They met a need for lots of people. Their values lead to long term success, but their short term growth was due to meeting a need in the marketplace and doing really well.

http://www.amazon.com/Google-Story-David-Vise/dp/055380457X/

Great question!

Of course if any one had any real answer, everyone would be wildly successful. I'm not going to lie to you : I don't have the answer either.

But here's a few ideas to get you thinking :

Success is first and foremost a question of meeting a real and enduring need. Successful people have identified an immediate or future market need, as well as a great way to respond to it. Enduring success is a function of being able to continue to answer this need as it evolves, and as the competitive landscape changes.

I believe that true success requires a deep and profound understanding of the need in the market. Such understanding can only be acquired by asking questions. Some people therefore argue that successful people actually ask better questions (I think that's a Tony Robins quote) !

If you'd like to talk about this some more, feel free to schedule a call!