According to recent data from the OPEN from American Express Small Business Monitor, small-business optimism is at its lowest point in the survey's six-year history. Some of the main concerns cited by small-business owners include cash flow, the costs of doing business and rising energy costs.

The economy is also affecting how entrepreneurs will vote come November. According to the survey, four in 10 small-business owners say the economy is the issue that will most sway their decision in the upcoming presidential election.

The survey discovered that business owners in the retail industry have the most negative outlook on the economy. In addition, about 20 percent of small-business owners in the North Central states report that their companies risk going out of business due to the economy.

Despite these dismal statistics, the OPEN from American Express Small Business Monitor found that growth is still a priority for entrepreneurs, reporting that seven in 10 business owners plan to grow their business over the next six months, with 31 percent planning to hire.

A lawyer-turned-entrepreneur was the recipient of the title National Small Business of the Year at the U.S. Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week 2008. Shawn Boyer, the award recipient, started SnagAJob.com in 2000 after a friend asked for help finding a summer internship online. When Boyer noticed the absence of websites geared toward internships or hourly jobs, he researched the business, left his job as a lawyer, found venture capital and started the company.

Eight years later, Boyer's business has grown from just two employees to 110 full-time employees.  The company grossed sales of $11 million in 2007.

To read about the runners-up and to follow the events of National Small Business Week, check out the National Small Business Week website.

Even if your company doesn't celebrate Earth Day every day of the year, there are plenty of ways you can show you're green. Entrepreneur Robyn Rhodes, who we featured in our March article, Confessions of Workaholics, found a way to integrate Earth Day into her jewelry design company.

Rhodes' ecological awareness campaign donates 20 percent of the proceeds from the sale of her Rumi necklace to Global Green USA. Model and actress Josie Maran is the face of the campaign and a supporter of Global Green. The necklace, Rumi, is named after Maran's youngest daughter as a symbol of future generations.

Check out the campaign and the necklace here.