Small business focusing on long-term growth

Small businesses may be down, but based on the results of a new survey, they are certainly not out.

Understanding Growth Priorities of Small and Medium-Sized Business, a study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and Verio, Inc, revealed that 83 percent of small businesses have a rosy outlook with respect to the long-term prospects of their operations after the economy bounces back.

"The fact that SMBs continue to remain positive despite the current economic downturn is no surprise as they truly are the cornerstone of business across the globe with a strong entrepreneurial spirit and great determination to succeed," said Ken Giffin, director of marketing strategy for Verio.

But small business owners do say they don't expect to turn around their businesses on their own - they could use additional support from the government.

According to the study, 48 percent of respondents felt the local government is "unsupportive" or "not at all supportive" of the challenges they are facing in the current economy.

Many small businesses did agree that technology would play an important role in spurring business growth.