I'm not really a follower of American Idol and its mean-spirited producer/judge Simon Cowell.  And I've never seen the British counterpart "Britain's Got Talent" until this morning when a colleague sent out a YouTube link that I would like to pass along because it speaks so well to the idea of persistence and to the power of talent to win out in the end.  In a world where criticism and bashing seem to the sport du jour, we can once in a while experience an exceptional moment when a jeering crowd is silenced and even moved to cheer.  That moment came recently when a middle-aged Scottish woman  named Susan Boyle, who was described by the British press as "frumpy," walked onto the stage of the hit show "Britain's Got Talent" to perform "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables, no easy song to sing. by the way.  Of course, everyone, including the condescending Cowell, could hardly keep from laughing at the poor woman as she proudly told them why she was competing.  Actually, they started laughing before she even sang. And then it happened.  She began to sing, and the judges and the crowd were stunned into silence.  Then, just as suddenly,  they began applauding wildly and rising to their feet , no doubt because they realized they were in the presence of real, not manufactured, talent, which is a rare commodity today.  Boy, can Susan Boyle sing!

So why am I writing about this? Well, as an entrepreneur who has,experienced, more often than I care to think about, the slings and arrows of naysayers when I have a new business idea, I found her quiet confidence in her ability compelling.  You really can't judge a book by its cover.  The truth is, if you have a really unique business idea--I mean REALLY unique - never been done before type of idea - people will always tell you it can't be done.  When that happens, take heart - you want to hear that, because it means you're probably onto something big.  The biggest successes in business were initially panned by people who didn't get it:  Fred Smith and FEDEX, Bill Gates and Microsoft, and more recently the founders of Twitter, who will likely sell their company for a bundle in the not-too-distant future.

The next time someone tells you that your idea simply won't work, remember that frumpy Scottish lady, Susan Boyle, and very confidently and proudly sing your heart out. That'll quiet the Simons of the world.