2021 In Review: SWOT Analysis

It is the last day of 2021 and it is time to do a S.W.O.T. analysis, not just personally but professionally. While I do not believe it is healthy to get stuck in the past, I do think that a dose of self-reflection can be useful as a way to improve the way forward, to eliminate those things that did not work and emphasize those things that absolutely do work. As Einstein once said (although, apparently a character in a mystery novel called Sudden Death actually said it), "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." This is especially relevant since I have walked out on the ledge of entrepreneurship in a time of extreme economic, political, social disruption on a global scale.

For those who do not know what a "SWOT" analysis is, it is an acronym for "Strengths," "Weaknesses," "Opportunities," and "Threats." Here is my high-level SWOT analysis and I invite you to do the same for your own business/personal life:

STRENGTHS

• Champion mindset. I rarely let myself get down if things take longer to work or fail to work altogether.
• Intuition. The disruption that has been Global Covid has sparked my intuition and I have learned the hard way that it's riskier to ignore your intuition than to listen to it.
• Help. Ask for help and give help when asked. Although I draw the line at doing work for free (a trend that I had to nip in the bud in 2021.)
• Humility & A Student's mind. I am always willing and ready to learn new things and find out how to do things I do not know how to do. I try to not get too big for my breeches.
• Experience. In May 2022, I will officially have been working as a legal consultant/lawyer for 18 years (technically, I passed the NY Bar in 2007 and "swore in" in 2008.)
• Quality. It is not just the time I put in, it's the quality of the work I have done and the nature of the rigorous "Ph.D. in Street Smarts" curriculum I struggled through and ultimately passed.
• Vision & Diligence. I recognize that success does not necessarily happen overnight, but I have a clear vision of what I want to achieve and I am working towards that vision.
• Relationships. I focus on building relationships in business and in my personal life.

WEAKNESSES

• Stretched. I try to do too many things at once - and yes, I'm a great multi-tasker, but it creates a high standard and if I don't get everything done, I feel like I haven't achieved everything I could have.
• Social Media Moratorium. I still need more discipline about social media and not debating strangers on the Internet about silly stuff. This has to stop in 2022.
• Too much work, not enough fun. I work too hard and I am in danger of growing into my chair.
• Covid. I have been making Covid an excuse for why my business isn't further along than I want it to be. Covid will be here for a while, I fear, so I will not be using it as an excuse going forward.
• Not enough fresh air. This is part of "too much work" - going forward, I will be going outside every day, no excuses.

OPPORTUNITIES

• Covid. Although Covid has caused massive global disruption (for reasons I will not go into here), Covid gave me space to listen to my intuition and to reimagine a future and work-life that is different from that of previous years.
• Space, technology, media, and telecommunications. I was thrown in at the deep end in the satellite industry in 2004, just as the Middle East market started to really open up. My foundation in handling then-"cutting-edge" projects/contracts in the technology and satellite space, not to mention all the content licensing matters I have handled, has meant that there are many opportunities for me as a lawyer and businesswoman going forward and I am excited about the newer "cutting edge" industries that are emerging (space, blockchain, crypto, new technologies.)
• Openness. What's great about now is that many people also see Covid as an opportunity and it is "business as usual" in many fora.

THREATS

• Mandates. I live in Manhattan and I was working out of a swanky workspace in NoMad. It worked perfectly in that it was a perfect mix of work and fun and all the office-y amenities I needed to work and thrive. In late August 2021, Mayor De Blasio foisted his illicit mandates on us and NeueHouse refused my religious exemption letter (despite it being a Constitutional right.) I was so annoyed that they - and many other businesses in the City - fell for the fear-mongering and did not push back. As a lawyer and a businesswoman, it is hard to wrap my head around why these vaccines are mandatory but not Hep C, etc. vaccines are not mandatory - regardless, this will not only kill businesses already here but push business to other cities and states where it's actually easier to do business. If it gets worse and more restrictive in NYC, I may have to waive into a reciprocal jurisdiction where I can live my life and build my law practice without arbitrary, destructive, and unconstitutional restrictions.
• Time & Complacency. Tempus fugit (Latin for "time flies.") My mother is an Irish immigrant who got off the proverbial boat in the summer of 1970. Mom met my Egyptian father that summer, got married, and within 5 years of being in America, had 3 kids and a plot of land in the swanky Southampton, Long Island. I often hear about how Americans "lack a sense of urgency" that immigrants often come with. I have been guilty of this (it may be that the relaxed "Inshahalla" work environment of the Arabian Gulf, where I worked for 15 years, has rubbed off on me) despite having a work ethic. Time & health are our most valuable assets. In 2022, I will not procrastinate, rather, I will take immediate and massive action now, not tomorrow. I suppose "Complacency" is also a weakness, but these go hand-in-hand so it's staying here.