Mj Callaway of Bounce-Up On How To Grow Your Business or Brand By Writing A Book

An Interview With Theresa Albert

Become a great interviewee. Seek opportunities to be interviewed. Know your stories, analogies, and examples. Offer takeaways for the targeted audience. Research the interviewer and media outlet before the interview so you understand their market and style.

As a part of our series about “How You Can Grow Your Business or Brand By Writing A Book”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mj Callaway, CSP, CVP.

Mj Callaway is a resilience expert and corporate sales trainer. She’s known for shifting staff attitudes and converting tactics into results. This two-time cancer warrior and domestic abuse advocate shares her trademarked strategy-driven techniques with organizations so that they can boost employees’ resilience, maximize team results, and increase revenue. Mj’s sales experience includes being the only female sales executive to be a top-five producer of a national building company, selling three times her annual quota.

She has founded a digital program platform called Bounce-Up™ University. In addition, she’s the past co-president of National Speakers Association Pittsburgh, a certified virtual presenter, and a certified sales professional.

Mj has won four Gold Awards from Parenting Media Association, a global company, and authored 11 non-fiction books, including two Warner Books best-sellers. Her newly-released book, Bounce-Up: Outpower Adversity, Boost Resilience, Rebound Higher, has been endorsed by the CEO of the Healthy Workforce Institute.

Fun facts about Mj: She’s sold a children’s game to a division of Disney. She’s biked down a volcano in Hawaii, played tug-a-war with a baby black bear in Michigan, and ziplined over gators in Alabama.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share a story about what motivated you to become an expert in the particular area that you are writing about? Can you share a pivotal story that shaped the course of your career?

Thank you for inviting me to share Bounce-Up with you and your audience.

I can still feel the emotions from that pivotal moment that haunted me.

“I can’t leave because I’m in a dead-end job and can’t support my kids,” a woman who suffered from domestic abuse shared during a support group meeting for women whose lives had been affecting because someone they knew had an addiction. That was the pivotal moment that haunted me and pushed me to leave a lucrative corporate sales position to start my company.

I knew I had to do something to help this woman and others in a similar situation. So, a few weeks later, I offered a free sales workshop for anyone who wanted to learn sales skills. I knew teaching others how to “sell” would always provide a livelihood for them and their families. That workshop was a huge success, and the participants were so grateful. For me, it combined resilience, results, and sales in one package and the kickoff to my company Mj Callaway Training + Development.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

Two exciting Masterclasses recently launched.

1. How to Be a Great Podcast Guest to Grow Your Business
2. How to Be a Great Podcast Guest to Promote Your Book.

It’s crazy how opportunities create projects. The idea came because of a video series I initiated to promote a book project. I had interviewed 20 authors in two weeks. First, I created a list of tips to help the authors have a great interview. Then I continued jotted ideas when I kept hearing why podcast hosts like my interviews.

Are you working on any new writing projects?

There are several writing projects in the works.

I’ve almost completed the content and workbooks for two digital programs: Power Team: Build Your Circle of Influence to Grow Your Business Power Team and Toxic People Audit: How to Identify the People Holding Your Back from Your Goals.

Both programs are an extension of a Power Team section in Bounce-Up: Overcome Adversity, Boost Resilience, REBOUND HIGHER. Readers always asked for more information about building their Power Team. And a little voice nagged me, saying, “Mj, your customers want more. Build the program.” Both programs will be available in summer 2021.

My next book, Revenue Rescue Audit: 52 Ways to Find the Gaps in Your Business, will be released in September 2021.

Thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. Can you please tell us a bit about your book?

Bounce-Up: Overcome Adversity, Boost Resilience, REBOUND HIGHER is about bouncing-up higher and stronger when adversity hits. The core message is gaining power and control over what you can do when life’s unexpected event knocks you to your knees. The book contains over 142 techniques, tools, and tips to help you Bounce-Up ™ higher and stronger than you were before.

People often ask how did you come up with Bounce-Up? At an international conference in 2017, a business coach said, “Mj, bounce back isn’t a strong enough phrase for you. But I can’t figure out what would be.”

A few hours later, sitting in an education session, the speaker talked about the bounce rate for website, and “bounce up” jumped out at me. When I shared it, bounce-up resonated with everyone. Dr. Renee Thompson, the founder of The Healthy Workforce Institute, included this quote in the Foreword, “I can’t think of anyone more qualified to write this book than Mj Callaway, who lives and breathes how to bounce-up from setbacks.”

Can you please share a specific passage or story that illustrates the main theme of your book?

When someone is going through adversity, you’ll hear people say, “You’ll bounce back.”

I say, why do you want to bounce back? After the first cancer diagnosis in the fall of 2016, the prognosis was a 20 percent chance of surviving over five years if chemo didn’t work and chemo had a 50 percent chance of working. So, I didn’t want to bounce back to the fall of 2016. It meant I didn’t learn anything during the journey. I didn’t grow.

Here’s an analogy that offers a terrific visual. Think about those inflatable punching bags with water at the bottom to hold it stationary you might have had as a kid. When you punch the bag, it bounces back to the original position. It goes back to status quo. It never moves forward.

Now think about a basketball player who bounces up higher than anyone else on the floor to rebound the ball. As a result, he controls the ball, the court, the next play, and possibly the game. That’s Bounce-Up!

You are a successful author and thought leader. Which three character traits do you feel were most instrumental to your success when launching your book? Can you please share a story or example for each?

The three character traits are also sections in Bounce-Up.

1. Unshakability: Unshakability is the capability to overcome anything that comes your way. It’s the belief in yourself that you can do it regardless of the obstacles. For example, while interviewing the last two business owners for my book, I received a second cancer diagnosis, including several surgeries. Yet, I believed I could finish the book, maintain my business, and be grateful that I did.
2. Resilience: Resilient People see the bigger picture. They “bounce-up.” They are problem-solvers because they look at what strengths they within them to solve a problem. Knowing I would have several months of downtime during recovery, I needed to communicate with my clients and maintain a social presence. With a strong writing background and being house-bound, I used this time to develop a weekly blog called Bounce-Up Chronicles.
3. Improvise: Being about to improvise enables you to reach goals because you don’t let the minutia stop you. What is possible? What can you do right now with what you have? Instead of focusing on the negative situation, asking this question enabled me to build a new brand, start a YouTube Channel, finish a book, and create an online program.

In my work, I have found that writing a book can be a great way to grow a brand. Can you share some stories or examples from your own experience about how you helped your own business or brand grow by writing a book? What was the “before and after picture?” What were things like before, and how did things change after the book?

Before: My original brand was Powerhouse Selling. Although it fits with the sales training, it didn’t with the motivational speaking nor my overall message. And Powerhouse Selling was “vanilla.” It didn’t make me, my company, or my business different.

I realized in every sales and communication training I always tackled mindset, the power of words, proactive over reactive, change, and resilience though I hadn’t emphasized it. Change impacts everyone, from the receptionist to the sales team to the C-Suite. Now, change is part of every training because one simple change will affect a company’s bottom line.

Now, when it comes to my workshops and training, I’ve created a “mint chocolate chip” niche, meaning I’m not vanilla anymore.

If a friend came to you and said “I’m considering writing a book but I’m on the fence if it is worth the effort and expense” what would you answer?

I will ask a series of questions to help my friend determine some answers before jumping in.

1. What’s the reason you want to write a book?
2. What is the core message?
3. What problem will you solve?
4. How will you leverage your book?
5. Are you great at selling your ideas or message? Book sales are one of the most significant components of having a book.

Can you explain how writing a book in particular, and thought leadership in general, can create lucrative opportunities and help a business or brand grow?

Your book is the most valued piece of advertising you will ever give to a potential client, to grow your business, or build your brand. People will throw away a flyer, business card, or brochure. People will NOT throw away a book. They might give it away or donate it, and that’s okay because it’s in the hands of one more person.

What are the things that you wish you knew about promoting a book before you started?

Like many people, I wish I knew the pandemic would hit as fast and hard as it did. I had more than a dozen professional events scheduled. Some events planned to purchase a book for each attendee while others I would’ve had back-of-the-room book sales.

What did you learn the hard way?

Always have a backup plan because unexpected events occur. As one of the professionals I interviewed for my book, Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel says, “It isn’t if it happens, it’s when will it happen.”

Can you share some stories about that which other aspiring writers can learn from?

1. Ask, “What can I do right now with what I have?” Then, take action fast.
2. Listen to your customer’s messages. Many of my connections posted how they felt stuck. I cover stuckness in Bounce-Up.
3. Have a hybrid plan when it comes to promoting your book. Include in-person events and remote events. As mandates surfaced and my colleagues and clients talked about feeling stuck, I created an online course call From Stuck to Success.

Based on your experience, which promotional elements would you recommend to an author to cover on their own, and when would you recommend engaging an expert?

Before you engage an expert, decide what you want to do for book promotion and what you do not want to do. What are your strengths? Hire a professional for what you know you will not do or you don’t like to do. For example, if planning workshops are part of your marketing plan, yet you’re not an organizer, hire an expert. The same goes for social media marketing. If this isn’t your strength, hire others who have these strengths in their wheelhouse.

Wonderful. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your own experience and success, what are the “five things an author needs to know to successfully promote and market a book?” If you can, please share a story or example for each.

https://youtu.be/OkcbfQztC3o

1. Why will people care? What is the eruption that caused a transformation? How will it help others? Make your story concise with an apparent shift that will resonate with others. During a pre-call with a podcast host, I asked how he found me. “LinkedIn,” he answered. “As I researched your background, I loved your story. I love what you stand for and how you overcame so much adversity and still have a positive outlook. I think it can help others.”
2. Create analogies and give them a title. For example, I talk about your Play-Up™ Team Member on your Power Team. When my 5’ 7” son played college basketball, he was a Division III player. During the off-season, he always traveled to a specific court where the Division I players went to play pick-up games. He knew when he played against better players; he improved his skills. He improved his game. That’s your Play-Up Player. Analogies offer a simple way to make a point that others can remember.
3. Invest in the right equipment. Have the right equipment for your marketing endeavors. For example, in a pre-call with a podcaster, his first question, “Mj, what microphone are you using? You sound great.” Make it easy for others to promote you.
4. Become a great interviewee. Seek opportunities to be interviewed. Know your stories, analogies, and examples. Offer takeaways for the targeted audience. Research the interviewer and media outlet before the interview so you understand their market and style.
5. Create a buzz. How can you tie your book to a national holiday or event? Can you create your own event? August 2021 is my birth month as well as two-year cancer free anniversary. As a cancer warrior, every birthday is a celebration. To tie this to my book, I’ve created Bounce-Up Project. All donations will go toward buying Bounce-Up books for oncology healthcare professionals because of their dedication to help warriors get healthy again.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

Lisa Nichols. The first time I heard Lisa years ago, I resonated with her and loved her backstory. I love that she was an underdog as a struggling single mom, and she didn’t let that stop her. She believed in herself and built a global platform. And we have few commonalities. She received a D- in speech, and I had speech deficiencies, which required speech therapy as a kid. A colleague once told me that I would never publish a book because my writing was so horrible. Lisa recently posted on social that her English teacher said Lisa had to be the weakest writer she ever met in her life. We proved them wrong. Lisa is the epitome of Bounce-Up™.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

They can get a weekly dose of Bounce-Up by joining my Bounce-Up Chronicles newsletter at https://www.mjcallaway.com/bounceupchronicles.

They can connect with me on these social platforms:

https://www.MjCallaway.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/MjCallaway

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjcallaway/

https://www.facebook.com/BounceUpCommunity (for entrepreneurs & businesses)

https://twitter.com/MjCallawaySpeak

https://www.instagram.com/mjcallawayspeaker/

Thank you for these excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent. We wish you continued success with your book promotion and growing your brand.

Thank you for the opportunity. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing Bounce-Up with you.