What Do Successful Entrepreneurs and Successful Criminals Have In Common?

March 4, 2016

By Rich Alvarez- Executive Director Comprehensive Reentry, Inc.

www.comprehensivereentry.org

     In a recent article by Tim Askew in Inc. magazine, he asked this question and pointed out some very interesting similarities between offenders, particularly white collar offenders, and successful entrepreneurs.  It reminded of what I used to say as a corrections officer and a police officer, "They are so creative with their criminal tactics, if only they could use those skills in a real business."  Askew points out some these similarities:

• "Entrepreneurs lack the infrastructure resources to keep abreast with the increasingly complicated and onerous regulatory load emanating from all levels of government.  They are  overwhelmed with putting out constant fires in their real business. They have neither the time nor the inclination to spend days boning up on staying exactly on the right side of evolving law."
• "Furthermore, entrepreneurs frequently don't even have a peer-level partner to challenge them on their interpretation and/or ignorance of compliance issues.  It becomes all too easy to carelessly cut corners."
• "The combination of daily pressure and aloneness may make it tempting to make a deal with the devil---a deal often abetted by drugs or alcohol or sex, which fuzz over and break down a  man or woman's moral center.  More than in most professions, entrepreneurs may be tempted to take ethical risks when bills threaten to overwhelm." 
• "Entrepreneurs often have big egos and suffer from hubris.  When they do not have the tools or knowledge for compliance, it is hard for them to admit it.  They (we) can suffer from  grandiosity.  We may begin to exaggerate, to lie, to puff ourselves up.  We sometimes don't want to admit a core fear that we may not be the master of the universe, that we are not Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, or Mark Cuban.  Not even remotely."
•   "Entrepreneurs are dreamers who can drift into not living in the rigorous reality of what their life actually is."

     These are some of the negative attributes they share, but there are also positive ones, as well.  Successful entrepreneurs and successful criminals also have "a strong desire to succeed, to take risk and to live by their own rules."  I am more convinced that ever that if ex-offenders are given the proper entrepreneurship training and the opportunity to start there own businesses, that many could be very successful.  In California, Chris Redlitz, a venture capitalist, started a program at San Quentin prison called The Last Mile.  It is a nationally recognized technology and entrepreneurship training ground that has led to successful careers and businesses for many offenders after their release.

     It is my belief that entrepreneurship is the best answer for reentry in many cases.  That is why I plan to franchise my social enterprise, the Lakeside Holdings Group, LLC and New Life Landscaping, in the future to the right client employees.  By maintaining control over the training process and part of the new businesses, we can ensure that the negative traits of criminal entrepreneurs are limited while the positive ones are emphasized.  

     If you would like to read Askew's article, here is a live link:  http://www.inc.com/tim-askew/white-collar-criminality-addiction-and-the-entrepreneur.html.  If you would like to check out The Last Mile program, follow this link: http://thelastmile.org/.