The key sustainable principals of ALO define the direction and goals for the marketing and business development which are defined in the SWOT analysis. Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats will help make decisions within the business; they will be reviewed every 6 months to re-evaluate company progress.



 

Strengths

• Focussed on residential development so we will be at the forefront of changes and technology
• Ever increasing need for sustainable development solutions to preserve resources
• The profit margins are generally high from projects as there is very little in the way of costs to produce the work needed.
• The practice will have relatively low day to day running costs so capital earned can be invested back into the business.
• The expansion of new and evolving technologies in the industry will make work quicker to produce, better quality and more efficient. Technologies will also benefit the efficiency and communication of the practice to clients and stakeholders.
• Directors have had experience in different architectural background
• Working closely with communities to develop sustainable master planning solutions
• Low start up cost having 6 directors
• Links with local suppliers and construction companies to provide a more sustainable approach to building
• Wide range of contacts gained through years of experience in differing industries.
• There is always a need for residential development



Weaknesses

• Not having the capital to spend on marketing in comparison to larger architectural companies
• Well established architectural companies that compete for the same projects
• Only focussing on 1 sector could prevent prospective clients choosing our company if they have a variety of building types
• Being a new business we do not have a large portfolio of completed works to show prospective clients
• During the start up time of the business our workforce is small meaning we can only take on a few projects at a time
 

Opportunities

• Expansion into different locations and countries analysing up and coming areas
• Recruiting former employers and colleagues from different companies
• New emerging technology/renewable energies
• Chance to contract to developers for agreements
• Developing training courses and regimes for new employees
• Working with local universities to spread brand awareness and publicizing student designs

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Threats

• Other competitors reducing fees to secure work
• Economy Housing market slowing down
• Fluctuating material prices
• Growing number of adverts from regional firms