A survey by PayCycle found that most small-business owners (63 percent) say environmental issues are just as important as the economy, and 35 percent worry more about the environment this past year than ever before.

A quarter said they chose PayCycle online payroll because it's a paperless payroll solution, while another 56 percent said being paperless was somewhat important in their decision. Three-quarters of the surveyed owners found a green vendor to be more appealing than a non-green vendor if service and price are the same. Eighty-eight percent of small-business owners feel it is important for their businesses to be green. Eight percent of owners are using more online business services as a way to reduce their paper usage.

Sageworks has also released a list of the seven worst-performing retail industries in 2008, sectors hardest hit by cuts in consumer spending. The auto industry is well represented, as automobile dealers saw the biggest drop in sales in 2008 and other motor vehicle dealers and auto parts stores also made the list. With the decline in the residential real estate market has come the steep drop in sales for furniture, home furnishings, and building supplies stores.

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