From: http://www.bizjournals.com/

Most small business owners are feeling good about their financial situation, and that’s improved their outlook for the coming year.

That’s according to a quarterly survey of small business owners conducted in January by Gallup for Wells Fargo. This survey’s index of small business optimism jumped 13 points from November to 67, its highest level in a year.

These results run counter to what the National Federation of Independent Business found in its January survey of its members. NFIB’s small business indexfell last month to its lowest level in two years. The questions in each survey are slightly different, so that might account for some of the difference in the results.

The most noteworthy finding in the Wells Fargo survey was that two-thirds of small business owners rated their financial situation as good. That’s the highest percentage in eight years. More than 70 percent expect their financial situation will be good 12 months from now.

The survey also found that 60 percent of small business owners rated their cash flow as good — the highest percentage since the fourth quarter of 2007.

So sales must be booming, right? Not really. Only 38 reported higher company revenues over the past 12 months, compared with 30 percent who reported lower revenue.

Only 19 percent of small businesses added jobs over the past 12 months, but 26 percent plan to do so over the next 12 months.

The survey also found that 48 percent of small business owners now accept chip-enabled credit and debit cards. That’s up from 31 percent in August. Beginning in October, merchants who haven’t converted to EMV-enabled card processing systems are liable for any fraudulent point-of-sale card transactions.

Of the small business owners who have not yet updated their systems to accept chip-enabled cards, 22 percent plan to do so in the next six months, and 14 percent plan to do so within the next 12 months.

Digital wallets, such as Apple Pay or Android Pay, are finding slower acceptance by small business owners. Only 5 percent now take in-person payments through them, and other 11 percent plan to do so within in the next 12 months.