Here are some interesting tidbits from Mastercard's recent small business survey.

Half of small business owners are confident they will meet their financial goals this year - a 5% increase over 2005 - and continue to think their future outlook remains promising (51% in 2005 vs. 50% in 2006)

There is a direct correlation between the number of hours small business owners spend on administration and the number of employees they manage. Sole business owners spend 7 hours on administrative tasks weekly, while those with 2 - 9 employees spend an average of 18 hours a week on administration. Owners with 10 or more employees spend and average of 31 hours on administration each week.

Use of Technology - Three in four small business owners around the world (78%) say that technology is important to their business's future, with one in four (26%) saying technology is "extremely important." Small business owners in Mexico and Brazil are the most likely out of all the regions to value technology - 91% say technology is important to their businesses future.

If the small business marketplace is important to you then check out the full results of the Mastercard Annual Small Business Survey