By Cheryl Powers

Most business owners explain success through effort. The real story is often far more complicated and far more useful.

Timing is one of the most powerful forces in business and one of the least acknowledged.

Not simply because founders often don't see it. But because acknowledging it threatens the story you most want to believe about yourself. Success feels better when it appears fully earned. It reinforces the idea that outcomes were the direct result of intelligence, discip...