Small business owners are combating regulatory challenges and the fight for talent, both of which are hurting their companies and could affect how they vote in 2012, finds The Hartford's Small Business Success Study.

While the unemployment rate remains high, locating qualified talent is difficult for 59 percent of respondents. Another 68 percent say business is a voting factor, especially if specific policies directly impact their companies. Despite the hard reality, 70 percent of respondents feel successful.

"We developed this comprehensive study of the nation's small businesses to learn how well equipped they are to maximize their future success," says Liam E. McGee, chairman, president, and CEO of The Hartford. "Small businesses are the U.S. economy's primary job creators, and a powerful force – not just economically but also behaviorally. They carry on the tradition of the driven, confident, creative people who built America. From the , we learned that most of them expect to be successful in the next two years, even as they face challenging conditions. Our hope is that the U.S. will foster an environment that is more hospitable to small businesses. Our country should be celebrating and liberating entrepreneurs, not burdening them."