In September 1820, on the steps of the Old Salem County Courthouse, Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson decided to do something many believed insane. He was going to eat a tomato. 

This may not seem particularly noteworthy, but this beloved, ubiquitous plant was once feared among Europeans and Americans, even earning the nickname “the poison apple.” The tomato plant is part of the nightshade family, which also includes potatoes, eggplants, and chili peppers, but when you think of nightshade, you most likely think of Atropa belladonna, deadly nightshade. It is one of the most toxic plants known to exist, the one rumored to have killed Emperor Augustus, the founder of the Roman Empire. Small wonder then that people were suspicious of the deadly nightshade’s cousin, the tomato. 

So when Johnson declared that he would eat a tomato, nearly 2,000 spectators crammed into the square to watch. The atmosphere was surprisingly jovial. A band played, and the crowd cheered as Johnson mounted the steps with a basket of tomatoes. He spoke to the crowd about the history of the tomato and the potential for it to be a bumper cash crop for the state. He painted a compelling picture, but it was not enough to tell them the benefits of tomatoes. He had to show them that tomatoes were safe. 

He carefully selected a ripe tomato from the basket at his feet. A hush fell, and he took a bite. A woman screamed and fainted, but Johnson simply took another bite. The silence was broken as the crowd erupted into cheers once more. He had done it! He had eaten a tomato and survived to tell the tale!

While it might be hyperbole to say that Johnson changed the course of history, he did change the course of American cuisine. Because he took a chance and ate that tomato, we now have pizza, pasta sauces, and more. 

Now, this story is likely apocryphal, but there’s a reason such stories catch our imagination and withstand the test of time. They contain seeds of truth—lessons to be learned. So what’s the lesson we, as innovators, can learn from the story of Johnson and the tomato?

First Adopters Are Essential

This is the lesson: in order for something to take hold in a wider consciousness, somebody has to first take a chance on it when it is unknown and untested. If you can get one person to take a bite of that tomato, you can get others to eat it as well.

As an innovator, you probably have big dreams. You want mass adoption. Maybe you want your product stocked on the shelves of Walmart and sitting in every home, or perhaps you want to form partnerships with big-name companies. We support such dreams, but accomplishing them tends to be a marathon, not a sprint.

Innovations are risky, not only for the inventor, but also for the consumer. You’re asking them to take a chance on something that hasn’t been proven yet. You’re asking that they eat the tomato before they know it’s safe to do so. While consumers may not be putting their life on the line when they try an innovation, they are putting their money on the line. This means that you need to find first adopters: those consumers who are willing to take a gamble. These people recognize that with risk comes the potential for high returns. For Johnson, who was a farmer, he recognized that by eating the tomato, he could introduce a new cash crop for his state. Your job is to show the first adopters that the potential reward is worth the risk. They need to know why they should take the chance.

Once you secure first adopters, you prove the viability of the innovation. Note, however, that Johnson didn’t eat the tomato in the privacy of his own home. He did it in a public space, so that others could witness it. You need to show other potential consumers the success you’ve achieved among first adopters. By communicating their positive experiences and reviews, you will get others interested. As an added bonus, those early adopters can provide invaluable feedback, guiding you on what works and does not work, so you can refine your innovation for the mass market. Metaphorically, as you gain adopters, people will start to realize that not only are tomatoes safe to eat, but delicious. At that point, with your innovation’s value proven, the big players will want to become fast followers and buy it too. 

Securing those crucial first adopters is the key to success. Sometimes, all you need is for one person to take a bite, and then the rest is history.