Week 1

Week in Review

Tuesday January 2, 2018

What’s up my PEP brothers? We have officially started the business phase, also called “Phase Two,” of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP). Congratulations to all! Today in L-Pod, we were all sitting at the table preparing for Bert S.’s class, while others were still doing homework and staying strong. Spring ‘18 is devoted and committed – we are not quitters, and we are all in this together. So if you see your brothers falling behind, make yourselves available.

From here on out we need to stay focused. Time management is vital. Graduation will be here before we know it. Remember brothers, we need to start learning everyone’s names. The names test is coming soon. Be ready Spring ’18, and God Bless!

James C. (a.k.a. “Big Red”)

Wednesday January 3, 2018

Today is the first Wednesday of the New Year, so this morning we all attempted to make it to commissary. We enjoyed the early morning news while waiting for the call out to PEP. For lunch we had our usual Wednesday chicken quarters.

Finally at 1 p.m., we were called out to our first day of the second phase of PEP. We arrived at the PEP room and we were introduced to Bert S., our instructor. He answered questions about his class, and then began to go over the lesson.

Today’s lesson was over Chapter Three of our textbooks. Right from the start, the class was very informative and enlightening. We went over the learning objectives, generating business ideas, skills analysis and much more. We were then given assignments which eventually will help us write our own business plans toward the end of the course.

Maurice M. (a.k.a. “Sour Pickle”)

Thursday January 4, 2018

Thursday was another exciting day within the PEP brotherhood. We learned about how to create a brand and how to choose the right brochure template that best suits our business idea. There are so many unique ideas between us. We can’t wait to see them come to life.

Another part of our day was spent going over our first assignments as Phase Two takes off. Hold on, guys! – it may seem like a lot, and it is. Starting a new business from scratch takes hard work and dedication, but with each other’s help, we will all make it to the finish line.

We learned how to write our business plan advisors and let them know about ourselves, our situations, what we know and where we would need help with our new endeavors. We also got the chance to thank them for taking time to help us realize our dreams. We have six months to go. Let’s do it, Spring ‘18!

Andrew P. (a.k.a. “Pretty Little Turtle”)

Friday January 5, 2018

This morning we went to the PEP classroom for a short meeting. The meeting was about finding a brand name for our Spring ’18 class. Most of us agreed that “Soldiers of Spring ‘18” is the best choice.  When we vacated the PEP room, the Legends of the Fall ‘17 class reported to the PEP room to begin their event, while the Soldiers of Spring ’18 returned to our pods.

Back in the pods all of the Spring ‘18 brothers diligently worked on our assignments we received on Wednesday. There was help readily available to whoever needed it. Everybody worked hard on coming up with great business ideas and finishing as many assignments as possible.

Manuel M. (a.k.a. “Smeagal”)

Expressions

“The devil whispers you can’t withstand the storm and the warrior replies—I am the storm.”

~Unknown

You have to make yourself a formidable stronghold when it comes to changing, because if you’ve always been a general for the devil’s army but decide to switch sides, then you’ll have all of hell against you. You can’t expect the devil to give you up that easy. The devil will allow you to live prosperously and get away with so much, because you were on his side, but when you choose to live right, you will be faced with opposition. However, always remember that God will never allow you to face more than you can handle, and His grace will see you through whatever comes your way. Spring ‘18, we have made a conscious decision to change our lives, so make sure never to come quietly into the night when dealing with the trials you face.

Michael G. (a.k.a. Baby Simba)