Imagine you’re about to attend a one-day seminar dealing with intellectual property law, and you contact a friend of yours who is in the process of starting a business to urge her to attend the seminar with you.

She says to you, “I’m really busy because I’m just about to launch my start-up, so I’ll have to pass. If they offer the same seminar next year, I’ll go with you then.”

How would you respond to your friend?