Our independent architect who specializes in designing residential homes, Life Designs, has a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) list that includes:

Strengths

• ability to respond quickly to customer demands and changes
• ability to make acceptable margins on small jobs, with low overhead
• high-quality of work and experience
• reputation for being affable, honest, and easy to work with
• reputation for good value of services and prices
• appeal to customers of working directly with the architect/principal

Weaknesses

• very limited financial, personnel, and time resources
• a limit of three to four projects at any given time
• inability to sell and work on a project at the same time
• not having a personal relationship with influential local business leaders
• being known for a limited number of architectural design "styles"

Opportunities

• a growing market for new homes and more upscale homeowners moving to the area, fostered by a growing local economy
• a chance to contract with a local developer for an exclusive agreement
• a chance to work with the university architectural design department as a visiting lecturer
• a chance to relocate his office from his home to a co-op business office center, with shared secretaries, receptionist, conference rooms, and computers
• the availability of hiring independent sales reps to work with residential owners, real estate firms, and contractors

Threats

• a growing amount of advertising and business inroads by outside regional and national firms in the local area
• new local zoning codes and state/federal legislation increasing the cost of new home and remodeling/addition work
• increasing costs of building materials
• a possible shortage of skilled building trade people in the area
• a new competitor in the area specializing in residential home design, especially in his known "style" of design
• economic downturns affecting the housing market in general