According to Bank of America’s latest Small Business Owner Report, if you’re looking to make a business opportunity investment or a franchise business opportunity investment, 2013 may just be the year to do it. Despite recent economic challenges and uncertainties, the dream of owning a successful small business is alive and well heading into the New Year.

Take it from those who know best…

Conducted semi-annually, this fall’s survey of more than 1,000 small business owners (SBOs) revealed that most of them believe their prospects for 2013 are looking pretty good, despite all the media hype and its insistence on focusing on the negative.

In fact, 54% of them anticipate their revenue will increase over the next year, while 38% expect it to at the very least remain the same. And staffing is looking pretty good too—31% plan to hire more employees over the next 12 months, and 56% believe their needs for staff will at the very least be consistent.

Even more surprising? The vast majority (70%) of SBOs say they have enough capital to run their business, and only 16% said they applied for a business loan in the past year. Furthermore, 78% do not intend to apply for one in 2013.

Okay, okay, but everything out there is not sunshine and roses…

Despite their hopeful outlook, small business owners do have some serious concerns. At the top of their list? The effectiveness (or should we say ineffectiveness?) of government leaders (68%), which is becoming more frustrating with each passing day and will have a tremendous impact on the national economy, no doubt, if they don’t get their acts together soon. However, while SBOs believe that both the national and global economies are important, most of them cite the health of their local economy as being just as if not more vital to their wellbeing, and most of them seem to think things are looking up in that department.

Rivaling the issue of government and its effects on SBOs, unsurprisingly, are concerns about commodities prices and healthcare costs at 66% and 65% respectively. And then there are also worries that consumer spending won’t recover (64%) and the overall strength of the U.S. dollar may be weakening (63%).

But aside from the challenges they face, many of which have and always will come along with the territory of small business ownership, a full two-thirds (66%) of SBOs said they have never had second thoughts about becoming their own boss. The payoff, they say, is worth it.

Most of them, it seems, simply don’t regret their decision and never have. And that’s perhaps all the encouragement anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit and the drive to succeed as a business opportunity, franchise or other SBO will ever need.

Click here to read the entire November 2012 Bank of America Small Business Owner Report now!