Business Success in the Agricultural, Livestock and Agro-Industrial Sectors: Definitions Issued by Experts

Entrepreneurial success is as difficult to achieve as it is to define. In agriculture, livestock, and agroindustry, success stories have already been studied, but there are still no precise answers to the question: what is a successful enterprise in the field of these sectors? The study consulted 27 experts of three different profiles (academic scientist, entrepreneur, and supplier or client), and linked to a total of nine activities (three agricultural, three livestock and three agroindustrial) so that they freely answered the question. The convergence and divergence between the answers of the experts were examined using written content analysis techniques, specifically through word clouds. According to the study's findings, experts define success based on the means and not on the ends, such as economic profits and income or personal satisfaction. Instead, actions linked to the concepts of intensification and efficiency, vertical integration and differentiation, are the means by which experts define business success in the agricultural, livestock and agroindustrial sectors, respectively. Likewise, having a solid administration is a trait linked to success in all three sectors.