Inmates to Entrepreneurs Celebrates 30th Anniversary

The anniversary of the groundbreaking program falls on Second Chance Month. RALEIGH, NC, March 22, 2022 – April marks the 30 year anniversary of the founding of Inmates to Entrepreneurs, a now-global program started by entrepreneur Brian Hamilton that provides free entrepreneurship training for people with criminal records. Hamilton started the program in April 1992 […]

Turning former inmates into entrepreneurs

Brian Hamilton founded Inmates to Entrepreneurs, which teaches people coming out of the prison system how to start and grow their own businesses.

From prison, a convicted drug dealer designed a board game. It challenges players to go legit.

To play the board game Chris Parker designed, a person first needs to know a few terms. Trap House — an abandoned residence used for the manufacturing and distribution of illegal narcotics. Major Keyz — jewels or nuggets of knowledge that are vital to achieving success in your daily life; common-sense wisdom that is gained from […]

Inmates To Entrepreneurs Grad Started A Business To Employ Other Once-Incarcerated Individuals

In 2018, Joshua Nowack served three months of a six-month sentence in a Santa Ana, Calif., jail for felony fraud by embezzlement. But when he was released, Nowack learned that, despite his MBA and previous professional experience as a CFO and accountant, no employer wanted to hire him once they found out about his record. […]

Entrepreneur Brian Hamilton — Exclusive Interview ‘Free Enterprise’ hosts helping former inmates start own businesses

Brian Hamilton and Lawrence Carpenter, of Inmates to Entrepreneurs, talk about their new reality show “Free Enterprise” in which they help formerly incarcerated people make money with their business ideas.

A 90-Day Action Plan to Save Your Business

I’ve been writing for Inc. for about 10 years but I began reading the magazine when I was a kid. As I think back on it, there were a couple of reasons. The first was that I wanted to learn how to become a successful entrepreneur. The second was because being an entrepreneur can be a very lonely thing. It […]

Cause & Effect

Too often ‘opportunity’ is exclusively synonymous with privilege. Brian Hamilton is determined to change that. Brian Hamilton doesn’t know what he’s going to do. He’s a man of action, certainly. The 1987 Sacred Heart alum, entrepreneur, philanthropist and former University trustee has been working essentially every day of his adult life, and then some. With […]

How to Fight Poverty With Entrepreneurship

There is a lot of discussion about poverty in America. Solutions range from increased taxes on the rich to work requirements on welfare. It seems as if no one is arguing for one solution that’s been top of mind for me lately: entrepreneurship. The many causes of poverty are complicated and the subject of much […]

Trailblazing the Path to Reentry