July 22, 2025

SWOT for Synthesis – The Step Where The COMPASS Comes Together

10 minutes

Most teams treat SWOTs as box checking exercises or forget them entirely. In this episode of 10 Minute Masterclass, Trey Sheneman walks through a smarter, strategic SWOT one that helps you synthesize everything you’ve learned from your brand, your avatar, your messaging, and your funnel. If you're running a growth audit or using the COMPASS Method, this is the step you can’t afford to skip.

Key Takeaways

Research without reflection is just noise. SWOT is where reflection creates insight.

The Compass Method’s “S” stands for SWOT for synthesis, not a generic SWOT.

Focus your SWOT specifically on:

Competitive position

Offer and funnel

Messaging

Team and tech stack

Customer profile

The four SWOT zones:

Strengths – What’s your unfair advantage? What can competitors not easily replicate?

Weaknesses – What’s holding you back or creating drag? Where do leads get stuck?

Opportunities – What gaps can you exploit? Where is there growth headroom?

Threats – What could derail your progress? Think market shifts, key person risk, or tech disruptors.

Translate your SWOT into three priorities using the Keep, Kill, Create filter.

Use this analysis to build your next 90-day growth plan.

Timestamped Highlights

[00:00] – Research without reflection is noise. SWOT helps clarify.

[02:00] – Recap of COMPASS framework and why SWOT comes last.

[04:00] – Strengths: Where are you winning consistently and why?

[05:00] – Weaknesses: What’s clunky, outdated, or losing momentum?

[06:00] – Opportunities: Avatar expansion, market gaps, product evolution.

[07:00] – Threats: What could derail your current growth?

[08:00] – Turn SWOT into a 90-day plan using Keep, Kill, Create.

[09:00] – Real example: SaaS company with low awareness and high retention.

[10:00] – Final encouragement: Don’t skip the synthesis.

Want to work with Trey and his Team? Then go to Herald: 🔗 Herald – https://www.weareherald.co/ Want to connect with Trey for a follow up question?

Find him on LinkedIn: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/treyshen/

Are you ready for predictable growth in your business? Check out the COMPASS: 🔗
https://www.weareherald.co/compass

Want to to learn Trey’s system for being a Fractional Growth Advisor and CMO? Grab the Training: 🔗
https://www.thecompassmethod.co/crashcourse

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