Have you been feeling more optimistic about the prospects for your business lately?  Well, according to the  Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index -- a measure of small-business owners' perceptions of their operating environments -- the expectations of small business owners for the next 12 months are the best they have been since July 2008. In fact, the index surged 24 points -- from -28 in July 2010 when the index was last measured, to -4 in November 2010. While a long way from the index's peak of 114 at the end of 2006, the trend is definitely moving in the right direction.

Why should you care about this index? Because, according to Wells Fargo/Gallup, their Small Business Index is a precursor of future economic activity. When the index moves significantly in one direction or another, economic activity invariably follows. As the index continues to move up, then we can expect economic activity to increase as well. And this is good news for American small businesses.

So, are you feeling optimistic?