Malka Frankel 👨🏻‍🦳 👵🏻’s Post

Two weeks ago, I did something that felt impossible: I had a one-on-one conversation with Mike Bloomberg. I attended the Goldman Sachs 10KSB Summit in Washington DC, where 2,200 entrepreneurs gathered to hear legends like Kevin O’Leary, Martha Stewart, Michael Phelps, and Mike Bloomberg. I went with one goal: talk to Mike Bloomberg. That felt nearly impossible. The speakers weren’t mingling. They exited through back doors. Private elevators. Roped-off areas. Then a small door opened. I was invited to join a special photo with Bloomberg and 80 graduates from the Goldman Sachs Baltimore program. As the last camera flashed, I made my way straight to Bloomberg. We spoke one-on-one. A minute. Short, but meaningful. 💬 I didn’t realize how quickly that minute would come full circle. Thirty minutes later, Bloomberg stepped onto the stage, now facing 2,200 entrepreneurs in the audience, and spoke about persistence, exactly what I had just lived. ➡️ Bloomberg said the best salespeople don’t stop after rejection. They knock again. A “no” isn’t always forever. Sometimes it means “not yet.” ➡️ He said GOOD salespeople move on to the next door after a “no.” GREAT salespeople knock again on the same door. Bloomberg was fired after 15 years at his job. The next day, he started his own company. He bought a coffee jug and a small fridge - and began knocking on doors at 6am, offering coffee just to get a foot in. Three years passed before a single yes. Today? 27,000 employees. The lesson hasn’t changed: keep knocking. 💬 Your turn: Who’s someone famous you met and where did it happen?