"While the sluggish economy is a concern for some, the overwhelming optimism shows small businesses' confidence in their long-term outlook," said Allison Mnookin, a small business expert at Intuit.

The QuickBooks survey also revealed that small businesses continue to be challenged by many of the day-to-day activities associated with running a business. A third of those polled felt that accounting was the most intimidating part of running their businesses, beating out managing employees, customer relationships, or inventory and sales. Only six percent identified themselves as having "a lot" of formal financial training, and more than half said they had none.

"Good and bad economies come and go, but solid business principles remain constant," added Mnookin. "Successful businesses focus on improving the things that they can control, like better managing their finances or other internal processes, and better serving their customers."

Mnookin suggests working with a financial advisor or accountant to identify new opportunities to improve business processes or identify new revenue streams. She also suggests that business owners take stock of their daily work routine and look for ways to free up more of their time, noting that "the owner's time is often one of the most valuable commodities that a business has." With more time, business owners or managers can focus on finding new customers or better serving existing ones - both of which can help improve the businesses' bottom line.

• Ninety percent of business owners trust their company financials to only themselves and/or their accountant; Eight percent give employees access to the accounting;
• Approximately 24% of the respondents claimed that they had either caught their employees stealing or have suspected it;
• More than half of small business owners and managers feel very secure that their small business is abiding by accounting laws;
• More than 90 percent of the respondents claimed that they would start their business again if given a second chance.