Paul Allen talks about what is another hard-to-do but simply to describe success factor - persistence:

"I believe that the single most important key to success in an online venture is doing the little things day after day for years and years until you magically reach the tipping point and everyone seems to have heard of you. In other words, persistence is required for most successful ventures.

The reason that I love daily metrics -- keeping track of all the key operating statistics in your company day after day -- is that daily metrics tell me if we are persisting in something that is hopeless, or if we are persisting in something that is bound to reach the tipping point and bring us the success that we hope for."

Read on for the whole story.