Sahar Hashemi, founder of the Coffee Republic chain, said "When we tried to start up Coffee Republic, we were turned down by 19 bank managers. I was told we were a nation of tea drinkers and no one was going to want to spend more than 60p for a cup of coffee or use silly names such as skinny lattes."
This is from The Power of No: http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/the-power-of-no-1.746628
It's a great question, and could be an inspiring thread if we can get some more examples.