News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A new book by Putnam native Charlynda Scales debuted at number three on Amazon on the day of its release, reaching number two the next day.
The book is titled “Rock Bottom Has a Trampoline” and chronicles Scales’ failures in her journey. Scales said the positive reception went beyond anything she had expected when releasing her entrepreneur business empowerment book. Scales said her initial goal with the book was to save one struggling entrepreneur from rock bottom.
“I really want to meet people where they are,” Scales said. “And as a mentor, as a business mentor, that is one of the strategies that I think has worked well for me is to really sit down with them and say ‘I understand you, and I can really relate to everything because I’ve been through it all and I’m still going through the same thing.”
Scales said as she includes her life experience there is something in her book for everybody, regardless of entrepreneurship. Scales said her book talks about being a military veteran, military spouse, single life following her marriage, and new motherhood during 2020.
“I had to restart my business during the pandemic, we started with zero revenue and had to build it from the ground up,” Scales said. “So while I’m still building, I think it’s important to tell people how you’re doing it, the mistake that you’ve made because that’s what ultimately they can relate to.”
Scales said she finds that average readers and entrepreneurs typically have a hard time relating to perfection.
“Even when things are bad, how are you holding it together,” Scales said. “And perfection, people can’t really identify with perfection. They identify with flaws.”
Scales said the inspiration behind the title of her book was a phrase she heard, ‘rock bottom has a basement.’ Scales said she found the saying to be depressing and found that a hopeful spin on the saying encapsulated her message.
Scales lives in Ohio. She graduated Cookeville High School in the class of 2000.
