New Jersey business owners were optimistic about 2014 when Provident Bank polled them about it last year; the latest iteration of the bank’s business survey proves that optimism wasn’t misguided.Six percent more business owners reported that they performed “great” or “good” in the past 12 months (a total 43 percent in 2014, up from 37 percent last year). Conversely, fewer companies reported struggling or poor business performance.



That translates to more than double the amount of business owners pledging to hire full-time employees next year. Of those planning to make workforce changes, 46 percent want to add full-time workers in 2014, well above last year’s 20 percent.



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That’s all according to Provident Bank’s 2014 Business Barometer, which surveyed more than 300 owners of Garden State companies for the second consecutive year.



“We’re happy with the response,” said Chris Martin, CEO and president of Provident. “Our business customers, and our potential business customers, are feeling better about the business climate.



“Business owners are the ultimate optimists, even though we all have our challenges. And things have gotten better for them.”



The hope is that the trend will continue. And there’s reason to think it will.



Respondents to the annual business survey, which primarily consists of closely-held companies, also indicated that borrowed money was being allocated to growth at a greater rate. Compared to the 27 percent who were borrowing money for growth last year, 44 percent suggested that was the case in 2014.



RELATED: Provident survey: Most Jersey companies expect to hire next year, but few looking for full-time help



And respondents expect to reap the benefits of that investment: 15 percent said they expect growth of at least 10 percent of their companies in the coming year, while 12 percent said so last year.



As hopes for increased growth are rising, the broad business concerns about low consumer confidence and the economy’s strength are sinking.



“The (economy) is on an upward trend,” Martin said. “And that’s good, given that technology is moving at such a fast rate that retaining customers, in an industry like retail, is becoming more difficult.”



The changing technology landscape is linked to a concern that has been heightened among business owners: cyber threats.



More than 80 percent of respondents protect their companies against fraud and cyber-crime, but the most frequent effort cited is simply installing firewalls and anti-virus software.



“If this isn’t in everyone’s mind, it should be,” Martin said. “There have been sophisticated intrusions that have happened to very large companies, even those that have supposedly best-in-class protection. Businesses should be very careful.”



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Irrespective of any new tech-related fears, there’s even more business owners (82 percent) claiming to be either somewhat or very optimistic about the coming year than the 78 who were rightly optimistic last year.



Here’s more data from the survey:



• Among those who said business was good or great in 2014, owners most often attributed increased sales (33 percent) and new customers (13 percent) for their success.



• More than half (51 percent) of owners indicated that they worked more hours in 2014 than in 2013.



• When asked what the most important lesson learned was in the past year, 16 percent of respondents selected, “Keep up with changes in technology and marketing.” Other responses included, “Retaining customers and the importance of good customer service” (11 percent) and, “Work harder & smarter/keep pushing forward” (10 percent).



• More than half of business owners indicate millennials are 25 percent or more of their target audience, and that they utilize social media primarily to reach them. Related to millennial attraction: the 86 percent of New Jersey companies that gave back to their community in 2014.



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