How to Succeed in Business by Really, Really Trying(theatlantic.com)

   First, even though every guy who has done a successful start-up somehow feels 
   he's therefore become the philosopher-king of business, all experience is 
   bounded. Further, there are companies that exist to sell products at a profit, 
   and companies that exist to sell equity to investors. I only know about 
   the former. The latter tend to flourish in the later stages of a bubble, 
   and rely on a totally different set of skills related to promotions, 
   networking and PR.

   Second, even within the universe of relevant companies, all "rules for success" 
   are either obvious or incomplete.  In other words, there are no rules for 
   success. If there were, lots more people would do successful start-ups.