If One Door Closes, Another Door Opens

The process began in January 1988 and was the most stressful experience of my life. We made presentations of our business plan to eighteen lending institutions, and had to approach each one with as much enthusiasm as we could generate. Over and over we presented our case, only to receive a polite, 'No, thank you' a few days later.
But we persevered.

 As CEO of SELF, I had learned from my parents and grandparents that if one door closes, another door opens, so the best course is to believe in yourself and to look for the next open door,  instead of focusing on the one that just closed. For me, during this agonizing process, the next open door was the next presentation to the next bank. Finally, after our nineteenth presentation, we got a 'Yes!' And, as it happened, we were able to close the transaction on September 21, 1988 - the very day I became a corporate CEO for the first time.