Rhonda Abrams The Passionate Entrepreneur

So I had my company conduct a survey of the readers of my email newsletter to determine the effects of love, marriage, and being single on their companies.

The conclusion? Fall in love or walk down the aisle and your bank account benefits.

Overwhelmingly, entrepreneurs reported that love was good for the bottom line, with 59 percent reporting positive financial effects.

In fact, entrepreneurs are upbeat about the effects of love and marriage in three of the four areas surveyed: finances, focus, and self-esteem. The only area in which entrepreneurs reported slightly more negative than positive effects from being in love was the impact on their time.

Better yet, pop the question this Valentine's Day -- it'll be good for business. Fully 82 percent of married entrepreneurs reported that being married improved their company's finances.

More than two-thirds of male respondents reported positive financial effects of being in love (69 percent) or married (68 percent) on their business.

Women, on the other hand, weren't quite as cheerful. Only a slight majority reported that being in love had a positive financial effect on their business (53 percent). However, three-quarters of women felt that marriage gave them a financial boost.

Perhaps this is a result of a buoyant outlook on life, with 95 percent of entrepreneurs indicating that being in love improved their sense of self-esteem in business. Marriage likewise improved self-esteem, although by slightly less -- 87 percent of married respondents got a heightened sense of self-esteem from having that wedding ring.

Happy marriages evidently lead to bigger businesses. Entrepreneurs with the largest businesses in the survey (21 or more employees) reported the greatest positive effects of being in love or being married.

Eighty-nine percent of entrepreneurs with larger companies said marriage had a positive financial effect, and 80 percent said being in love helped the bottom line. Sole proprietors were less upbeat: Only 59 percent said being in love gave them a financial boost, while 70 percent said marriage did so.

So take heart when you shell out those big bucks for Valentine's flowers and candy. The money will come back to you with a stronger bottom line!