Advice

Tonight's presidential debate in Hollywood between the two remaining major Democratic contenders, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, will mark their first one-on-one faceoff of the 2008 campaign. With the debate participants reduced to two, the dynamics have changed. For one thing, the exchanges can take on a more personal edge.

Dear Karen: My company is certified as disadvantaged and minority- and woman-owned. How do I market this? Answer: Find corporate or government clients interested in your products or services. Next, prove that you can handle a subcontract and pass their credit check. Once you're past those hurdles, you can convince them that doing business with you would give them the added value of supplier diversity.

Nervously practicing her pitch for hours in her home office, the co-founder of educational toy maker Budding Brilliance Corp. tried not to think about the dollars at stake in her presentation to a group of Tech Coast Angels, an influential Southland organization of wealthy investors. Eight months of intense preparation from equity experts, courtesy of TriTech Small Business Development Center in Irvine, had polished Tina Davis' spiel.

You won't find hammers or nails at Top Drawer Hardware Inc. in Santa Monica. Instead, owner Cristi Page stocks $75 mother-of-pearl drawer pulls, $200 brass appliance handles and other specialty hardware for a growing clientele of designers and builders.

Dear Karen: What is your recommendation for a father who is about to leave his company to his two sons, both of whom worked equally hard over the years to grow the business? Answer: If both your sons want to continue in the business, you could structure a succession plan that makes them equal partners. Talk to a certified financial planner about how best to do that, legally and financially.

Days after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, John W. Murray Jr. was on the phone, cold-calling the head of facilities at devastated Cal State Northridge. He identified reconstruction needs and outlined his minority-owned firm's capabilities, including relationships with larger players. The quick action and solid credentials earned the firm a $15-million contract to help reconstruct the school.

WHEN you fly far enough or frequently enough, where you sit on the plane can become an obsession. I know. I've taken more than 60 international flights since 1999 and wasted hundreds of hours in airports and on airplanes. That's not exactly time well spent, but it has made me realize that seat selection is one thing an economy-class passenger can control. It can mean the difference between a pleasant experience and a nightmare, especially now that flights are at or near capacity.

AFTER unveiling his plan for a troop increase in Iraq this month, President Bush spoke of the burden borne by America's military families -- of "the quiet sacrifices of lonely holidays and empty chairs at the dinner table." The spare, elegant phrase evoked a stoic longing worthy of an Edward Hopper painting. But real life tends to be messier than rhetoric.

KNOWLEDGE is power for travel consumers, helping them save money and avoid hassles. If I were teaching a Travel 101 course this year, I'd draw up lesson plans for the following topics: 1. How to get a passport On Jan. 23, the U.S. government began requiring that every air passenger crossing into the U.S. from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean carry a passport. As early as next year, cruise passengers and those reentering by car or on foot will need passports (or an equivalent document) too.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.7 million patients each year contract an infection while in a U.S. hospital, contributing to about 100,000 deaths a year. Consumers Union (www.stophospitalinfections.org) and the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths, or RID (www.hospitalinfection.org) are among several consumer-advocate groups offering advice on how to lessen the risk.