Small business back in neutral?

For small business owners in the US, reality has yet to meet expectations for 2012, according to the latest SurePayroll small business survey. Nationwide, the year began with month-over-month hiring down 0.2%, and paycheck size remaining flat. Still, small business owners still remain positive, as optimism increased to 65% from 63% in December, continuing to rise from an all-time low of 33% back in September.

SurePayroll president and CEO Michael Alter says the following might be contributing to the direction of the small business economy:

The upcoming presidential election has small business owners wondering what direction the country will go in.
The uncertainty about Greece and the Euro, the US economy not growing as much as previously thought, combined with the gridlock in Washington have put the brakes on the small business economy.

“It’s frustrating to see us shift back into neutral,” Alter said. “There was a lot of excitement heading into 2012. We were finally starting to accelerate; there was a lot of optimism about the future. To see this shift is frustrating, but like small business owners, I’m still hopeful because one month doesn’t make a year. We just need the right opportunities for growth.”