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SWOT Analysis Generator

15min to implementSaves ~2hrs/weekchatgpt, claude

SWOT Analysis Generator

Difficulty: Beginner | Time to implement: 15 min | Saves you: ~2 hrs/week Tools: ChatGPT / Claude

This template gives you a single ready-to-paste prompt that generates a complete SWOT analysis — Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats — for any small business, along with strategic implications and concrete recommended actions for each quadrant. It's the fastest way to get an objective strategic snapshot of your business before a planning session, investor conversation, or major decision.

The Template

Paste this prompt directly into a new ChatGPT or Claude chat. Fill in the variables before sending.

You are a strategic business advisor specializing in small businesses. Conduct a thorough SWOT analysis for the business described below. Then provide strategic implications and recommended actions for each quadrant.

BUSINESS DESCRIPTION:
Business name: BUSINESS_NAME
What we do: BUSINESS_DESCRIPTION
(2–4 sentences: what you sell, who you sell to, how you deliver it, and how long you've been in business)

Industry: INDUSTRY
Location/market: GEOGRAPHIC_MARKET (e.g., "Dallas, TX — local market only" or "US national, online")
Team size: TEAM_SIZE (e.g., "Solo founder", "Owner + 3 part-time staff", "8 full-time employees")
Annual revenue (approximate): ANNUAL_REVENUE (or "Pre-revenue" or "Prefer not to share")

KEY CONTEXT (answer whichever apply):
- Our biggest recent win: RECENT_WIN (or "N/A")
- Our biggest current challenge: CURRENT_CHALLENGE
- Our #1 competitor and what they do better: TOP_COMPETITOR_ADVANTAGE (or "Unknown")
- A market change we're aware of: MARKET_CHANGE (or "None identified")

---

Please structure your response exactly as follows:

## STRENGTHS
(Internal factors that give this business an advantage)
List 4–6 genuine, specific strengths. Avoid generic statements like "great customer service" — be specific to the inputs provided. For each strength, state:
- The strength (one line)
- Why it matters strategically (one sentence)

## WEAKNESSES
(Internal factors that limit this business)
List 4–6 honest, specific weaknesses. These should be genuine limitations, not reframed strengths. For each weakness, state:
- The weakness (one line)
- The business risk it creates (one sentence)

## OPPORTUNITIES
(External factors this business could exploit)
List 4–6 real opportunities in the market, industry, or environment. For each opportunity, state:
- The opportunity (one line)
- How this specific business is positioned to capture it (one sentence)

## THREATS
(External factors that could harm this business)
List 4–6 credible threats from competitors, the market, regulation, or the environment. For each threat, state:
- The threat (one line)
- The potential impact if unaddressed (one sentence)

---

## STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS
After the four quadrants, write a 3–4 sentence strategic summary: What does the overall SWOT tell us about this business's position? What is the single greatest strategic opportunity? What is the single greatest strategic risk?

---

## RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
Provide one specific, actionable recommendation for each quadrant:
- LEVERAGE (use a strength): [specific action]
- IMPROVE (address a weakness): [specific action]
- CAPTURE (act on an opportunity): [specific action]
- DEFEND (mitigate a threat): [specific action]

Each action should be something the business owner could realistically start within 30 days.

Quick-Start SOP

What you need before starting:

  • A ChatGPT or Claude account (free tier works for this template)
  • 5 minutes to fill in your business description and the key context questions

Steps:

  1. Go to chat.openai.com or claude.ai and open a new chat.
  2. Copy the prompt above. Fill in BUSINESS_NAME, BUSINESS_DESCRIPTION, INDUSTRY, GEOGRAPHIC_MARKET, and TEAM_SIZE. These are required.
  3. Fill in the Key Context section. The more specific you are here, the more useful the SWOT will be. If you don't know a field, type "Unknown" — don't leave it blank.
  4. Paste the completed prompt and send it.
  5. Read the output. Focus especially on the Weaknesses and Threats sections — these are where the most actionable insights typically live, and most business owners underestimate them.
  6. Copy the four Recommended Actions into your to-do list or planning doc. These are your 30-day action items.

[DIAGRAM: 2×2 grid diagram showing the four SWOT quadrants. Top-left: "Strengths — Internal + Positive" (green). Top-right: "Weaknesses — Internal + Negative" (orange). Bottom-left: "Opportunities — External + Positive" (blue). Bottom-right: "Threats — External + Negative" (red). Below the grid: a fifth box labeled "Recommended Actions" with four sub-items: Leverage (Strengths), Improve (Weaknesses), Capture (Opportunities), Defend (Threats). Label above the grid: "One prompt → complete SWOT in under 2 minutes."]

Customization Guide

Adapt this for your business:

  • BUSINESS_NAME: Your business name. Example: "Iron & Oak Woodworking."
  • BUSINESS_DESCRIPTION: 2–4 sentences that explain what you do, for whom, and how. The more specific, the better. Example: "Iron & Oak Woodworking makes custom furniture and built-ins for homeowners in the Seattle area. We specialize in home offices and media rooms. We've been in business for 4 years and sell primarily through referrals and Houzz."
  • INDUSTRY: A specific label, not just "retail" or "services." Example: "Custom furniture and millwork" or "Independent bookkeeping services" or "Mobile pet grooming."
  • GEOGRAPHIC_MARKET: Where you operate. Example: "Seattle metro area, serving clients within 30 miles" or "National — all work done remotely."
  • TEAM_SIZE: Headcount including owners, full-time, and part-time staff. Example: "1 owner-operator + 1 part-time assistant."
  • ANNUAL_REVENUE: A rough figure helps the AI calibrate the scale of recommendations. Example: "$220K/year" or "Pre-revenue — launching in 60 days."
  • RECENT_WIN: Something that went well recently. Example: "Landed our first $25K project — a full home office build for a repeat client."
  • CURRENT_CHALLENGE: Your most pressing problem right now. Example: "Inconsistent lead flow — some months are packed, others are very slow."
  • TOP_COMPETITOR_ADVANTAGE: One honest thing a competitor does better. Example: "The big cabinet company in town has faster lead times — they can deliver in 3 weeks; we typically take 8."
  • MARKET_CHANGE: A trend or shift you're aware of. Example: "Remote work is still driving home office demand, but we're hearing clients are more price-sensitive than 2 years ago."

Industry-specific tips:

  • Retail / e-commerce: Add to the prompt: "Include in Opportunities: any underserved product categories, emerging sales channels (e.g., TikTok Shop), or seasonal spikes I could capitalize on more systematically." Retail opportunities are often channel-specific.
  • Services / consulting: Add to the prompt: "In Weaknesses, flag any single points of failure — e.g., if all revenue depends on the owner doing the work, or if a single client represents more than 30% of revenue." Concentration risk is the most common weakness in service businesses.
  • Local businesses: Add to the prompt: "In Threats, specifically analyze the risk of a national or franchise competitor entering the local market, and the risk of losing a key referral partner or anchor customer." Local businesses are especially vulnerable to concentration and displacement threats.

Expected Outcome

What good looks like: The prompt will return a complete SWOT with 4–6 entries per quadrant, each with a brief strategic rationale — not just a bullet list of generic observations. The Strategic Implications section will give you a 3–4 sentence synthesis you could quote in a planning meeting. The four Recommended Actions will be specific, 30-day-ready tasks — not vague advice like "improve your marketing." The total output is typically 600–900 words and takes about 90 seconds to generate.

Time savings: ~2 hours/week compared to doing this manually Based on a typical manual SWOT session requiring 45–60 minutes of brainstorming, 30 minutes of organizing, and 30 minutes of writing strategic implications and actions — versus under 5 minutes with this prompt.

Next step: Check out Competitor Analysis Framework to go deeper on the competitive threats and opportunities your SWOT identifies, with detailed competitor profiles and a positioning map.

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