Six Ways to Get That Big MeetingFounders share ways to get your foot in the door.

1. Deliver the goods.

"I sent a fruit basket full of bee-pollinated items and a bunch of our Beekeeper's Naturals Propolis Spray to theWhole FoodsCanada office, along with a long note about why I started a company that practices sustainable beekeeping to create clean, natural remedies. It got me an email in response, and though I still had to send a lot of follow-ups after that, I finally got someone on the phone. After that call, Whole Foods took us on." —Carly Stein, founder and CEO,Beekeeper's Naturals

2. Save your pennies.