What the Financial Crisis Means for Small Businesses

It's going to be interesting to see how the surveys of small businesses fare when we see results AFTER the financial tumult of late September and early October. But we're still trying to figure out what the environment was like before that. The United States Federation of Small Businesses released a survey today that was done in August, saying that 95 percent of small-business people feel that they have been challenged. It does not appear to be online anywhere yet. What are some of the specific challenges?

• 23 percent of respondents have cut staff
• 36 percent of respondents have decreased business travel
• 36 percent of respondents have minimized marketing efforts
• 29 percent of respondents have put a freeze on bonuses and raises

How will these results change after the recent developments? One thing to note: Only about 180 people participated in this survey.