Since 2017, April is observed as Second Chance Month in the United States. This year is no different. President Biden released his proclamation on March 29 and announced, “During Second Chance Month, we recommit to building a criminal justice system that lives up to those ideals so that people returning to their communities from jail […]

Lawrence Carpenter says he grew up poor and dreaming of a better life. By age 12, he was following the only example he saw in his North Carolina neighborhood of how to achieve this dream: selling drugs. By age 17, he was incarcerated. After serving six years in prison, he was back on the streets […]

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 […]

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

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 […]

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. […]

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.

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 […]

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 […]