INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Editor: John M.

Columnist: John C.

Contributors: Thomas W

Wellington W

Photos: Media Team

January 2016

Superior Spring ‘16

Think Tank 1-2

Superior Spring

‘16 Kick Off

3

Employment

Workshop

4

Coats of Arms 5

Entrepreneur of

the Month

6

Crossword-

Puzzles

7

Reentry/Editori

al

8

W hat a spec-tacular day!

On January 15, 2016 the class called Superior Spring ’16 officially began phase two of the Prison Entre-preneurship Pro-gram, also known as the Business Plan Competition.

This first event was every-thing we expected and more. The graduates from the previous classes told us what to ex-pect, but I don’t think anyone was quite ready for this level of excitement. Many of us are still are still hyped.

That morn-ing we were called to the PEP room for some mood en-hancement—PEP style. You know what that means—dancing, dancing and more dancing. Chicken dancing, the Cupid Shuffle, the Macarena,

break dancing, dance-offs between classes—we did it all. And we had Mike P. on patrol to make sure every-one participated. Honestly, it was truly a sight to be-hold to witness 100 plus grown men

acting like children. You’re just not sup-posed to have this much fun in prison.

Needless to say, after a couple hours of fun and frolic the guys were primed for action. The dancing and frolicking provides the benefit of tak-

ing the edge off of some of the guys by burning off some of their nervous energy. It also in-stills a sense of ex-citement in oth-ers—it’s a PEP tra-dition.

After lunch

it was time for our esteemed execu-tive volunteers to arrive. All of the PEP participants formed a human tunnel which the executives had to pass through amidst high-fiving and cheering. The energy level was

stratospheric. Wow what a welcome for our esteemed guests!

Next up[ was Charles H. (aka Captain Kangaroo) to emcee the event. We played a game called Who Am I. In this bridge-building exercise an execu-tive and a partici-pant would line up facing one another. They would take two minutes each to share infor-mation about themselves, includ-ing a hidden talent that nobody else knows about. After the sharing was complete, all the participants were seated and one ex-ecutive and one participant were called up to the front of the room to share what they learned about each other. Wellington W. (aka Macarena Man) and Rodrigo did an excellent job.

Superior Spring ‘16

Your habits

define your

character.

Purpose Driven Life: Day 28

II

II

Continued

Next up was John C. (aka Fainting Goat), the previous classes Business Plan Competition (BPC) winner. John gave an abridged ver-sion of his business plan pitch and it readily apparent why he won the BPC as he nailed it.

Three Superior Spring ‘16 par-ticipants were then chosen to give their testimony as to why they joined PEP. William G. (aka Princess Fiona), Justin H. (Edgar from Men in Black) and Jeremy D. came for various busi-ness-related reasons but they all agreed that PEP would make them better men for their children, families and communities. Next it was the executives turn to share testimony. Three repeat attenders talked about why they keep coming back. Maria

(aka Terminator), Guillermo (aka Vi-dal Sassoon) and Ben (aka Sweet Strawberry Shortcake) gave heart-warming reasons for their altruism. It is only because of outstanding people like these that his program exists at all.

Our Chief Empowerment Officer, Bert S. (aka Chocolate Truffles) then gave instructions to all of us. He told us to take advantage of this unique opportunity to pick the minds of these successful men and woman. He urged us to be open-minded to the valuable insights

offered by these experienced profes-sionals. These men and woman have walked the walk—they have tasted both failure and success and they have come to speak life into us. How awesome is that!

It was now time for the main event. We broke into several groups and had face to face discussions with a group of executives about our busi-ness ideas. We did this in a round-robin format so that we each got to talk to five or six executive volunteers each. We were encouraged by each executive volunteer to share our background and our business con-cept. Some of the men’s plans were validated, others needed some tweaking, while others needed a complete overhaul. In any case all of us were invigorated and ready to put our newfound advice to use. One

thing for sure is that we all will be redoubling our efforts as we move forward with our business plans. It was encouraging to all of us to hear the executive volunteers describe the talent and ingenuity they discovered today.

As the day’s festivities were almost ready to close we again gath-ered back in the PEP room. Jonathan S. (aka Little Caesar) gave an inspira-tional address and a challenge to our executives. The challenge was to become business plan advisors for the men in Superior Spring ‘16. PEP is always in need of talented business plan advisors for its participants. We are so limited on what we can do from the inside that we rely heavily

on our business plan advisors during the Business Plan Competition. It is vital that we have this help if we are to reach our full potential.

At the end of the day every-one came away feeling pumped about the future. There is something about this program that defies expla-nation by mere words. Having our hope restored is akin to being cured of a terminal illness. Finding a new identity invigorates the soul. It’s what a Fresh-Start Outlook is all about. You just can’t get this any-where else. WE ARE PEP!

III

III

F or the class of Superior Spring ‘16 the internal

kickoff is an enigma; you know of it, but you don’t really know the magni-tude of the event or the insight that it will create. A new beginning and the introduction to phase two, the busi-ness competition, began on January 4, 2016 for this group of men. Their journey began with the usual PEP traditions.—a gauntlet of human bod-ies shouting and dishing out endless encouragement. That was followed by dancing, dancing and more danc-ing! Public dancing can be the bane of many men’s existence. It has been said that man’s three greatest fears are coming to prison, public speaking

and public dancing. These men will to do all three—a big part of the PEP experience is learning how to get out of your comfort zone.

The internal kick off was a two day event and as the party start-ed so did the formalities. PEP needs these men to develop confidence and perseverance; to understand the

scope of what they would be con-fronting over these next few months. They had to perform and develop a sales presentation for the entire class. Their objective was win the contract to supply simple ball-point pens. Each group consisted of approxi-mately five men. They were required to establish a company name and assign titles to each member who would then represent a different de-partment. It was great to see so many varied perspectives and let’s not forget the many creative “infomercial like presentations” that had the audience roaring with laugh-ter. It’s great seeing the enthusiasm about what lies ahead—but hold on just a minute!—many were never ex-pecting to have a chicken dance com-petition today.

PEP believes in having fun and celebrating achievement, but they also believe in making partici-pants extremely uncomfortable. That’s why everybody does the “Chicken Dance” and that means eve-rybody. Very seldom can you find someone that is associated with PEP that has not done this dreaded dance resembling the chicken. Like it was stated before we celebrate achieve-ment and the winner of the dance off was Mike T. also known as “Sweet Asian Barbie”. It seems that even in his “Barbie World” he is able to bust the move like a chicken.

The Superior Sixteen Class spent most of the event working on their vision board and personal coat

of arms. The vision board represents the future state of their class and their coat of arm is a per-sonal reflection of who they are indi-vidually and they hope to become. Both of the aspects are thoroughly important for the journey that these men are about to embark on. The aspect of having an objective, direc-tion, or what many have referred to as a mission is one of the most invalu-able assets an individual can develop during their life.

The Event was concluded with Pat McGee individually present-ing each individual in the class with their acceptance letters. As each man took their pictures you could see the

ownership beaming in their smiling faces. Watching these men about to take on such a task together and in camaraderie is something not seen very often in life. We are truly blessed to be chosen to be a part of the PEP experience and to be associ-ated with such an organization that continues to change and touch lives. We are PEP!

IV

IV

T he Prison Entrepreneurship un-derstands the hardships that

these men will face upon their re-lease and transition into society. Let’s face it these men have a past. It will cause many of them to be bur-dened, especially when it comes to seeking employment. As felons that have been incarcerated and are cur-rently seeking employment, this may cause some anxiety. The experience that many of us dread and fear the most is that little box that asks, “Have you been convicted of a felo-ny”.

Times are changing and there are many people and compa-nies that believe a felony should au-tomatically disqualify what could be a

great employee. We need to be pre-pared for the questions pertaining to our arrest, incarceration, and sen-tencing. We also need to be able to communicate the development that has taken place to bring about our life changing transformation. Most companies and even PEP need to know that there has to be a change of heart in order for that person to become employable. In realizing this PEP conducts an employment work-shop for those individuals that had graduate from phase two, become servant leaders and are about to tran-sition back into society.

The employment workshop

mimics an actual interview setting and addresses all aspects of an actual interview, but most importantly in our case, our incarceration. It is im-perative that we can address this is-sue appropriately. One way we can do this is by describing what we have done with our time in prison. We need not be afraid to proudly empha-size our accomplishments. There’s questions about our strengths and weaknesses that we should be pre-pared to answer. Describing our character development is critical since many of us have little or no work history. And don’t be afraid to ask questions to the interviewer.

One thing for certain is that these men have been through a cru-cible that many people can relate to; we have all had all-time low mo-ments. People are able to relate to how those experiences changed our lives. Anyone who is familiar with PEP knows that we embrace and cel-

ebrate change. We have all under-gone a tedious and challenging pro-gram that calls for deep rooted intro-spection and a life of direction. We must be able to communicate what we have become and the benefits our experience will have on their work-force. You would think that such questions shouldn’t be a challenge for those in PEP. They aren’t, but we believe in that famous old idiom-practice makes perfect!

There’s something about a changed man and his heart that has an effect on the people. Don’t we all root for the underdog? It’s inspiring to hear that each of these men has a testimony. Those stories always lead

to a changed heart. It also provides the necessary fodder for great con-versations.

After the interviews we had the opportunity to receive feedback and address the details. We were giv-en suggestions on those things that needed revision. Therefore each man had the opportunity to be critiqued. This whole experience is about life. It’s inevitable not to talk some of our lives, and the many things that we have in common and direction that we are heading. That’s the entire reason that we are all involved with the PEP revolution, to embrace and live life, right?

V

V

K indergarten here we come. The class we call

Superior Spring‘16 got underway in a fashion that most of us thought im-possible. The scene was surreal as grown men— in a penitentiary set-ting— sat down at large tables with crayons, glitter, glue, markers and comical pictures and were able to tap into our childlike behaviors. Our task was to create what was to be our “coat of arms” or our standard—what we wish to embody.

The occasion was full of laughter and memorable experiences as our classmates settled down with smiling faces to begin their assign-

ments. The idea was for us to develop a vision of our internal and external characteristics. These creations en-compass what we truly desire to be-come. It’s important for us to under-stand who we are as individuals and our desired behavior in this next phase of our journey.

It’s invigorating and fulfilling for us to have the opportunity to tap into those long-lost childlike manner-isms. It’s been some time since any of us have created or did any sort of col-oring. The smiling faces were abun-dant. Some guys even took the op-portunity to embellish on some char-

acteristics unknown to

them for many years. Like those who haven’t had hair in decades such as our beloved brother “Major Payne”. He thought it would be entertaining to don his character with long flowing locks. Oh, what a blessing it is to see that these many men have many dreams! Others adopted a protective stance to defend the values they so preciously have and desire. They did this by wielding gallant swords and decorative shields. Some even had exoskeletons as their defense by brandishing the protection of sturdy armor.

The humor and fun of the entire occasion seemed to rise a notch when the glitter glue was intro-duced to the experience. It added to the creativity factor. The various col-or schemes and creations mimicked the variety of personalities that make up the Superior ‘16 class. We displayed motivational and inspira-

tional quotes, adjectives and positive phrases that outlined the pictures, and all were optimistic about our ex-perience and journey.

These displays should pro-vide insight and be a daily reminder to us. As we pass those pictures on the wall that embody our morals and values it’s impossible to diminish their importance. It’s a true exhibition of our journey and as our slate is wiped clean by our new beginnings we can now embrace an earnest Fresh Start Outlook.

We have embraced and de-veloped anthem as the Superior

Spring 16 class-To be the best class ever. We displayed this today with glitter-glue, crayons, and the squeak of many markers at work. If we all shoot for the moon, we know if we miss we will still land on the stars. Our PEP brothers are always there to support us and we appreciate the path laid. The time that we enjoyed with our class, their smiling faces and endless laughter hangs there on the walls in PEP. It reminds us of the im-portance of our journey and also to have a blast doing it. Cheers to fun gentlemen!

VI

VI

of the Month

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

F lynn Lindsay Jr. is the owner

and operator of D&C pet care. D&C pet care is a pet sitting business that seeks to treat pets as if they were family. We create

an individual curriculum for each pet to follow while at D&C pet care. Flynn takes a special interest in pets and their owners through his interview process where in the comfort of their own homes he will de-termine the special needs of the pets and alleviate any concerns the owner may have for their beloved family members. Flynn will also offer a pickup and delivery service and a grooming service to comple-ment his sitting service. In the future he will also develop an obedience training program. Flynn be-lieves in giving back to the community. He believes by using animal awareness we can teach the trou-bled youth the importance of responsibility. Too often our children are left to fend for themselves in this heartless world, similar to the countless dogs and cats that are without owners. Flynn will use this as an opportunity to enrich the lives of our troubled youth and hopefully influence them to be productive citizens of society.

“We treat your pets as our special guests.”

W ellington Wonsang, is

the proud founder and owner of Choice Flight Services. It’s their number one priority to fly you where you need to go, when you are

ready! Major airlines are reducing the number of scheduled flights and restrict you to select locations. What a great inconvenience to those traveling by air. These days of having to check in early is a pure a nightmare! Choice Flight Services is a solution to these growing problems. We offer travelers a safer and more convenient option—Charter flights. They provide a number of benefits. Choice Flight Services provides their clients with licensed pilot-owners, rent-al cars, and hotel options if requested. We will get you closer to your final destination and on your schedule. We believe in social responsibility and phi-lanthropy. We will be dedicated to developing the community, and will always support life’s next great causes and challenges. We plan to give back 5% of our profits to Corporate Angle Network (CAN). Can arranges free flights for cancer patients to receive specialized treatment. Remember, you don’t have to be a celebrity for the quality service that we provide. We just make you feel like one!

“ Flying you where you need to go, when you are ready! “

VII

VII

Business Brain Busters Josue M (aka Wimpy) has been working out for ages, even though it looks like he has never touched a weight in his entire life. He owns Wimps body and fitness for those trying to stay in shape. He sells Fon-da squat lessons for $10, girl push up lessons for $6, and power walking lessons for $4. He considers his unit of sale to be one squat lesson, two push up lessons and one power walking lesson. Last month Josue sold 89 lessons to 32 different people. Each individual lesson the athlete extraordinaire receives a sweat-ing to the oldies head band that costs $2 and a flashy and a Wimp’s fanny pack that costs Josue $4. He clients really love these items. The rent on his facility is $880 monthly but that’s where the magic hap-pens

A) What products make up Josue’s Revenue Model?

B) Name and calculate the three lines that make up his revenue model.

C) Calculate Josue’s breakeven point.

D) Show his income statement (25% tax rate) BONUS: list percent of sales for each line (round to the

nearest whole percent).

E) On average, how many Units did each customer buy?

F) With a startup of $10,000 what would be his monthly ROI (return on investment)

1

2

3

4

5 6

7

8

9

EclipseCrossword.com

ACROSS

2. Calculated by dividing overhead by gross profit/unit.

4. Total Sales

7. Total sales minus cost of goods sold

8. aka Profit & Loss Statement

9. Costs directly related to selling your product. Also known as variable or direct costs.

DOWN

1. Costs that must be paid regardless of how many products/services are sold. Also known as fixed or indirect costs.

3. The bottom line.

5. Operating income. This is what you pay taxes on.

6. Shows the profitability of one unit of your business.

VIII

VIII

T ime is flying! We have only just begun and it seems as if they are

already trying to kick us out of the nest. On January 7, PEP formally intro-duced us to two of its veteran re-entry coordinators. Richard Cantu and Man-ny Rodriguez. They blessed us with their knowledge and advice on the preparation for our reentry back into society.

Reentry is a word that instills feelings of anticipation. Anticipation of our impending freedom. We are all consid-ered “short-timers” here in PEP. We all have three years or less till we are re-leased from prison. So, when we hear the word reentry our ears perk up and we begin to envision the day we thought would never come—our day of release. This day of release is a source of hope and joy for all of us, however it can be a source of anxiety and trepida-tion. Some of our brothers have been locked up for more than twenty years.

Some have no family left. Reentry can be challenging for all of us.

That’s where our reentry team comes in. A thorough explanation of the benefits and services that PEP offers to its newly released participants was given. PEP picks you up on your day of release and provides you with your first “free-world” meal. They will get you to your first parole visit and to the DMV. They help with obtaining food stamps if appropriate. They help you get your birth certificate and So-cial Security card. Clothing assistance and bus passes are provided. Your first two weeks rent at the transition house is also provided. All this is designed to help us reenter society and to give us a “hand up”, not a “hand out”.

With benefits come expecta-tions. A thorough explanation of the expectations for continued participa-tion in PEP and for living at one of the

PEP transition houses were given. Most of us will still be obligated to the great State of Texas via our parole. So obviously we must abide by all the con-ditions of parole. We must report to our parole officer as required and obey all the laws of the land. We must re-main alcohol and drug free and active-ly seek and obtain employment.

Once we are released we have a 90-day window to decide our level of participation in the program. We must remain active for 90 days, at which time we either enter BP program or we go our separate ways. In the BP pro-gram we enroll and complete e-School. Upon completion time we be-come an alumni and enjoy a lifetime association with PEP. And with that comes a network of true servant-leaders who are willing to help us by living life with us. You can’t really ask for more than that.

Special Thanks

T he team of executive volunteers that make this program possible de-serve all of our heartfelt thanks. This special group of people give freely

of their time, money and love so that we may be uplifted. Incarceration has a way of deflating a man’s spirit. Many of us become burdened with bitterness and low self esteem. Some of us play the victim role and blame others. Some become hardened. We are the downtrodden. So what make these successful people want to come here to help us? Well, have you ever seen one of these wonderful people come here with a frown on their face?—no, they’re always smiling. It is proof that giving is indeed better than receiving. A giving hand is a gathering hand—it collects more than it hands out. It is most ennobling. It is the life of love. It’s humanity’s touch of divinity in one word.

The Journey

T he Prison Entrepreneurship Program has officially kicked off phase two for another class of aspiring entrepreneurs. The class called Superior Spring ‘16 has had its external kick off (aka Think Tank) and it was inspir-

ing to see the enthusiasm and confidence that was instilled in these men. Many seemed as if they were on top of the world. That’s because of the love that his program exudes. I would like this current class to remember that it is the journey that is important and not so much the destination. Do not focus on the end (graduation) as that is only a fixed point in time and in reality is only yet another beginning. Instead relish each day of the journey. Some days will be difficult and others will be glorious. Embrace each and every day and give it your all. In the end you will gain life-long friends and memories. You will be transformed.