If you're going to talk "business" in microstock, then I suppose earnings are the ultimate indicator of success. Just as in any business, there are hobbyists, professionals, and very successful professionals. Aside from microstock, I'm a graphic designer in my 9-to-5 life. You could draw a similar comparison to microstock as I will draw here: There are people who dabble in Photoshop and make a couple of dollars form doing projects for friends. There are people skilled in various aspects of design, and make a living at it. And there are people who are rockstars of graphic design. They are well-known and make tons of money at it.
Same goes for microstock. There are hobbyists, pros, and the Yuris/Andres/Lises of the business. You can draw comparisons to microstock and just about any other business. It is, afterall, a business, just like any other.
My measure of success is mostly financial, however I also highly respect those who are successful with smaller portfolios. I think that Tom Nullens (sodafish) does incredibly well with a portfolio of under 400 images. That, to me, is exceptional success.
One other thing to note: It was mentioned above that top earners get $3-$4 monthly per photo. For illustrators that number should be more like $8-$10+ per image. Maybe even more.
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