The end of last year saw growth across several sectors of the economy, but there are concerns about rising prices, skill shortages and falling sales.
Manufacturers reported their highest growth in new orders for nearly three years, with export demand still strong.
In retail, there was also a return to optimism - though only just, and despite profitability being squeezed.
In tourism, firms reported improving visitor numbers in the final quarter of the year, but falling sales revenues.
Responses to the survey, carried out for the Chambers of Commerce by Strathclyde University economists at the Fraser of Allander Institute, were more positive than the economic figures published on Wednesday.
The Labour Force Survey and the Gross Domestic Product figures showed weakness in the Scottish economy, while covering an earlier part of 2016 than the Chambers' survey.
While the GDP assessment from the Scottish government has seen a sharp contraction in the past year, the Chambers found a more positive picture, with growth in private commercial contracts.
However, there are warning signals survey, with tourism companies having difficulties in finding skilled recruits. Retail firms flagged up rising prices. Construction is expecting an investment dip.
The weakest of the five sectors covered was finance and business services. More firms in that large part of the economy saw employment fall than saw it rise. But on balance, firms say sales revenue is expected to increase.
Neil Amner, chairman of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce economic advisory group, said: "Our latest economic data shows that many Scottish businesses will have a successful 2017, with business optimism remaining positive for many sectors.
"This is good news for the economy, particularly as we continue to deal with international uncertainty and domestic issues including a rating revaluation and a potential divergence of Income Tax between Scotland and the rest of the UK.
"The overall business mood remains positive but firms expect business growth to be challenged by rising prices, tightening of cash flow and profitability, higher import costs impacted by exchange rates and a likely increase of inflation as the year goes on.
"On the converse side, exporters are continuing to report a healthy growth in trade, though perhaps not quite matching up to their initial expectations.
"Optimism could hardly be more finely balanced and anything that rocks the boat could change the glass from half full to half empty.
"Business success in 2017 will largely depend upon the ability of firms to manage costs and for consumer demand to remain strong in the face of pressures to real incomes."

Writing in Lancet Global Health, they predict cases will rise from 36 million to 115 million by 2050, if treatment is not improved by better funding.
A growing ageing population is behind the rising numbers.
Some of the highest rates of blindness and vision impairment are in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
The percentage of the world's population with visual impairments is actually falling, according to the study.
But because the global population is growing and more people are living well into old age, researchers predict the number of people with sight problems will soar in the coming decades.
Analysis of data from 188 countries suggests there are more than 200 million people with moderate to severe vision impairment.
That figure is expected to rise to more than 550 million by 2050.
"Even mild visual impairment can significantly impact a person's life," said lead author Prof Rupert Bourne, from Anglia Ruskin University.
"For example, reducing their independence... as it often means people are barred from driving."
He said it also limited people's educational and economic opportunities.
The worst affected areas for visual impairment are in South and East Asia. Parts of sub-Saharan Africa also have particularly high rates.
The study calls for better investment in treatments, such as cataract surgery, and ensuring people have access to appropriate vision-correcting glasses.
Prof Rupert Bourne said: "Interventions provide some of the largest returns on investment.
"They are some of the most easily implemented interventions in developing regions."
"They are cheap, require little infrastructure and countries recover their costs as people enter back into the workforce," he said.
The charity Sightsavers, which works in more than thirty countries to try to eliminate avoidable blindness, says it is seeing a rise in conditions such as cataracts, where the eye's lens clouds over.
"Due to an ageing population and a rise in chronic disease, we expect the burden of blindness to only grow within the world's poorest countries" said Imran Khan from the charity.
He said health systems in developing countries need to be improved, and more surgeons and nurses need to be trained to deliver sustainable eye health care.
Manufacturers have reported positive business trends, in the latest survey from the Scottish Chambers of Commerce.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
The number of blind people across the world is set to triple within the next four decades, researchers suggest.