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Critique and Offer Advice with my TOWS/SWOT Counter Measures
Novashun
subscriber Posts: 4
Hi All, <Warning Long>
I have began getting into my SWOT Analysis and Im having a hard time with a couple things. I was wondering if anyone could take a look at it and offer some good, bads, and suggestions. Maybe Im looking at things from the wrong perspective or the right. I just dont know. Iam only concerned with getting feedback of the Weaknesses and Threats. Im taking the "write as I go" approach to a Biz plan. Estimating would drive me batty.
Company Quick Summary:
Web Company offering Consulting within several different niches and holding about 43 live websites (affiliating, refferal networks, eCommerce, advertising, Business directories, and membership sites). Also offering Industry specific SEO,SEM, and Design services within 3 different industries. All work is outsourced to freelancers -
Within this particular sector of the company has been in business and operating for almost 5 months with 5 Clients so far grossing + 10,000.00 in revenue. We are established enough within communities and through Search Results to be a competitor.
Ive added questions to myself througout the analysis that I have completed based on my own thinking. Any advice would be great. Keep in mind these are my countermeasures to my bulleted weaknesses and threats in my SWOT. Not all of my SO in my matrix shadow the direct opposite of my WT.
Weaknesses-
Level of Competition is strong: Establish brand name more through advertising and positive feedback testimonials
Relying on others:
In house employees can be monitored and managed.
Advertising and marketing is weak:
Get funding
Not enough analysis on competitors:
Hire research and development staff part time with certain statistical data to analyze in mind.
Workload will be too much:
Have to hire a team, but at what point?
No Mentor or Senior Advisor:
Read books, self taught, internet and network with other entrepreneurs.
Risk exposure to negative feedback:
Do not pay outsourcing until client is happy resulting in no money obligation or loss outsourcing funds.
Started in a med-high competitive market: Adapt and learn quicker, raise capital to compete stronger with competitors.
Threats-
Market is Changing:
Pay closer attention to 5 main competitors, shadow them more, design a more structured follow up plan to past clients to offer any new innovations which will lead to referrals.
Legal Disputes:
Either form an LLC or get legal representation before you conduct anymore business. Set aside lump sum of money in the event legal representation is necessary. Begin to patent any software or scripts at the beta stage. Copyright work.
Websites Offering Free Services:
Study what they’re offering and analyze how they are doing it for free and why? Shadow them or Offer more?
Month to Month retaining clients (My Competitors): They are making clients pay an upfront fee and then charging them monthly fees to maintain. Their upfront Fee is as much as I would charge per website with promotion.
Need to immediately attack this, either join the rest or figure out a way to run a negative PR campaign against it. Once the client becomes theirs, they have them retained for quite a while. How much of the market is not theirs? How can I find out? Why and how can this work to my benefit if I follow suit? I don’t stand out from my competition anymore. We can offer them hosting cheaper, which will allow us to get year to year personal time to introduce products and services. However, would running a Negative PR campaign be worth it or just piss them off? I wouldn’t have to mention brands.. But is this the right approach?
Outsourcing is Risky:
Is it just as risky as having a full time employee? Although it’s cost effective, what should I do to get this in shape? The level of reliability on any employee needs to be weighed. At what point and how much work do I need before I get a FT designer? How do I judge when to hire a full time developer/designer? Will I ever need one? How much money will I lose if hire one when I have no work to give them? I lose nothing with a freelancer but I risk deadlines which leads to unhappy clients.
Novashun7/11/2009 4:41 AM
I have began getting into my SWOT Analysis and Im having a hard time with a couple things. I was wondering if anyone could take a look at it and offer some good, bads, and suggestions. Maybe Im looking at things from the wrong perspective or the right. I just dont know. Iam only concerned with getting feedback of the Weaknesses and Threats. Im taking the "write as I go" approach to a Biz plan. Estimating would drive me batty.
Company Quick Summary:
Web Company offering Consulting within several different niches and holding about 43 live websites (affiliating, refferal networks, eCommerce, advertising, Business directories, and membership sites). Also offering Industry specific SEO,SEM, and Design services within 3 different industries. All work is outsourced to freelancers -
Within this particular sector of the company has been in business and operating for almost 5 months with 5 Clients so far grossing + 10,000.00 in revenue. We are established enough within communities and through Search Results to be a competitor.
Ive added questions to myself througout the analysis that I have completed based on my own thinking. Any advice would be great. Keep in mind these are my countermeasures to my bulleted weaknesses and threats in my SWOT. Not all of my SO in my matrix shadow the direct opposite of my WT.
Weaknesses-
Level of Competition is strong: Establish brand name more through advertising and positive feedback testimonials
Relying on others:
In house employees can be monitored and managed.
Advertising and marketing is weak:
Get funding
Not enough analysis on competitors:
Hire research and development staff part time with certain statistical data to analyze in mind.
Workload will be too much:
Have to hire a team, but at what point?
No Mentor or Senior Advisor:
Read books, self taught, internet and network with other entrepreneurs.
Risk exposure to negative feedback:
Do not pay outsourcing until client is happy resulting in no money obligation or loss outsourcing funds.
Started in a med-high competitive market: Adapt and learn quicker, raise capital to compete stronger with competitors.
Threats-
Market is Changing:
Pay closer attention to 5 main competitors, shadow them more, design a more structured follow up plan to past clients to offer any new innovations which will lead to referrals.
Legal Disputes:
Either form an LLC or get legal representation before you conduct anymore business. Set aside lump sum of money in the event legal representation is necessary. Begin to patent any software or scripts at the beta stage. Copyright work.
Websites Offering Free Services:
Study what they’re offering and analyze how they are doing it for free and why? Shadow them or Offer more?
Month to Month retaining clients (My Competitors): They are making clients pay an upfront fee and then charging them monthly fees to maintain. Their upfront Fee is as much as I would charge per website with promotion.
Need to immediately attack this, either join the rest or figure out a way to run a negative PR campaign against it. Once the client becomes theirs, they have them retained for quite a while. How much of the market is not theirs? How can I find out? Why and how can this work to my benefit if I follow suit? I don’t stand out from my competition anymore. We can offer them hosting cheaper, which will allow us to get year to year personal time to introduce products and services. However, would running a Negative PR campaign be worth it or just piss them off? I wouldn’t have to mention brands.. But is this the right approach?
Outsourcing is Risky:
Is it just as risky as having a full time employee? Although it’s cost effective, what should I do to get this in shape? The level of reliability on any employee needs to be weighed. At what point and how much work do I need before I get a FT designer? How do I judge when to hire a full time developer/designer? Will I ever need one? How much money will I lose if hire one when I have no work to give them? I lose nothing with a freelancer but I risk deadlines which leads to unhappy clients.
Novashun7/11/2009 4:41 AM
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Comments
Craig,
Im only concerned with sharing W & T because this is where I feel Im lacking - My Opportunities and Strengths are good to go. Im looking for advice within T/W and my questions Im asking myself including my dillema with the monthly fees of my competitors.
I wonder if perhaps you`re getting caught up in the analysis, but not paying attention to what it is you want?
Remember that when people go to the store to buy a shovel, they`re not looking for a shovel. They`re looking for a hole.
Small ,Medium, Start up, GOOGLE or not - These are valid threats - Anyone have views on these?
" They have Bulldozers, while I have shovels to dig holes "
Im very analytical - What I want is: To generate as much revenue as my threats (my competitors) either the same way by providing quality, doing more business, with more competitive pricing, but I lack the longevity of the client retain they are getting. But my pitch to clients would be, Why are you paying someone month to month for this when I can build the entire thing for $XXXX ? That sells sometimes 35-40%-
My market is changing, changing, changing... They have folks that have built trust with them, invested money in them, and then they have them to pitch to because they are on a monthly basis...
Month to Month retaining clients (My Competitors): They are making clients pay an upfront fee and then charging them monthly fees to maintain. Their upfront Fee is as much as I would charge per website with promotion.
Need to immediately attack this, either join the rest or figure out a way to run a negative PR campaign against it. Once the client becomes theirs, they have them retained for quite a while. How much of the market is not theirs? How can I find out? Why and how can this work to my benefit if I follow suit? I don’t stand out from my competition anymore. We can offer them hosting cheaper, which will allow us to get year to year personal time to introduce products and services. However, would running a Negative PR campaign be worth it or just piss them off? I wouldn’t have to mention brands.. But is this the right approach?
Outsourcing is Risky:
Is it just as risky as having a full time employee? Although it’s cost effective, what should I do to get this in shape? The level of reliability on any employee needs to be weighed. At what point and how much work do I need before I get a FT designer? How do I judge when to hire a full time developer/designer? Will I ever need one? How much money will I lose if hire one when I have no work to give them? I lose nothing with a freelancer but I risk deadlines which leads to unhappy clients.
Novashun7/14/2009 5:02 AM