Uncertainty abounds prior to Election Day

Pre-Election Day surveys that find high uncertainty levels among small business owners have become as common as Florida summer sun showers.

One of the latest surveys to pick up the theme is the American Express 2012 Fall Small Business Monitor. That report, a nationwide poll, finds small business owners' top priority is to maintain current revenues, rather than make growth plans. Respondents with plans to hire more employees, furthermore, have dropped to 29%, from 35% in the spring survey.

“In many ways,” American Express OPEN President Susan Sobbott says in a release, “our research on small business sentiment mirrors economic indicators on the consumer front — confidence and optimism gauges are showing positive signs, but there is a sense that people are not willing to go all-in until after the elections.”