Your Story Is Your Hit Song: Lessons From My Conversation With James Malinchak

Thirteen years ago, James Malinchak sent me a note about my first book, Share.

I kept it.

At the time, James probably had no idea how much that simple gesture meant to me. I was still relatively new to publishing. Share was my first book, and having someone like James take the time to read it and offer his support gave me another reason to keep going.

Fast-forward 13 years.

I recently sat down with James for Episode 412 of my E-Heroes Podcast, and I got to show him that note.

A lot has happened between then and now.

One book became another. Then another. Eventually, I created my own publishing company, started publishing books for other entrepreneurs and professionals, and today I’ve been involved in the production of more than 70 books.

As I told James during our conversation, his encouragement was part of that journey.

And that became the perfect starting point for a conversation that really wasn’t about speaking.

It was about stories.

It was about opportunities.

It was about persistence.

And it was about the people who sometimes change the direction of our lives without ever realizing they’ve done it.

People See the Fruits. They Don’t See the Roots.

Today, people know James as the Big Money Speaker. He’s spoken at thousands of events, coached speakers around the world and appeared on ABC’s Secret Millionaire.

But that’s the fruit.

The roots looked very different.

James grew up in a small steel town outside Pittsburgh. His father was a steelworker. His mother worked at the school. He earned a basketball scholarship, blew out his knee and suddenly had to figure out what came next.

Eventually, he found himself in Los Angeles trying to build a speaking career.

And he was broke.

Really broke.

He worked at a video store for $7 an hour. One Christmas, he asked his parents for a Costco membership because he couldn’t afford the $50 himself. He used it to buy pasta and giant jars of spaghetti sauce, which he diluted with water to make them last longer.

That’s not exactly the glamorous origin story people imagine when they see someone standing on a stage in front of thousands of people.

But James said something during our conversation that stuck with me:

People see your fruits. To understand the journey, they have to hear your roots.

That’s true for almost every entrepreneur I’ve ever met.

Success makes the struggle look inevitable in hindsight.

It wasn’t.

James admitted there were plenty of times he wanted to throw in the towel. I could relate. I’ve been an entrepreneur for more than 30 years, and I’ve certainly had those moments myself.

The difference isn’t that successful people never think about quitting.

They keep finding a reason not to.

You Need Some Hit Songs

One of my favorite parts of the conversation came when we started talking about storytelling.

James compared the stories entrepreneurs tell to hit songs.

Musicians don’t become known because they have hundreds of songs nobody remembers. They have a handful of songs everyone recognizes.

Businesses need the same thing.

James explained that entrepreneurs should have two or three great stories they can consistently pull from their “tool belt.” Those stories become associated with you. They’re repeated. They’re remembered. And eventually other people start telling them for you.

That’s your hit song.

I’ve always believed this.

I brought up my late friend Joe Sugarman. If you ever saw Joe speak, chances are you heard some of the same stories.

James immediately remembered Joe’s Batman credit card story.

Think about that.

Joe is gone. James and I hadn’t discussed that story together in years.

Yet we both remembered it.

That’s the power of a hit song.

You don’t need 500 stories.

You need a few great ones.

And you need to stop worrying that you’ve told them before.

Stories Sell Without Looking Like Selling

This is where James and I really landed on something entrepreneurs need to understand.

Stories aren’t decoration.

They’re marketing.

James told me that he doesn’t necessarily convert people. His stories do.

A great story allows someone to see themselves in the message without you beating them over the head with a sales pitch.

It’s why movies like Rudy, Rocky and Seabiscuit work.

As James explained, Rudy wasn’t really about football. Rocky wasn’t really about boxing. Seabiscuit wasn’t really about horse racing.

They’re stories about perseverance, underdogs, belief and refusing to quit.

Those are human experiences.

And that’s exactly why entrepreneurs need to tell stories about themselves, their customers, their clients and the people they’ve helped.

Facts inform.

Stories make people care.

The Opportunity You Almost Delete

James also shared the story behind his appearance on ABC’s Secret Millionaire.

And here’s the funny part:

He almost deleted the opportunity.

Actually, he tried to say no more than once.

His sister, who was also his assistant, received an email from a production company about some sort of documentary project.

James wasn’t interested.

Delete it.

They contacted him again.

Still not interested.

Eventually, James agreed to get on the phone only because they mentioned that a mutual friend had recommended him. He wanted to politely decline rather than potentially disrespect whoever had made the introduction.

Then the person on the other end revealed the truth.

They weren’t simply some little production company.

They were working with ABC.

And the project was Secret Millionaire.

The premise dropped James into an impoverished community without his normal resources. He had $44.66 to live on for the week while volunteering alongside people doing extraordinary work in their community. At the end, he revealed his identity and personally gave more than $100,000 to help them.

One of the biggest opportunities of his career began as an email he wanted deleted.

There’s a lesson there.

Not every opportunity deserves a yes.

But sometimes it’s worth listening long enough to understand what you’re actually saying no to.

There’s Another Side to the Coin

We eventually turned the conversation toward James’ Big Money Speaker philosophy.

He described speaking as having two sides of a coin.

On one side is the message.

Your expertise.

Your desire to help people.

Your ability to change lives.

That’s wonderful.

But there’s another side.

The business.

How do you get booked?

Who controls the budget?

How do you create an offer?

How do you market yourself?

How do you get paid?

James made the point that this isn’t unique to speakers. You can be the greatest dentist, chiropractor, consultant, coach or professional in the world, but if you can’t attract customers, you’re going to struggle.

James went from making $7 an hour at the video store to roughly $40,000 speaking the following year. Then came $100,000. Then a quarter-million.

What changed?

He learned the business of speaking.

Talent matters.

Helping people matters.

Being great at what you do matters.

But you still have to learn how to turn that expertise into a business.

I’ve been preaching a version of that lesson for decades.

Being great at what you do isn’t enough if nobody knows you’re great at it.

Your Book Is Your Legacy

Toward the end of our conversation, James shared another story involving his friend, former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann.

James had been encouraging Joe for years to put his stories into a book.

Why?

Because the speaking engagement eventually ends.

The audience goes home.

Memories fade.

But the stories can remain.

James finally told him:

“Your book is your legacy.”

He offered to bring Joe to Las Vegas, record conversations about his stories and beliefs, have them turned into a book and preserve them for his grandchildren.

Joe’s response?

How’s next Wednesday?

The book eventually sold more than 100,000 copies to companies, according to James.

But that wasn’t the real reason for doing it.

It was for the grandkids.

It was about legacy.

That part obviously resonated with me.

I’ve been saying for years that everybody has a story.

You might not believe yours matters.

Someone else might desperately need to hear it.

And sometimes all it takes is one person telling you that your story is worth sharing.

You Never Know Whose Life You’re Affecting

Which brings me back to that note from 13 years ago.

James didn’t have to endorse Share.

He didn’t owe me anything.

He could have ignored the request.

Instead, he took a few moments and encouraged someone who was writing his first book.

That someone kept writing.

One book became more than 70.

And 13 years later, I got to sit across from James and tell him what that small gesture helped create.

That’s impact.

We spend a lot of time measuring business through revenue, followers, likes, leads, conversions and all the other numbers we’re told matter.

Sometimes the biggest impact you make can’t be measured that way.

Sometimes it’s an email.

A testimonial.

An introduction.

A few encouraging words.

A willingness to give somebody a chance.

James said during our conversation that you never know who that one person is going to be, which is precisely why you have to share your information and your story instead of keeping it inside you.

Thirteen years ago, James Malinchak was one of those people for me.

Today, I finally got the chance to tell him.

And that’s one hell of a full-circle story.