Undercover Customer

Most small business owners would need a full-on disguise to go on reality TV's new hit show, "Undercover Boss." And even then, the phony beard or wig would only fool their staffers for about five minutes.

In fact, the entire premise of a corporate CEO needing to eavesdrop on employees to figure out what's really going on doesn't fit the small biz model, where the boss is usually right down in the trenches.

But entrepreneurs could benefit from becoming Undercover Customers, as I outline in this week's Smart Answers column.