Put a bunch of successful small business owners into a room, and what do you get? You get a zillion great ideas on how to run a great business. Not untested theories, but proven, in-the-trenches solutions-you get their "best secrets," as it were. If you're a small business owner, wouldn't you love to sit in on that conversation? Well, now you can. Because 500 meetings later, one of their own has given us a peek at their private playbook. In his new book, The Best Secrets of Great Small Businesses, veteran facilitator Ray Silverstein gives us the first look inside one such an entrepreneurial think tank, also known as a small business peer group. Together, peer group members are developing all kinds of savvy small business strategies they never learned in business school. For example… Meet William. Fed up with windy, unproductive managers meetings, he now passes around an egg-timer to limit each speaker's report (page 34). Consider Karen. She abolished her employees' Christmas bonuses and-defying expectations-boosted morale and productivity. The secret? Adding a performance-based incentive plan (page 142). Take Mark, who made the mistake of hiring his General Manager's slacker son. Rather than alienate his GM by firing his non-performing firstborn, Mark privately hired a recruiter to lure the young man away. (page 178). Then there's Annie, who found herself in financial trouble. Instead of filing for bankruptcy, she approached her creditors privately and declared an "Informal 11." Her creditors were willing to work out payment plans with her…and two years later, she's back on her feet (page 199). These are just some of the 500 strategies you'll find in this newly-published book! Designed for easy reading, Best Secrets is organized into short, entertaining essays that can be digested a few at time, making this an ideal keep-in-your-briefcase read. But be sure to keep your highlighter close at hand-because you'll find dozens of inspirations and ideas you'll want to put to work in your own business! Read an excerpt Learn your first secrets-read this excerpt from Best Secrets of Great Small Businesses. Read now. Table of Contents Is this book for you? Find out-preview the complete Table of Contents.