According to Gregory K. Ericksen in his book Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Insights From the Winner’s Circle, the final criteria the judges use to help them determine a winner is the degree of difficulty in launching and/or growing the business.
This can include everything from the competitive landscape to more specific triumphs like overcoming personal adversity. Obviously, this is all a matter of perspective, since launching any business is somewhat difficult, and the odds become stacked against you when it comes to growing a thriving business with revenue growth percentages in the multiple-hundreds, as is the case with Outskirts Press.
Ultimately, all businesses have competitors, naysayers, and hecklers. True leaders persevere and succeed in spite of those obstacles, not in the absence of them. The same can be said for books. All books have competition, naysayers, and negative reviews. Professional authors persevere and succeed in spite of those obstacles, not in the absence of them.
President of Outskirts Press 