Right before the happy holiday cards begin arriving every year, my “in” box and fax machine fill with year-end surveys aimed at taking the pulse of small-business owners. Although I’m curious about the findings, I’m always a bit skeptical when a small sampling of opinions claims to represent the masses.

Still, three recent surveys of business owners revealed similar if not earthshaking views. Business owners are “cautiously optimistic” about the economy in 1999, they aren’t using technology as much as they should and, although they are having a pretty easy time financing their business, too many still rely heavily on credit cards.

To check the validity of these survey results before reporting on them, I asked Frank Como, owner of the Total Image Hair Salon in New Rochelle, N.Y., the same type of questions asked by the professional pollsters.

To my surprise, his views mirrored the results released by Arthur Andersen’s Enterprise Group and National Small Business United, Wells Fargo Bank and the National Foundation for Women Business Owners, and the Yankee Group.

“I think the economy is doing well and will continue to do so in 1999,” said Como. “People are spending money, but spending it wisely and trying to get the best bang for the buck.”

Como said his 6-year-old salon is thriving because he charges less than the competition and offers fair value to a loyal clientele. (I must disclose that my entire family patronizes his salon.)

On the technology front, Como uses a Packard Bell 586 personal computer to run a special software program for hair and tanning salons. The program manages his client database, client information, product inventory as well as all the bookkeeping. Like many other small-business owners, Como plans to launch a Web site in 1999.

“I know it’s the way to go,” said Como, adding that he’ll use the site not only to market his services, but to also help attract new stylists. He said his biggest challenge is finding talented hairdressers, although he pays well and offers benefits like paid sick days, which many salon owners don’t.

Although the Internet is a business necessity for large corporations, small and medium-sized companies are slower to take full advantage of it, according to a study recently released by the Yankee Group.

“Small and medium-(sized) businesses are falling behind,” said Chris Gwynn, a Yankee Group analyst. “They need the basic things. After that, they can start with the more sophisticated e-commerce tools.”

Among the businesses surveyed, an average of 30 percent said the Internet was important to achieving business goals. Although 61 percent of small businesses and 82 percent of medium-sized businesses report that they have some form of Internet access, only 50 percent of all personal computers within small businesses and 31 percent of all PCs within medium-sized businesses have Internet access, the study found.

According to the Yankee Group, small and medium-sized firms account for 98 percent of U.S. business, represent about 50 percent of the gross national product and spend approximately $445 billion annually on information technology products and services. The Yankee Group’s findings regarding technology were backed up by another small-business survey released last week.

Sixty-five percent of small businesses with computers use the Internet in some way, up from 49 percent a year ago, according to the seventh annual survey of small and mid-sized businesses conducted by Arthur Andersen’s Enterprise Group and National Small Business United, a political advocacy group. Nearly 94 percent of all small companies now have computers, up from 79 percent in 1997.

“Simply buying computers is not enough. There needs to be a company-wide strategy to make sure technology is integrated with operations,” said John Evans, deputy director of Andersen’s Enterprise Group in New York.

Overall, Evans noted that the 500 or so entrepreneurs surveyed said they feel less optimistic than they did a year ago.

“I’d call it guarded optimism,” said Evans, attributing the pessimistic shift to the fluctuating stock market that was especially volatile in August and September when the survey was conducted.

The survey also revealed that entrepreneurs are relying heavily on credit cards to finance their businesses.

Nearly half, or 47 percent, of those polled said they used credit cards to finance their business in the past 12 months, up from 34 percent in 1997. One slightly alarming trend is that business owners are not paying off the full credit-card balance every month. The number of business owners who pay off their balance in 30 days has dropped from 59 percent in 1997 to 38 percent in 1998.

“Relying on credit cards is a quick fix for many small-business owners,” said NSBU President Todd McCracken. “However, the high finance charges on credit cards can ultimately lead to the loss of capital that could otherwise be reinvested in their business.”

He suggested business owners try to balance their use of credit cards with other means of financing.

Women business owners are having an easier time obtaining bank financing, according to the third survey conducted by the National Foundation for Women Business Owners for Wells Fargo Bank.

In fact, 52 percent of women business owners use some type of bank credit, up 6 percent from 1996. One-third of women business owners have bank credit of $50,000 or more available to them, compared with one-fifth in 1996.

The study revealed that women of color are still having a tougher time obtaining bank credit. Twenty-nine percent of minority women business owners surveyed have bank credit, compared with 53 percent of Caucasian women.

Wells Fargo’s commitment to the women’s market increased three years ago when it pledged to lend $10 billion to women in a 10-year period. The bank has already loaned $3.7 billion and was ranked as the No. 1 small-business lender in the country, according to government data compiled by a Boston research firm.

Jane Applegate is a syndicated columnist and author of “201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business.” For more resources, visit [email protected]. Reporting assistance on this column by Robin Wallace.