These are not-so-simple economic times for the millions of small business owners across the country. Most owners say their businesses are okay — for now. But a growing share are concerned about the future, according to survey results from the National Federation of Independent Business.

Inflation remains a top concern. The survey found nearly a quarter of small businesses raised prices last month. And nearly a third plan to do so in the next three months.

This time of year in Keene, New Hampshire, changing leaves means money for some small businesses.

“It had been a little rough at the beginning of September, but I think as foliage season is happening, we're seeing a little bit more foot traffic,” said Beth Wood, owner of 21 Bar and Grill. 

But Wood said it’s getting more expensive to feed those hungry leaf peepers. 

“I will say, food cost has been one of our biggest struggles. Just watching them rise and not seeing an end in sight to it,” she said.

Small businesses often have to pass those costs on to customers, said Anirban Basu, CEO of Sage Policy Group. 

“​​In economics, we talk about price makers and price takers,” he said.

The big businesses are the price makers. “For instance, a Netflix, has tremendous pricing power. If they were to raise their monthly subscription charge a bit, they wouldn't lose many customers because they don't have many competitors,” Basu said.

But small businesses, including restaurants, tend to have a lot of competitors — they're price takers. “They look at the market price, and that's what they're going to charge, by and large,” he said. And right now, “many of them have to raise prices even though they don't want to.”

Often, tariffs are forcing those increases. Then there’s the challenge of finding qualified workers and just general uncertainty.

“(Small businesses) are probably on the defensive more than they’ve been since the end of the Cold War,” said David Audretsch, an economist at Indiana University.

That jibes with the fresh survey results, said NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg.

“Our uncertainty index is at the fourth-highest level in 50 years of collecting data,” he said.

Another ominous sign in their data? A sharp rise in small businesses reporting excess inventory. “It's building up in the back room, and that's not good,” Dunkelberg said.

Not good, he said, because it means consumer demand might be cooling off.