It is often said in business that you have to persevere to succeed. It is very rare that things happen straight away and without knock-backs, so you just have to keep going and maintain the belief that you have what it takes.
For a social entrepreneur called Daniel Lubetzky, this could not have been truer.
A recent article in the New York Times case-studied Mr Lubetzky's company and championed his desire and drive to achieve his ultimate business goal: sell his product in Starbucks.
Mr Lubetzky, according to the newspaper, has started a number of food ventures, but his real aim was always to have his KIND Fruit + Nut bars sold on the shelves in Starbucks.
For five years following the advent of KIND, the entrepreneur contacted the coffee chain at every possible opportunity and tried to get himself – and therefore his produce – noticed by the company's executives.
He achieved this predominantly by posting them emails and sending samples of his product through the post.
For five years he heard nothing except polite refusals.
However, his perseverance paid off. His stream of emails and samples showed both determination and real belief in this brand and as of this week, Starbucks have started selling KIND Fruit + Nut bars in their coffeehouses.
"This is such a huge break. Now we just have to show we can make it work," Mr Lubetzky said to the New York Times.
Of course what Mr Lubetzky had was a great product. Determination and drive are essential, but so is what you are trying to sell.
Eventually Starbucks realised that they had an opportunity to make money from what Mr Lubetzky was offering – a great product and a man that had the business acumen to have turned that product into a success.
H. David Hennessey, a marketing director at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass, said: "The primary motivation of any bug retailer is to get more dollars per square foot.
"You have to show them very clearly and effectively how you can achieve that for them."
Eventually, Mr Lubetzky managed to show Starbucks that his KIND bar fitted the coffeehouse's brand and that it could sell.
Starbucks now sell three flavors of KIND Fruit + Nut bars.
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