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updated 6/1/2012 3:19:58 PM ET 2012-06-01T19:19:58

Profitability, passion for the job, balancing work and home life -- all are issues taking up the most space in business owners' minds these days.

The recently released 2012 UPS Store Small Business Survey offers a window into what entrepreneurs are thinking about lately.

Here's a list of their biggest concerns, according to the survey:

  • Making a profit (50 percent of respondents -- no big surprise here) 
  • Growing the business (36 percent)
  • Time management (about 30 percent)
  • Meeting customers' needs (about 30 percent)

(Responses add up to more than 100% because respondents could choose more than one answer.)

In a surprising finding, only one in three respondents said they have successfully turned their personal passion, talent or skill into a business. When you consider the importance many place on doing what we love, this is a sad showing.

Relatedly, about a third of respondents cited a desire to work for themselves as the main motivation for being in business. But another chunk (15 percent) said their incentive for being in business was needing a job.

Is this is the case for you, I encourage you to use your current entrepreneurial endeavor to learn as much as possible about business ownership and then transfer that knowledge to something you enjoy and have a passion for.

What's been top of mind for you lately? Share your thoughts and respond to others in the comments section below.

This article originally posted on Entrepreneur.com

Copyright © 2013 Entrepreneur.com, Inc.

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