The SWOT Spot: Where Your Music Career Levels Up

You're good at what you do.

But are you good at seeing what you do?

SWOT analysis isn't just another acronym.

It's a mirror.

A spotlight.

A telescope.

S: Strengths. What makes you, you?
W: Weaknesses. What trips you up?
O: Opportunities. What doors are cracking open?
T: Threats. What's nipping at your heels?

Simple? Yes.
Easy? No.

Because it demands honesty.

Brutal honesty.

The kind that makes you squirm.

But also the kind that makes you grow.

Your strength might be your sound.
Unique. Unmistakable. Yours.

Your weakness? Maybe it's follow-through.
Ideas aplenty. Finished projects? Not so much.

Opportunities are everywhere.
That new platform everyone's buzzing about?
It's begging for your content.

Threats loom, too.
The industry's shifting.
Again.

But here's the twist:

Your weakness might be someone else's strength.
Your threat could be another's opportunity.

It's all perspective.

And SWOT? It's your perspective shifter.

So how do you SWOT?

You don't. You live it.

Make it a habit.
A reflex.
A way of seeing.

Ask yourself:

What am I best at? Do more of that.
What trips me up? Learn or delegate.
What's new and exciting? Explore it.
What's keeping pace with me? Outrun it.

SWOT isn't a to-do list.
It's a to-be list.

Be aware.
Be honest.
Be adaptable.

The music industry doesn't stand still.
Neither should you.

Your SWOT today won't be your SWOT tomorrow.

That's not failure.
That's growth.

So, are you ready?

Ready to see your career in high definition?

To spot the opportunities hiding in plain sight?

To turn your threats into fuel?

SWOT isn't just analysis.
It's alchemy.

Turning insight into action.
Potential into performance.

Your music career is a story.
SWOT helps you write the next chapter.

What will yours say?

Rich Steve Beck is a UK-based Mastering Engineer and owner of Not Just a Plugin studio. He's a member of the Music Producers Guild and Produce Like a Pro. Beck holds qualifications as an Insurance Broker and Mortgage Adviser, bringing financial acumen to his music industry work.

Rich conducts university lectures on music industry networking and maintains a music business blog. He founded "Produce, Mix, Fix and Conquer," a Facebook group with 4,000 professional audio engineers and producers.

His interview experience includes over 15,000 public interactions from his finance career and conversations with more than 40 Grammy-winning and multi-platinum selling audio engineers.

Beck is married (to his wife, who he lovingly refers to as "The Boss"), with two children and has a cat named Luna who loves climbing onto his studio gear!