Is success inversely proportional to user growth?

I've been mulling over something for a while and thought the experiences and research of this community might help.

Every company is slightly different, so my question is more about understand the following curve:

Company success versus user growth, specifically initial user growth and consumer facing apps/services

* How long does one spend trying to drum up survey results, adwords, prototype users or real users?

* If that takes a while, does it mean your chances for success are lower?

* How does one get better at publicity and traction?