Small businesses more upbeat: MYOB MORE small business owners are upbeat about the economic outlook, but they say rising fuel costs are the biggest constraint for doing business. Software provider MYOB's 2013 business monitor found fuel prices remain the biggest pressure point for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), followed by attracting new customers. But cash flow is becoming less of a problem. "Interest rates are also less of a concern," MYOB chief executive Tim Reed said in a statement. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will hold its monthly board meeting on Tuesday and is widely expected to keep the cash rate at three per cent, its lowest level since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. The monitor's study of 1005 business owners an managers found over a quarter (26 per cent) of SMEs were expecting the economy to improve within 12 months, up from 19 per cent in its July 1012 report. "It indicates hope is springing back for Australia's business coalface," Mr Reed said. The proportion expecting an economic improvement to take one to two years is now 37 per cent, down from 42 per cent previously, while 22 per cent think it will take more than two years, down from 24 per cent. Almost a third (30 per cent) of SMEs expect their revenue to rise this year, while 42 per cent are expecting revenue to be stable. Mr Reed said the combined 72 per cent of SMEs expecting increased or stable revenue was encouraging when compared with only 58 per cent last year. Looking back over the past year, 40 per cent reported steady revenue, only just above the 39 per cent who saw a decline, while 18 per cent reported increased revenue. Operators in the manufacturing and wholesale industry were hit hardest, with 52 per cent experiencing a revenue fall, while 29 per cent of finance and insurance businesses recorded a rise.