David was giving his pitch to Goliath on why he should invest and partner.

This deal had to work. David’s company was in trouble. It was three years old and still hadn’t turned a profit. He knew he was onto a sound idea but it was just ahead of its time. He needed a partner with deep pockets and the same long-term vision.

But before David could say another word, Goliath stood up, signaling the end of the meeting. He told David, “Don’t you realize that dotcoms are crumbling all around? This digital thing is never gonna take off, your business is already finished — you just don’t know it yet. You might need us, but we don’t need you.”

David had tried to get the largest business in his industry to buy half his business. But lucky for him, Goliath laughed him out of the room…