Small business owners are resilient -- or at least the see opportunities even in tough times.

Two new surveys find small businesses -- the drivers of a large portion of the U.S. economy -- with mixed feelings in the face of generally gloomy economic news.

According to the latest Discover Small Business Watch, the percentage of business owners who said conditions for their own operations were getting worse, at 41 percent, representing the highest degree of skepticism recorded in the 15-month-old survey.

One bright side in the findings: Fewer owners were having temporary cash flow issues, 42 percent, compared to 46 percent in September.

That good news/bad news scenario -- the business outlook is gloomy but small businesses are prepared to weather it -- might just be good news in and of itself.

Meanwhile, another recent survey, by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) found that 45% of respondents expect their business to grow by more than 10% over the next 12 months.

Twenty-one percent expect growth of better than 20%, and 90% of SMBs plan to add new full-time employees during that time period, the group revealed.

How are things looking in your neck of the woods? Are you feeling the general economic slump that seems to be heading our way? Or are you staying one step ahead of the game?