SWOT 分析是最有效的商业与决策工具之一。SWOT 分析能帮助您识别影响企业的内部因素（优势与劣势）以及外部因素（机会与威胁）。

SWOT 分析可以帮助您：

发挥优势（S）
降低劣势（W）
把握机会（O）
应对威胁（T）

评估企业状况能帮助您找出自身的优势与劣势。以《商业计划书》模板中提到的咖啡烘焙商（Coffee Roasters）为例。其优势之一可能是店面位于人流量高、能见度佳的地点；然而，这样的地点虽有助于广告宣传，但租金昂贵，从现金流与获利能力的角度来看，可能成为其劣势。

评估市场与行业则能帮助您识别潜在的机会与威胁。回到咖啡烘焙商的例子，一项机会可能是快速成长的咖啡市场，使他们能透过销售高品质、伦理采购的咖啡豆与可持续经营实践来塑造差异化，吸引重视伦理消费的目标客群。然而，市场的成长也可能出现竞争者进入同一目标市场的威胁，形成竞争压力并影响其盈利。

A SWOT analysis tool is one of the most effective business and decision-making tools. SWOT analysis can help you identify the internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) and external factors (opportunities and threats) affecting your business.

A SWOT analysis helps you:

build on strengths (S)
minimise weakness (W)
seize opportunities (O)
counteract threats (T)

The evaluation of your business enables the identification of your strengths and weaknesses. Consider the example Coffee Roasters business that is discussed within the Business Plan template. A strength may be that their premises is located in a high traffic area with good visibility. While the location is great for advertising, it may come at a high rental cost which could be a weakness when considering their cash flow and profitability.

The evaluation of your market and industry enables the identification of your opportunities and threats. Returning to the Coffee Roasters example, an opportunity may be the rapidly growing coffee market which allows them to focus their point of difference in selling high-quality, ethically sourced beans and sustainable practices, which is attractive to their ethically-minded target market. However, with that growth may also come the threat of a competitor that may target their same market, creating competition that could threaten their profit.