When Walt Disney came up with the idea for Disneyland in the early ’50s he was already a household name.

His cartoons characters had been entertaining audiences for more than two decades and he had Academy Awards on his shelf for his animated feature-length films like Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia and Bambi.

But when he went looking for financing for a theme park, even his own banker thought it was a real Mickey Mouse idea.

Keep in mind, at the time there was nothing like it. There were amusement parks like Coney Island, but nothing like the park Disney envisioned. He imagined a place that transported you to a “magic kingdom” with rides, food and entertainment appealing to children and adults.

“Stick to cartoons,” advised his banker. “The world loves your characters. It’s been pen and paper that’s made you a success. A 60-acre construction project? Walt, you’ve lost your mind.”

Disney was not deterred. He had a vision and he was determined to find funding, so he made an appointment with another bank and was met with the same response.

“You’re the greatest animator the world has ever known,” the next banker said. “Your characters are part of my childhood and now they’re a part of my kids’ childhood, but an amusement park with life-sized characters in costume? Walt, you’ve been working too hard. Try to get more sleep.”

One by one, Disney kept scheduling appointments with bankers only to hear the same thing.

Walt Disney visited more than 302 lenders before a bank manager finally interrupted him and said, “Mr. Disney, how much do you need?”

Disneyland opened to the public on July 17, 1955 and was an instant hit with the public. It took just 7 weeks for the world’s first theme park to welcome it’s one millionth visitor.

Today 118-million people visit the various Disney theme parks around the planet each year.

The lesson is obvious. Don’t give up. You’re going to get rejected in your attempts to get publicity, but each time you do, just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and say to yourself, “302 banks.”