At their heart, most small businesses run pretty much the same, regardless of area of expertise and focus. Getting a bunch of them together into a group can be a valuable resource for your own business.

The NYTimes.com’s You’re the Boss Blog features a look at how these business groups work.

Here is how the groups usually work. They tend to meet once a month and include between six and 15 chief executives. Each meeting is focused on one member’s business, and everything from financials to marketing plans to staffing is reviewed. Someone leads the discussion, which is confidential. Some groups offer outside speakers and individual coaching. Some have a social component while others are all business. The larger organizations — Vistage, YPO, EO — have multiple groups that meet in each city and also hold scheduled events that involve the entire organization. Annual dues can range from about $2,000 to $13,000 a year.

The money issue is one of the downsides, as is the time that you might have to put into such a group. Check out the whole post for a look at all the plusses and minuses of joining a business group.