Although it is hard to find positive economic news in today's headlines, America's entrepreneurs appear to be optimistic about 2009.According to a national survey commissioned by Microsoft Office Live Small Business (http://www.smallbusiness.officelive.com) and Elance Inc. (http://www.elance.com), nearly 60 percent of small-business owners believe that 2009 will be as good or better than 2008, while 37 percent are worried about 2009 but believe their businesses will weather the current economic storm. Despite it all -- and staying true to their entrepreneurial spirit -- 86 percent of business owners state that they are happier running their own business over working for someone else.
This survey was part of a joint effort to connect Office Live Small Business customers with skilled freelance professionals from the Elance network through a new service marketplace, available at http://www.elance.com/p/landing/olsb/buyerpromo.html. Office Live Small Business customers who hire a qualifying Elance provider for a
Conducted by Decision Analyst Inc., the survey also revealed that 61 percent of respondents would continue to spend the same or more on marketing in 2009. In terms of staffing, just more than half intend to maintain their current staffing levels, while nearly a third believe they may need to hire contract or freelance help. Small-business owners surveyed were most likely to hire freelance workers to help with their Web design, marketing and sales efforts.
Although just more than half of the small-business owners interviewed did not have a Web site, almost two-thirds admitted that having a Web presence is important to the success of their business. Lack of budget, time and technical expertise were among the top reasons for not having a Web site, the survey revealed.
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