Hopes for a strong summer wilted among small business owners, according to a survey commissioned by Discover Card. The August 2010 edition of the Discover Small Business Watch revealed the biggest one-month dip in respondents' confidence since November 2009. More than half of the 750 businesses in Discover's random survey expect another six months of unfavorable economic conditions. The latest results mirror previous respondents' expectations of a "double dip recession."

Cash flow issues and payroll pressure may have inspired the sudden spike in negativity. 53 percent of small business owners surveyed by Discovered reported experiencing cash flow problems sometime in 2010. Meanwhile, only 6 percent of respondents told researchers that they intended to hire more workers between now and the end of the year.

The recession has also cooled business owners' attraction to environmental programs. More than two-thirds of survey respondents telling Discover Card researchers that they don't plan to spend money on "green initiatives" like conservation, alternative fuels, or recycling.

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About the Author

joe

Joe Taylor Jr. is an internal business consultant for a Fortune 500 company, who writes about finance, culture, and design. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Ithaca College.