I recently discovered the story of Colonel Sanders, and honestly, it really left an impression on me. Harland David Sanders didn’t have an easy childhood. His father died when he was barely 6 years old, and he found himself cooking for his brothers and sisters while his mother worked tirelessly. School? He quit in 7th grade to go looking for work anywhere. Farm laborer, streetcar driver, locomotive driver, soldier, insurance salesman—he tried it all. But everywhere, it was the same story: doors that closed, repeated rejections.

At 40 years old, he finally found a bit of stability by running a gas station where he cooked for travelers. His special fried chicken became legendary. People loved it. For the first time, Sanders felt that he truly had something valuable to offer.

But life struck again. At 65, a new highway diverted all the traffic. His restaurant collapsed. He was left with only $105 from Social Security checks. At that age, most would have given up.

Not Sanders. That’s where his story becomes really incredible. He loaded his car with his fried chicken recipe and started knocking on restaurant doors. Free of charge. He was simply offering his recipe in exchange for a small percentage of the sales. He slept in his car. He was rejected. Again and again. Exactly 1,009 times. More than a thousand refusals. A thousand doors shut in his face.

But on the 1,010th attempt, someone said yes. A restaurant accepted. That was the beginning of Kentucky Fried Chicken. At 70 years old, the creator of KFC saw his concept spreading across the United States. In 1964, Sanders sold his company for $2 million, but his face and his name stayed etched into the brand’s identity. Today, KFC operates more than 25,000 restaurants in 145 countries.

What’s the real lesson here? It’s never too late. Failure isn’t the end—it’s just feedback. And sometimes success comes after thousands of no’s. A man who started at 65 with almost nothing, after decades of failures, built a multi-billion-dollar empire. If he did it, why not us?