situation and have a “sunny” outlook on
life, even on rainy days. Then, the day
came when I had to take my own advice.
One evening, upon arriving at the
nightclub, the manager asked me if we
could talk after the show. I told the
guys in the band, “We’ve been selling
out for months, now we’re finally going
to get our raise!”
When I walked into the manager’s
office, he told me that while they loved
my music, the owners had decided to
implement a change to get a better
return on their investment. The only
way to do that with a full club was
to lower costs. And the band was the
highest cost!
He said there was a new technology filling up nightclubs that was
much cheaper than a band—a karaoke
machine! I was devastated.
I decided to do something drastic. I
would get over the thought of my talents
Jolley’s act has
evolved from
singing in clubs
to inspirational
speaking gigs.
being mutually exclusive, and mix them to see where it would take me. I took a job as a drug preven- tion coordinator in the Washington, D.C., public school system, talking to kids about staying away from drugs and living their dreams. At the first program, I spoke for about an hour and sang at the end. And they went nuts! The teachers told me they had not experienced anyone who was able to
mix entertainment and information and
keep the kids’ attention for an hour, let
alone get a standing ovation. At that
moment, I realized it was possible to
mix my passions: entertainment and
inspiration, singing and speaking. And I
could make a living doing it!
In the past 20 years, I’ve gone from
singing in clubs to speaking at corporate
programs, from selling cassettes in a night-
club to selling books and products in an
auditorium, and from being replaced by
a karaoke machine to having my voice
broadcast across America on XM Radio.
Scripture says, “Our gifts will make
room for us.” I believe that when we
use all our gifts to their fullest capa-
city, we will fulfill the three C’s of great
presenters. We will be captivating,
compelling and we will change lives …
especially our own!
aBout willie
Willie Jolley, CSP, CPAE, is an award-winning speaker, singer, best-selling
author and national media personality.
He is host of the national radio show,
The Willie Jolley Weekend Show, and
has a “Living Better with Willie Jolley”
CBS-affiliated segment. Jolley’s clients
include Ford Motors, GM, Verizon,
Marriott, McDonald’s and Dell. Visit
www.willeyjolley.com.
