'In our DNA': Small business owners have no Plan B

— -- What is it about running a business that makes a person want to work an 18-hour day, wake up the next day and do it all again?

For some, it's the way they roll. "I wouldn't know what else to do," declared Ric Cabot, owner and founder of Darn Tough Vermont, and a member of CNBC.com's Small Business Council.

For others, it was a duty to carry on the family business. "I stepped in at 26 on the day after (my dad died), said Marc Schupan, president and CEO of Schupan & Sons. "After walking in his shoes, I truly understood the stress he experienced daily and it gave me a deep respect for the man."

And for some perpetual optimists, the business climate, the endless regulations, the mounting taxes, all mean nothing when you have the entrepreneurial bug.

"I truly believe entrepreneurship in our DNA and we can't help but do what we do," said Farid Virani, president and CEO of Prime Communications. "Over-reaching regulations and bureaucracies drive me nuts and make me lose more hair, but I keep seeing the glass half full."

Indeed, business owners are looking for an easing of federal regulations and a lowering of taxes. The Sage Small Business Sentiment Survey polled 539 small business owners a month after President Obama's State of the Union speech to find out what recommendations from that speech would be the most useful for business owners. Tax relief was top of mind among 86% of respondents. Lifting regulations impeding access to capital, was also high on business owners' lists, with 74% saying it would have an impact. Tax breaks for creating jobs was third, at 68%.

But even with these concerns, most members of our Small Business Council, when asked if — in this business climate, knowing what they now know, facing the uncertainties they are facing — they would do it again, for the most part, said yes. Even the most circumspect among them — those who have had to rethink their businesses as federal red tape and rising costs have changed the way they do business — have no regrets about their chosen path.

Here's what other members of our Small Business Council had to say about starting out in business today.

• Beezer Molton, president and founder, Half Moon Outfitters: "For good ideas, the time is always right. Taxes, regulations, and banking issues all conspire to drain energy over time, but the joys of getting something off the ground are immune to these issues."

• Larry Mocha, president, ASPSCO: "I'm glad I stayed with it. Because of what I have learned, I have a new appreciation for existing businesses and those who try to start a business. However, if I were to do it again, I would like to help people start or run their businesses rather than attempt to start another one. It is way too difficult now."

• David Greiner, president, Greiner Buick GMC: "I certainly would not start a business right now based on the regulatory environment and the lack of consumer confidence. The red tape in California to open something new is rather daunting.

"The only way to enter the marketplace is by going into something that would experience no startup time or revenue interruption. Having said all that, now is an ideal time to buy an existing business that could be purchased for less than its asset value assuming it has some sort of revenue stream and provides a necessary service."