Ironically, change is constant in so many aspects of life.  The economy is frenetically unpredictable. The political power and policy of the USA is shifting and morphing.  Entire industries are being redefined, retooled or relocated within the territory of the globe.  For some, it is an unsettling and disturbing situation.  However, for the entrepreneur, it is a perfect wave of opportunity.  Change is the sinew of entrepreneurial muscle.  The litmus test for being an entrepreneur is being able to identify change and exploit it, regardless of the direction or nature of the change.   

With this many opportunities awaiting your business, it is a great time to take inventory of your resources and make a plan.  Have you noticed that it is November?  Creating a strategic plan now for 2009 would just be smart.  Last January I wrote a blog post entitled Planning Your Success In 2008 in which I discussed the traditional “SMART” formula of annual goal setting used so widely.  However, a strategic plan is different.  It is more than goal setting.  Carter McNamara, MBA, Ph.D, of Authenticity Consulting, LLC, explains that “. . . strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or more, how it’s going to get there and how it’ll know if it got there or not. The focus of a strategic plan is usually on the entire organization, while the focus of a business plan is usually on a particular product, service or program.”  Dr. Carter McNamara defines and explains how to strategically plan consistent with the personality of your business and management team.  He describes five different approaches to strategic planning (goal-based, issue-based, organic, scenario and “appreciative inquiry”).  His guidebook and articles can be found on the website of the Free Management Library, This resource is a real find for the entrepreneur or manager wanting to avoid just giving lip service to planning for this next year.   

 Legal/technology services firm partner Robert J. Scott said today, “There are two types of companies: those that have been audited [for software violations] and those that will be.” Scott sees the trend. In the last year, the Business Software Alliance, the main copyright enforcement watchdog for Microsoft Corp, Adobe systems and Symantec, reaped $13 million in software violation settlements, almost 90% of which came from small businesses.   

Here are five things a small business owner can do to reduce the risk of being hit with a software violation claim: