Great companies:
1) are constantly innovating and delighting their customers/users with new products and services.
2) are built to last and be independent and sustainable. Great companies don't sell out.
3) make lots of money but leave even more money on the table for their users and partners.
4) don't look elsewhere for ideas. They develop their ideas internally and are copied by others.
5) infect their users/customers with their brand. They turn their users and customers into marketing/salesforces.
6) are led by entrepreneurs who own a meaningful piece of the business. As such, they make decisions based on long term business needs and objectives not short term goals.
7) have a global mindset. They treat every person in the world as a potential customer/user.
8) are attempting to change the world in addition to making money.
9) are not reliant on any one person to deliver their value proposition.
10) put the customer/user first above any other priority.
From this post by Fred Wilson