That is, though Giuliani received an insight from a simple and unplanned observation, he would not have had this insight is he had not spent a great deal of his time concerned with precisely the problem that this insight addressed. Giuliani and the two other business partners had been trying fruitlessly to develop a working prototype of their sonic toothbrush, and though this work was all scrapped in favor of the new design, the work was not wasted. Rather, it was necessary in order to provide the context and the circumstances for Giuliani's sudden insight. The idea for what would become the Sonicare toothbrush did not spring fully formed out of the ocean waves like a Minerva/Venus crossbreed, but rather the observation of the ocean waves and their erosion...

Given his background and employment record, it is likely that Giuliani could have funded a great deal of the initial business venture from his own personal savings. Though this would of course have put him at a much greater personal risk, the potential payoff -- which in hindsight becomes no longer potential but very real and very big -- possibly should have made this risk seem worthwhile. Still, I have a feeling Giuliani isn't ciomplaining.