What do Tim Tebow and IdeaWF Have in Common?

Did you hear that Tim Tebow is coming to Wichita Falls on Sunday, February 17?  You may be surprised to learn that IdeaWF is connected to Tim Tebow’s visit. 

Tebow’s visit and IdeaWF have one major thing in common.  Or perhaps I should say they have one major person in common – Jackie Hoegger.  I can’t say enough about what Jackie has done for the competition–design logos, make commercials, craft advertising strategies—and it’s all done brilliantly.  She and Colt West of Crane West (more about them in a future post) donate so much time to the marketing the contest.  Jackie’s also a huge reason Tim Tebow is coming to Wichita Falls for the first Nighthawk game on Sunday, February 17th.  Nighthawks’ owner Jerry Hughes told Jackie to think big about marketing the Nighthawks and actually gave her the budget to do big things.  But it takes A LOT more than money to get Tim Tebow to make a visit.  Jackie and Hughes called Tebow’s agents for a week … no response.  They called for another week … no response.  They kept calling for several more weeks, and finally Tebow’s people called back.  Even then it took a lot of personal selling to land one of the hottest celebrities in the world for the Nighthawks.  But they closed the deal!

I tell you this story because what Jackie and Jerry Hughes did for the Nighthawks represents what IdeaWF is all about.  They dreamed WAY big and then went to work on that dream.  They had a great plan, assembled the necessary resources (more than just the money), and then persisted even when others were convinced she and Hughes couldn’t land Tebow. 

Jackie has another connection to IdeaWF—she’s one of our in-kind prize sponsors.  What new firm wouldn’t want a person that can land Tim Tebow helping them market their firm – for free!  We have awesome in-kind prize sponsors – lawyers, accountants, web design, marketing, IT, and HR consulting.  It’s just what startups need to succeed.

But to win you have to be like Jackie and Jerry – have a big idea, have a great plan, and have the personal determination to succeed no matter the odds.