Why people are the most important part of business success
October 31, 2025
It’s a topic of endless debate for business leaders and analysts: What is the most important element that determines a company’s success or failure?
Patrick Esposito, president and co-founder of ACME General Corp.—a company that bridges the gap between public sector organizations and innovators building problem-solving technologies—even wrote a book about it. He combined survey research with his experience advising over 100 entrepreneurial business leaders to outline eight critical factors that influence the success of small to medium-sized businesses.
Through his conversations with other leaders, however, Esposito realized that people were looking for even simpler guidance. While one approach would be to narrow the focus to the traditional “three P’s” of organizational management—people, process, and product—he zoomed in on what he determined to be the most pivotal lesson of all. At the end of the day, it all comes down to people.
