ABOVE VIDEO:Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Mark Wilson talks about Florida’s economic growth.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — With Florida’s economic recovery continuing to outpace the nation, small businesses reported higher company sales, increased optimism and an increased willingness to hire new employees in a Florida Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index Survey released last week.
Tony Carvajal
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” said Tony Carvajal, Executive Vice President of the Florida Chamber Foundation today when unveiling the latest survey results at the Future of Florida Forum in Orlando. “This survey shows Florida’s small business are ready to grow, expect to hire and remain optimistic about their chances for success. Every community benefits from small businesses success.”
The survey, conducted in conjunction with the Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network shows 37 percent of small businesses reporting higher company sales compared to last quarter.
Top Issues Facing Small Businesses: Economic uncertainty (26 percent) and access to capital (22 percent) remain the top two issues facing Florida small businesses.
Sales Increased: 37 percent of businesses surveyed reported higher company sales compared to the same time period last year, with only 1-in-4 businesses reporting lower sales.
Optimism Increased: 56 percent expect the economy to improve over the next three months, in advance of the holiday shopping season. Additionally, 71 percent of respondents expect the economy to improve in the next 12 months. Of the 71 percent, 15 percent say they expect the economy to “improve significantly,” nearly double the amount from the Florida Chamber Q2 2014 survey.
