Your idea needs a passionate believer

[caption id="attachment_369" align="alignright" width="300" caption="When I decided to become a videographer, I had 1 passionate fan"][/caption]

Just watched Derek Sivers' great video on leadership. It reminded me of when I decided to start a wedding video company.

I was young, 18 years old, and in my first year of college. My parents thought I was a little crazy (and that I should keep my job as a bellboy). Most of my classmates thought I'd never make a dime.

And then there was Rebecca. When I shared my vision with Rebecca, she became a believer. Rebecca was in her 20's, and had friends who were getting married. She started telling everyone about me, and my service. She vouched for me, and said I would do a great job (even though I hadn't produced a single video). Every time she introduced me to someone she would say: "Justin has just started a video production company."

Rebecca ended up getting me my first paying gig. She helped drive me to the rehearsal. Her enthusiasm gave me the momentum and confidence I needed. After that first gig I was able to go out and get new customers on my own, but Rebecca continued to be my cheerleader. She even drove my video camera to me, on site, when I'd forgotten it at home!

The truth is, I don't think I would have made it very far without that first believer.

If an idea is going to become successful, it needs a super fan: a passionate believer who will promote you to everyone they meet and cheer you on when you're feeling down. If your idea elicits that kind of response from even one person, you might have a winner on your hands.