Want to know what's going on in today's economy? Ask a small business owner.

Today's media landscape makes it hard to get a read on the true pulse of today's small business landscape. While one headline reads that small business lending is down, another says that in certain loan size categories, lending is up. There are also varying, and often contradictory, opinions on everything from hiring to taxes. I have to stop and wonder if anyone has asked actual small business owners their opinions on the issues that affect them most.

I was glad to see that Citi did just that in its most recent small business survey. The findings, which indicate increased optimism among entrepreneurs, create a bright spot in an economy that is otherwise still fairly bleak. Perhaps most insightful is the fact that nearly three-quarters of small business owners would still choose entrepreneurship over other forms of employment even knowing what challenges these past few years have presented. Entrepreneurs, especially the ones we at ACCION work with in financially underserved communities, are resilient, enterprising individuals -- they love what they do, and will fight to keep their business dreams alive.

The survey findings may also provide a glimpse into our economy's future. Because lending staff at ACCION are working on the ground in local business communities, they seem to have a way of informally identifying economic challenges and trends long before they're felt by our county's big businesses or hit the press. I hold out hope for the fact that if our country's smallest businesses are predicting a bright future today, the largest businesses will also soon have high hopes for tomorrow.

Note: You can learn more about how Citi's partnership with ACCION is impacting entrepreneurs by watching this video about a Small Business Bootcamp in South Florida.