Just in time for some holiday cheer, the latest installment of an on-going national survey of small business owners has rung in its highest level of business optimism since the survey began nine years ago. (See chart below.) The survey was conducted by The Business Journals, publisher of 43 U.S. metropolitan business newsweeklies.


“How do you think your company’s prospects will change over the next 12 months?

| 78% | January 2008
| 56% | August 2008
| 32% | October 2008
| 35% | March 2009
| 52% | August 2009
| 65% | November 2009
| 77% | December 2009
| 75% | January 2010
| 75% | November 2010
| 77% | December 2010
| 76% | December 2011
| 73% | December 2012
| 73% | January 2014
| 81% | January 2015
| 79% | January 2016
| 82% | January 2017 (Est.)

Source: The Business Journals Small Business Insight Study

The survey was conducted in November (2016), after the presidential election and is based on over 400 completed interviews. The positive rate of 82% today represents a dramatic turn-around since the lowest rate recorded, during the era of what is referred to as, the great recession (2008-09).


Photo: istock (Location: Rochester, Michigan)

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