend to ship too fast
Sales… ugh
What are the areas that I should know more about?
The digital marketing and advertising industry itself
Sales
Leadership
What are the competitive disadvantages (lack of savings, connections, remote location, etc.) I have?
Not the most bubbly and outgoing person
Not the best at starting relationships from scratch unless I have some sort of catalyst
Only 8 years experience in the professional world
I’m not super competitive, to be honest. It makes me more uncomfortable than anything when someone starts competing with me in the work place.
What are my bad habits that my future self will regret?
Shiny object syndrome
I could definitely be healthier so my body is top shape and my mind is as sharp as possible
I can become obsessed with something new to the extent that other areas start to lack due to being hyper focused on one specific area.
Again, shipping too fast might be a bad habit as well. I need checks and balances - which exist on teams and I am thankful for that.
Is there any relationship (family, friends, or business) that is holding me back?
I’ve talked about this before… if I was ONLY concerned about my career, I could say my family, friends, and all other aspects of my life are holding me back, but I truly feel great where I am and see many growth opportunities ahead both professionally and personally/spiritually/socially.
Find The Opportunities:
What is a skill I can learn that would 10X my other skills?
Networking?/Small talk?/cold approaches?
Negotiation
What knowledge would position me better for the future?
Leadership, industry, Negotiation, experience in general
What is the city (or country) I can move to improve my life?
I am fine where I am currently, but if I do, in fact, continue to move up in my career, a larger city might be a good move if I hit a ceiling.
What is an investment I can make today that would make my future self proud?
Business mentors
Continuing to buy and absorb business related content.
What are the trends in the world that I can benefit from?
Growing personal brand
Everything is moving to digital
AI as an aid to lower level work - editing is an example - writing, video, photo, audio, etc.
If a big crisis comes soon, how can I be in a better position to benefit from it?
Larger savings account
Becoming more of a Linchpin
Continue to add on various income streams
Continue to work on skill stacking
Calculated work on the forefront of trends - know enough about the “new” stuff to be able to dive in without having to start from scratch if the opportunity arises.
Find The Threats:
Do I have a meaningful job? Is it how I want to spend my time?
Yes, I love it!
Which of my skills might be irrelevant in 5 or 10 years?
Editing content
Manual programmatic media buying
Music? It will be relevant but not toward my career path…
hmmm…
What are the trends in the world that might inhibit my career?
Rise of AI
Company loyalty diminishing - companies will just hire and fire as often as needed to get the best results
Will my country be politically and economically stable in 5 years?
I hope so… Probably should have a better grasp on that kinda news.
Am I financially ready for crises? Do I have enough redundancy?
I would love a larger amount in savings.
Continuing to work on various income streams can help with this, but 9-5 income is still vastly outweighing my other streams of income as far as how many dollars they bring in each month/year.
Working on Linchpin status and skill stack
Know anyone who could help me with my weaknesses? Is there any of you I could help with my strengths? Let me know. I’d love to chat.
It’s going to be a great year and I hope you all will take some time to analyze your life as well so we can better set ourselves up for doing good work in this awesome Kingdom.
Thanks for reading, see you next time.
Hey Spencer, this is a great exercise to do personally. One thing I would say that helps is to identify themes and then competing interests. You mention savings a couple times and then you mention shiny object syndrome. There might be some conflict there. While savings are absolutely important, especially with a young family, resiliency is most important. How would you manage today if you lost it all. Being able to weather the storms both emotionally and spiritually is a powerful force.