Introduction to Small Business is now...

The foundation of the PrisonFit Inmate Transformation Program is the Small Business Basics course. Since 2019, when the Small Business Basics course was started on a single ADCRR unit, the course has

continued to evolve and adapt based on inmate leadership, ADCRR Administration, and inmate participant feedback. 

After graduating more than 225 individuals on the Cheyenne Unit, SBB began expanding to additional state units through inmate word of mouth. By the end of 2023, it was operating on 4 units and, prior to approval by ADCRR Administration in 2025 as the first peer-led major program in ADCRR history, had grown to 11 units throughout the state. At present, the Small Business Basics course successfully operates on all 8 state prison complexes, a total of 24 units including 21 male and 3 female facilities – and has:

• Weekly enrollment of 284 inmates
• Average Attendance of 95%
• A Start-to-Completion Rate of 94%
• Average Graduation Rate of 86%

Projected to graduate 806 inmate participants in 2025, and over 1,200 in 2026 The purpose of the Small Business Basics course is to empower course participants by providing the basic knowledge and information needed to start and operate a small business. Key course partners include Mdrn Wealth Management, Arizona Small Business Association, Arizona Business Incubator, Toastmasters International, and the Graham County Chamber of Commerce, among others.

Approved by ADCRR as a major program and launched in June, 2025 across the state, the Business Plan Creation course enrolls high-scoring, motivated graduated of the Small Business Basics course, and

consists of writing a 7 section business plan over the course of 8 weeks. The course features a significant amount of mentoring from both peer facilitators and an assigned SCORE (part of the US Small Business

Administration) volunteer in order to assist participants with completing their business plan and, to graduate, students submit a completed business plan. 

Through the Business Plan Creation course, participants are able to research and effectively plan for a successful future outside of prison, and graduation from the course makes them eligible to receive an additional reduction in security points as well as to move forward to the workforce development training center.

To provide course graduates and participants with real-world, current knowledge and additional tools that support their future success in launching their business, the PrisonFit Level-Up Business Workshops are

being launched in August, 2025 across all Arizona participating units. Utilizing a combination of live and video instruction plus participant handouts, each 1.5 hour workshop explores a small business tool in-

depth using a “how to” approach. The PrisonFit Level-Up Business Workshops are conducted once each quarter, and each workshop involves an estimated 400 graduates/participants of the Small Business Basics

and Business Plan creation courses. 

Workshop topics include Instagram, Quickbooks, Grants, Social Media Management, and more. Each is designed to supplement a subject covered in a previous course, and to improve the success rate of the small businesses being created and launched by the participants of this program.

 With the exception of a few select courses, most prison inmates with lifetime sentences have few opportunities to participate in meaningful programming that will assist them and be relevant during their incarceration.  Further, many parole boards require applicants to seek out and participate in prison programs as part of the parole hearing review.  The Lifer Work Skills Certification course provides people in prison with job skills certification from accredited schools, foundations, and universities, including both online and printed certificates, and should assist the parole applicant in meeting those needs in a credible way.

To determine work skill areas, a survey was conducted among the inmate population with life sentences.  Of those surveyed, 94% indicated they were interested in participating in job/work skills courses, while 6% had no interest in programming due to the lack of ability to utilize these learned skills on the unit.

As we begin to prepare for the second wave of expansion of the Introduction to Small Business course at the end of this month, we recently started another important class…the Lifer Work Skills Certification course.  This new session has more than 20 participants, and the certification is Google E-Commerce Store Management.  Over the next several weeks, these guys – some who haven’t even seen a smart phone or experienced internet – will discover how to set up, operate, and marketing an online store! 

So far, the Lifer Work Skills Certification course has helped more than 75 individuals with life sentences prepare not only for upcoming parole board hearings but, should they get out, with useful knowledge and employment skills to support their future success.  This continues the commitment of PrisonFit and PF Holdings to provide innovative, comprehensive support among the incarcerated community.

Currently under development, the PrisonFit Workforce Development Centers initiative features two, on- prison unit facilities: one for women (approximately 4,000SF) and one for men (approximately 6,000SF),

 with a capacity of 50 men and 30 women. Unlike other ADCRR ACI work facilities, the training, programming, and employment at these two operations will reflect all components of a complete business

in a real-world work environment, and offer training in 17 various jobs in these areas:

o Accounting

o Production

o Logistics

o Content

o Graphic Design

o Video Editing

o Sales

o Marketing

o Packaging and Fulfillment

Workforce development center participants will train and work in all of the work areas, be involved in work skills seminars conducted by leading outside organizations, participate in evening community college classes, and experience a work environment and compensation/incentive program that reflects real-world employment conditions. This is lacking in many other in-prison work programs, and will be a significant factor in empowering PrisonFit Workforce Development Centers program participants to succeed once released.

The final and most complex level of the PrisonFit Employment Campus initiative, which is being developed to provide an integrated, comprehensive facility where participants, having completed the

PrisonFit Workforce Development Center in-prison program and following release, can reside, work, and learn in a safe, comfortable, and secure environment. It is the objective of this level to provide free

housing for a maximum of two years, complimentary meals to residents three times per day, constant educational opportunities, employment based in real-world products and positions, and support services

required for personal and professional growth. During their stay, residents are able to work 6 hours per day at a PF Holdings company operation located on-site, and keep all wages paid them.

The proposed facility house 100 men and 35 women on a 6 acre campus, with an on-property 16,000 square foot office/manufacturing building for employment as well as other amenities such as classrooms, pool, fitness center, small business resource center, telehealth, food service, and more. The program’s goal is to reduce homelessness, unemployment, and recidivism by providing workforce development and training, secure employment, personal services in an environment that encourages support, change, and success in their transition from prison to the community.