Of the small business owners surveyed 21 percent reported taxes were their number one business problem, with another 21 percent citing government regulations as their chief concern. Availability of qualified labor was third.

Only 15 percent of business owners surveyed indicated they plan to increase their prices over the next 3 months. This is down 3 points from the prior quarters survey.

A nearly equal number of business owners expect sales to rise in the next 3 months as fall, making it tough to forecast sales expectations with any level of certainty.

In an unexpected positive swing, more surveyed business owners said they are planning to increase their inventory in the next 3 months.