Chapter 1

Ask “Did You Know?” Questions

It’s not overly dramatic to say your destiny hangs on the impression you make.

TV JOURNALIST BARBARA WALTERS

It’s daunting, isn’t it, to think the destiny of something you care about depends on your ability to create a favorable impression for it in the first minute?

That was how Kathleen Callendar, founder of PharmaJet, felt when she told me, “I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. Springboard Enterprises is giving me an opportunity to pitch to a room full of investors at the Paley Center in New York City.”

I told her, “That is good news. Springboard has helped female entrepreneurs like Robin Chase of ZipCar receive more than $6.4 billion dollars in funding. What’s the bad news?”

“I’m going at 2:30 ...

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