Common aspect to these stories
Scratching your own itch
Gatekeepers and decision makers are men who mostly reject the ideas. Some men listen to significant women in their lives (mostly daughters, spanx Harry Potter ) and took a 'risk' on the product.
Scooter distributor story is like that too.
And harry Chapins secretary told him about a note her son received
I could focus on sending email asking for feedback from women who buy my products.