We see plenty of these contests every day – sign up and win – from iPads to hotels and plane tickets. But who actually thinks they are going to win? Well, for Morgen Newman of IdeaPaint a little confidence went a long way.

British Airways had just launched their Face-to-Face program, which is aimed to help small and medium-sized businesses across America grow by empowering them to conduct their business in person and of course providing the ride. All that was required to enter was an essay and a potential client hundreds of miles away. The winners would be granted a free international business trip anywhere in the world.

Now back in 2009, IdeaPaint was growing fast here in the United States and had no budget or international sales strategy. What they did have was a constant pressure from international customers and distributors wanting more and more of their product. A good problem to have if you ask me, just no resolution in sight. So Morgen entered the contest, listened to the advice of fellow co-founder Jeff Avallon, and found himself with the world at his fingertips, literally.

“You can do anything if you do it with confidence.” A quote Avallon is constantly quoted with saying around the IdeaPaint offices. So what did Morgen do – he began telling anyone who would listen that he was going to be the winner of this British Airways Face-to-Face grant. He knew that the most effective way to reach customers in new markets is to spend time in those markets and develop relationships with those prospective customers. But on a limited startup budget it would be merely impossible to nurture the relationships needed from afar. And sure enough, after months of anxious waiting, his confidence paid off and the opportunity to fly anywhere in the world for a business trip was granted.

The company had a distributor interested in Australia, and that was Morgen’s destination. Once on the ground, he was able to secure additional meetings, and turned one interested party into three distribution deals. And that was only the beginning. British Airways was so impressed by the story that Morgen ultimately won an opportunity to travel across the globe 10 times, which turned this local startup into an international business machine.

Thanks to British Airways and the confidence it took to win this contest, IdeaPaint is expecting their international sales to grow over 400% in 2010. What an incredible turn of events that can be traced back to one persons contest entry and belief in his company.

To learn more about IdeaPaint, check out their website. Also, be sure to follow them on Twitter @IdeaPaint and fan them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/IdeaPaint.