During a recent business consultation, I asked the gentleman on the other end of the phone: "How did you hear about me?"
The answer, from Chris, got my attention: "I started reading your articles when I was in prison."
Starting, fixing and growing a business is a challenge. Even if you have startup capital, a loving and supportive community of family, friends and mentors who pick you up when you stumble - and even if you don't have a felony record.
Chris was not set up to succeed. And he is succeeding anyway.
The knockdown
Chris is smart. He remembers scoring a 13.9-age level reading score when he was in the first grade. Like many smart kids, he was bored at school. That can be a recipe for trouble. Chris cooked up lots of trouble and dozens of arrests. He dropped out of school.
"I started hanging out with other kids who quit school. Stealing, vandalizing ... I did it for the thrill of it," he told me.
Inevitably, Chris wound up in prison. He turned 17 and made the poor choice of stealing a purse from the back seat of a locked car. The purse, containing a gun and police badges, belonged to an undercover officer. The Florida legal system sent Chris to prison as an adult, and he started a 14-year sentence.
"At first, I couldn't believe where I had landed, how dangerous it was," Chris said of jail. "I just kind of shut myself down. I didn't care if I lived. As a result, I wasn't picked on as much as some other guys. It was my survival mechanism and it worked.
"Around year seven, I started to realize that I might get out of prison someday. Hope started to grow from a very small seed. I started to find some friends, inmates who inspired me to dream of a better life. That little bit of hope started growing. They liked to talk about their business ideas. One of the guys recommended 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad' by Robert Kiyosaki and 'The E Myth' by Michael Gerber. I started reading philosophy books, too. There is a Scandinavian belief that a person is remembered for his or her actions. Glory comes from doing glorious things. I realized I didn't want to die without doing something great, something amazing."
Steps to survival
After 10 years served, Chris was released. He wanted wealth and success, and he wanted it right now.
However, the world wasn't instantly responsive. His first job was plumbing tract homes. The work was uninspiring, and he was paid $8 an hour - not the hoped-for megabucks. He thought getting out and getting rich would be easier.
"I was completely humbled," Chris recalled. "It was up to me to make the best of it. I got my ego out of the way. I was still free, and I wasn't going to blow up my life again. I put a plan together to start a successful plumbing business.
"Now, I know what I want. I want the freedom to choose what kind of life I lead - to choose where I live and what I drive, to do what I want to do. My business can help me enjoy that kind of freedom. And I can help others find it, too."
So, Chris is an ex-convict, who is on a good path. Would you hire him for plumbing work? Would you hire an ex-con to work for you? I have visited hundreds of shops. Most business owners don't drug test. I've had many owners tell me, "If I drug tested, I would lose half my employees!" Most don't have formal, written standards of performance. Chris does. How about you?
I believe in freedom and second chances. Here's to freedom!
Ellen Rohr is an author and business consultant who offers systems for getting focused and organized, making money and having fun in business. Her latest book is "The Bare Bones Biz Plan." She can be reached at ellen@barebonesbiz.com.
