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“In the hectic pace of the world today, there is no time for meditation, or for deep thought. A prisoner has time that he can put to good use. I’d put prison second to college as the best place for a man to go if he needs to do some thinking. If he’s motivated, in prison he can change his life.”
—Malcolm X
Our prisons are called “correctional facilities” because they are supposed to “correct” the problem of crime. Unfortunately, they often fail in this goal. One major reason is the difficulty in finding employment that former prisoners can face after their release.
This book is here to fix the financial piece of the puzzle. Here we will meditate on the kind of person you want to be and the legacy you want to leave behind. Then we’ll examine dozens of the highest-paying jobs and business opportunities, with a special emphasis on jobs where having a criminal record is unlikely to be a problem.
By learning to start your own business, you can end up prospering more than even the most well-paid 9-to-5 workers. You can eliminate the need to rely on a boss for a paycheck, find a way to profit from the skills you love, and even provide jobs for others in your community. And you can do it all in a way that is perfectly safe from legal prosecution, so you get to keep your profits and stay out of prison.
The journey is not easy. It may involve rethinking ideas we’ve held our whole lives, or learning skills that go against our old instincts. Learning to run a business can be a lot. But you know what? If you have experience doing business illegally, you may already have an edge. It’s just a matter of learning to use the same principles to sell legal products and services with the proper licenses and permits.
The journey will not be easy. But if you are motivated, you can leave prison with a full-fledged business plan and a step-by-step roadmap to turning your skills or passions into a legal business that will allow you to build the legacy you desire.