Back in 2008 Pardot was just starting to get off the ground with a few hundred thousand in recurring revenue and the makings of a big market. Excitedly, I applied to be a “member company” at a local startup organization by filling out an online application and trying to meet with people. No one would meet with me. We weren’t “the right type of company” and didn’t get accepted into the program.
Rejected.
Completely rejected.
I put my head down and went back to work. We didn’t need the blessing of another organization for us to be successful. With a strong locus of control we followed Andre Agassi’s mantra “control what you can control” and continued plodding along. Ultimately, the business was successful and we didn’t need validation from something else.
Getting rejected is an awful feeling but it didn’t stop us from realizing our vision.
David Cummings on Startups 