Networking Nerves

Jan Kantor, a business consultant and executive coach, answers:

Networking is one of the best ways to promote yourself and your company. For many, though, it can be a fear-provoking experience. Walking into a room full of strangers can give you a stomach full of butterflies! Perhaps you can take comfort in the knowledge that many other networkers share this fear.

Many times part of the problem is letting your imagination get the best of you. Do you envision yourself standing alone, with everyone else around you laughing and talking? Are you convinced you will say the wrong thing and make a fool of yourself? Don't let these visions stop you from enjoying networking opportunities.

If you are one of the many who find it difficult to attend a networking meeting without knowing anyone,

here are some steps to ease those first scary minutes:

• Get yourself ready. Your attitude is your most important asset. Forget your own anxieties by concentrating on other people.
• Prepare some small talk. Have at least three or four questions in mind that will open up conversations.
• Look for opportunities to meet others. You don't always have to wait until you are actually in the meeting room to begin talking to people. If you see a group of people on the way in from the parking lot, you could start a conversation there. Ask them if they are going to the networking meeting. Whether you are in the elevator, rest room or hallway, just start talking!
• Look for approachable people. Try making eye contact with others. If a person smiles and makes eye contact back, that's a sign of approachability.

Networking with strangers can be scary, but if you have a good strategy and are prepared, you will be successful. With a positive outlook you can come away with valuable new contacts, and you will gain the ability to comfortably network again and again.

Kantor's company, Success Systems, provides strategic planning, teamwork and communication tools to enhance workflow, efficiency and profits within Southwest Florida companies. He can be reached at (239)434-8575.

Q: As a result of the recently enacted Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (the "2003 Act"),will we see any changes in the way private corporations distribute their income?

Tyler Korn, a Naples tax attorney, answers:

Yes. The new tax law permits owners of closely held C corporations to take money out of their companies at the same low rate that applies to long term capital gains. As a result, "leveraged recapitalizations" are quickly becoming very popular. In a leveraged recapitalization, dividends to shareholders are financed by borrowing at the corporate level. Interest on the debt is generally deductible. This allows shareholders to "unlock" the value of their stock and obtain current liquidity at a low tax cost without reducing either their ownership or their ability to participate in future appreciation of their companies.

Korn advises individuals and businesses on the tax aspects of corporate, partnership, LLC, tax-exempt and international operations, syndications and transactions, and also provides representation in federal and state tax audits, disputes and controversies. Korn may be reached at (239) 254-0400 or www.korntax.com.

HotSpot is a public wireless LAN (Local Area Network) access point that allows the user to access the Internet with a notebook computer from a variety of public locations, including coffee shops and airport lounges. There are thousands of HotSpots worldwide, and new access points are added daily. In fact, the number of wireless HotSpots is growing so rapidly that the market research firm IDC estimates that there will be 100,000 public HotSpots globally by 2005. Here are some issues to consider:

Availability: Although the images in clever advertising campaigns show wireless notebook PC users at golf courses and other unexpected places, the reality is that HotSpot technology has not quite caught up to its press. Although the plan is popular in larger metropolitan areas such as New York City, as of fall 2003, there were only five HotSpots available, all at various Starbucks locations in the Naples area.

Before leaving for your next business trip, you might want to check out Intel's Centrino mobile technology HotSpot finder. For a list of HotSpots worldwide, simply log on to www.naplestech.com and click on TechTools/Centrino.

Connecting: To connect using public HotSpots, your computer must be configured with Wi-Fi certified technology and you must have a subscription to a service such as T-Mobile in addition to your current ISP. For more information, visit www.t-mobile.com/hotspot.

Security: Currently, Intel and Cisco are working together to increase security capabilities to support leading wireless security protocols (LEAP, CKIP, WPA). In addition, a new, more secure standard in wireless is about to evolve: 802.11i.

Although the technology is still somewhat in the beginning stages, escaping the confines of your office or hotel room in order to access the Internet will undoubtedly become more commonplace and convenient for the business traveler within the next few years.

Naples Technology retails computer equipment, designs Web sites and networks, manages databases and offers remote surveillance systems. Osborne can be reached at 254-9206, len@naplestech.com or www.naplestech.com.