An October survey found only 11 percent of small-business owners say they want to retire at all. Nine in 10 say they are happy with what they do -- with 58 percent saying they are very or extremely satisfied with their work.

"In other words, small-business owners overwhelmingly like what they do," Gallup said.

Further, small-business owners have the luxury of deciding when to retire. The poll revealed that 40 percent plan to keep working as long as their health allows. Another 47 percent said they would keep the business running, but cut back to part-time.

Money, apparently, is not the issue. In the survey, 79 percent of small-business owners thought their savings would allow them a comfortable lifestyle when they retired. "In part, this may be because small-business owners tend to have higher incomes than the average American," the report said.

The telephone survey of 600 small-business owners was conducted Oct. 4-14 and carries a margin of error of 4 percent.