Learn This Man's Method for Rolling With RejectionSajiv Patel waited three years for a deal to come through. Here's how he made it happen.

Sanjiv Patel's business was supposed to be fun. He'd dreamt up Lord Nut, a whimsical 19th-century, Monty Pythonesque spokes-character for his brand of boldly flavored peanuts. He came from finance and was able to easily raise $200,000 in startup capital. Then he started going on sales calls, and the fun stopped. "I'd get very nervous," he recalls. "In the beginning, I thought I could do a PowerPoint and that's it."

There were a lot of no's in those days. Each no made him more fearful for the next one. "The hardest part," he says, "is keeping poised when there's negativity in the room."