Author: Elise Soukup September 22nd 2003 - Periscope Section CEOS: That’s What That Is

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A SURPRISING NUMBER of CEOs still aren’t comfortable with their computer skills, says Jennifer Shaheen, president of
E-BusinessCreations, a tech-training firm. She should know: she’s got a side business teaching them how to use their computers. “I answer questions like why there are two buttons on their mouse,” says the self-proclaimed “tech therapist,” who charges $300 per session. “No question’s too basic.” She got her start last year when a CEO pulled her aside at a seminar and confessed he couldn’t use his laptop. He didn’t want anyone to know, so she secretly tutored him—and stumbled upon an untapped market. Through referrals she now has nearly a dozen clients from nationally known companies—but she won’t name names. “It sounds ridiculous,” says one client, “but I had to have the basics taught to me.” To ensure her clients’ privacy she calls their cell phones, doesn’t leave messages with secretaries and meets them at odd hours and locations. Her newest client, a New York-based executive at a national transportation company, insists on meeting at a New Jersey Barnes & Noble