Individuals don't build great companies, teams do.
If you can't get an intro to a VC, hang up your cleats now. You're done, GAME OVER
The exception does not prove the rule.
Good entrepreneurs have a chip on their shoulders. They are out to prove something.
In a strong wind, even turkeys can fly.
I usually tell people that everything I learned about being an entrepreneur I learned by f'ing up at my first company.