Small Business Owners Are Hopeful and Confident, Survey Says

Who says small business owners are feeling down and out? According to a recent poll conducted by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute and posted by Reuters, the majority of owners surveyed say they will emerge from the recession stronger than ever and well-positioned for growth. In the survey, 92 percent of small business owners expressed optimism about their enterprises, with 54 percent expecting to maintain business as usual and 38 percent confidently looking forward to expanding their businesses over the next 12 to 24 months.

Another interesting finding? Owners ranked customers (keeping the ones they have, finding new ones, building loyalty and trust) as their biggest concern, with employees following in a close second and personal freedom and independence coming in third. "Small business owners are the backbone of the U.S. economy," K. Rone Baldwin, executive vice president and COO of Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, told Reuters. "Their deep, intensely personal focus on customers and employees, coupled with their strong self-reliance and determination bode well for a national economic recovery."