Free SWOT Analysis Template to Plan Your Creative Business

Make your dream creative business a success by analyzing its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

The first few months of a business are some of the most important, as you work to establish a niche and brand identity, find your audience, and get that crucial early growth. At this point, it’s essential to set clear goals and objectives that will help you measure your progress, and have a clear vision for the future.

Katy Alcock (@katyalcockdesigns) is an illustrator whose pastel-toned, travel-themed prints give a nostalgic and enchanting sense of place. After studying surface pattern design and working with brands like Primark and Asda, she discovered her niches of travel and cocktail prints. Creating her own line of products, she began selling them on online marketplaces and via her website—her business Simply, Katy has made over 14K sales on Etsy. By growing her Instagram following, and working on a business mindset, she grew a brand with a strong identity.

Katy's course on business strategy for creatives teaches how to establish your unique brand, understand your customers, and promote your work. Throughout each lesson, she shares a range of useful tools for creatives to get started with analytical thinking. And once you have an idea of your product, and are getting to know your brand’s identity, there’s one tool that will give you a powerful overview of where your brand could go: a SWOT analysis.

Before we get to Katy’s handy template for writing your own business SWOT analysis, let’s look at what this tool actually is, and the value it can offer to creative entrepreneurs…

What is a SWOT analysis?

The word ‘SWOT’ is an abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This top-level investigation of your business will allow you to step into the shoes of either a consumer or an objective researcher. How will they see your brand? What will draw or deter them? How do you look compared with competitors?

Creating a SWOT analysis, at the most basic level, simply requires you to write a list of bullet points under each heading. Let’s break down what you could potentially consider under each of these headings…

- Strengths: Bold branding? A much-needed product?
- Weaknesses: Similarity to other brands? Oversaturated market?
- Opportunities: Unique niche? An emerging market? New technology/platforms?
- Threats: Big competitors? A fall in the market? Trademark issues?

Each business will be unique, so there are endless possibilities. If you’re struggling to identify what might apply to your business, try filling out a practice version for established and recognizable brands first. You could also do a direct competitor study, as issues which affect them may also affect you.

Example SWOT: a cocktail art print collection

In her course, Katy works through an example from her own work to inspire you. Here are some of the points she identifies…

- Strengths: her distinct art style, and her ability to work for herself
- Weaknesses: print sales can depend on trends, e.g. on social media
- Opportunities: she could license prints to larger companies and upscale
- Threats: as she is a the solo owner, it would be difficult if she became sick or couldn’t work

Download the SWOT analysis template

Below you will find the free SWOT analysis template to download. It includes a blank table to fill out with your own details, and also features a bonus example using the McDonald’s brand. It’s handy to see how a large, well-known company also needs to stay on top of their opportunities and threats, in order to compete in the market.

After clicking on the button below, you’ll find a .pdf file in your Downloads folder titled, Free SWOT Analysis Template by Simply, Katy.

If you want to learn more, you can sign up for Katy’s online course, Business Strategy for Creatives: How to Sell Your Art Online, in which you’ll build a creative business plan to define your brand, gain an audience, and promote your artwork to the world.

And if you want to learn more about marketing your business and promoting yourself across the digital space, check out our wide range of marketing and business courses.

You may also like:
- 6 Digital Marketing Trends for 2022
- Freelance Tutorial: How to Talk about Money with Your Clients
- Instagram Tutorial: 5 Basic Tips for Success
- From Illustrations to Merchandise: Market Your Artwork, course by Louise Lockhart
- Instagram Strategy for Business Growth, course by Dot Lung