Turning Ideas Into Action Behind Bars
At the core of the Prison Entrepreneurship Program is a challenge that changes lives: the Business Plan Competition. This capstone experience gives participants the chance to take an idea from concept to execution inside a Texas prison, while gaining the tools and confidence to build a legitimate business after release.
The competition is structured, high-pressure, and deeply transformative.
What Is a Business Plan Competition?
In a typical business school setting, students present business plans to professors or investors. In PEP, that experience is recreated inside a correctional facility, with incarcerated men pitching their ideas to real business professionals.
Participants spend months preparing. They write full business plans, practice financial modeling, build marketing strategies, and learn how to speak clearly and confidently in front of a live audience.
How It Works Inside PEP
The Business Plan Competition takes place near the end of PEP’s in-prison program. Participants present their final pitches to a panel of executives, entrepreneurs, and volunteer judges who visit the unit for the event. The process mirrors what you might see in a real-world pitch setting.
Each participant is scored on business feasibility, presentation skills, professionalism, and command of their material. Feedback is provided immediately, giving participants a taste of the high standards required to succeed in the marketplace.
More Than a Presentation
This is not just a public speaking exercise. Participants are required to:
- Research target markets
- Build financial projections
- Address startup risks
- Articulate their competitive edge
- Respond to questions from the judging panel
Through this process, they sharpen communication skills, think critically, and develop the discipline to back up their ideas with data and strategy.
What Happens After?
While not every PEP graduate launches a business immediately after release, many carry these plans forward. The experience prepares them for real entrepreneurship and strengthens the professional mindset needed for employment or leadership roles.
Some graduates go on to refine their plans, apply for funding, and register their companies. Others use what they learned to pursue management roles, grow within a company, or mentor others.
A Proven Model
The Business Plan Competition has helped hundreds of men discover their own potential. It takes place inside a prison, but it operates on the same standards found in the business world. That is what makes it powerful.
When you raise expectations and provide the right tools, people rise to meet them.
