But you're right that even the best product won't guarantee a company's success. The issues below, if mishandled, can spell death for any business. Sorry, Mom, but it's true. For every dot-com that's spending venture capital like Monopoly money, there are thousands of others that die for lack of cash. It's nowhere more true than in business.
Nothing is more dangerous than complacency.
Constantly anticipate your customers' changing needs, or your business is doomed to fail. The days of the all-purpose CEO are over. Business is too tough, and the changes too fast, for one person to know all the answers. So focus on what you do best and build a network of experts to help you do the rest. The days of slow decisions are also gone.