It's a widely accepted axiom of business that great companies grow their revenues and profits year after year. Yet quietly, under the radar, some entrepreneurs have rejected the pressure of endless growth to focus on more satisfying business goals. Goals like being great at what they do... creating a great place to work... providing great customer service... making great contributions to their communities... and finding great ways to lead their lives.

Here Burlingham takes us deep inside 14 remarkable privately held companies, in widely verying industries across the country, that have chosen to march to their own drummer. He searches for the magic ingredients that give these companies their unique 'mojo' and the lessons we can learn from them. They include: