The year was 2009. We pitched Pardot to VCs all over the country. 29 of them to be exact. Rejection after rejection. You’re based in a second tier city. Your market isn’t big enough. Your network effects aren’t strong. You’ve never done this before.
They said they didn’t want to invest.
They said I wasn’t good enough.
Today, as part of Salesforce.com, Pardot is worth billions of dollars of market cap.
Last week I was reminded of this personal experience when an entrepreneur shared he performs best when there’s a chip on his shoulder. When his back is against the wall, he fights hardest. When things look bleak, he grinds more.
Most entrepreneurs are the underdog. Society is averse to change. Companies are averse to change. People are averse to change. Yet, the only constant is change.
Entrepreneurs must recognize the challenge, embrace it, and overcome it. Use adversity for motivation. Find value in having a chip on the shoulder.
Just because they said I wasn’t good enough didn’t make it true.
David Cummings on Startups 
I could not agree with you more! I once had a VC say to me, “Catherine, you just have to know when to quit.” If you truly believe in what you are doing, you never quit. Proving the naysayers wrong just makes traction/success that much sweeter. 🙌
Yes! Thank you! Tired of talking to junior team members at VC firms that don’t know how to talk about anything that hasn’t already been done. Look at the crowd mentality of investors, all you need to know, but it makes it hard to change the world!
Max Mulvihill (812) 650-2625
On Sat, Oct 5, 2019 at 10:13 AM David Cummings on Startups wrote:
> David Cummings posted: “The year was 2009. We pitched Pardot to VCs all > over the country. 29 of them to be exact. Rejection after rejection. You’re > based in a second tier city. Your market isn’t big enough. Your network > effects aren’t strong. You’ve never done this before. They” >
I support your main idea. Being an entrepreneur, it takes us a lot of efforts. No matter what happens, our best efforts must pay off. Personally, I have never regretted any rejected from other because I believe that it is a sign revealing that we can achieve our goals without them.
David – I absolutely agree with this perspective. Having a chip on your shoulder is a great motivator. One of the rewards of being an entrepreneur is disrupting the status quo.
But you persevered, while others hadn’t. Great that you wanted to prove a point and succeed with it. Most people don’t.
I love all the comments here.
Morgan here from SLC, UT. I work for a digital health startup called Tula Health.
Would love to connect and hear about your experiences in entrepreneurship.
startupwithmorgan.wordpress.com
Cheers.