If the path to economic recovery will be led by small businesses believing in the future and growing, it may still be a while until we get there. Bullish sentiments among small business owners trended the way of Linsanity.

USA Today relays an index from the National Federation of Independent Business that found small-business owners’ confidence had dipped from the previous month.

There were some promising signs for the small-biz sector. Owners reported healthy sales gains for the past three months and said they expected sales to rise in months to come. Hiring was also higher than it had been in more than a year

Putting a damper on those hopes were the expectation that profits will plateau, thanks possibly to higher costs of doing business likely due to out-of-control gas prices. It may take cheaper gas to get small-business owners looking up again.

Small business owners’ confidence drops in March [USA Today]

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