What inspired me to write my book was the men I was incarcerated with. The media created a narrative about me that wasn't true and I was prosecuted by persecution. I was the Founder and CEO of Swagg Inc (Serve Witness And Give Guidance Inspiration Never Ceases) and the non profit I created promoted ownership for people impacted by mass incarceration and disrupted that space.
A lot of the men knew who I was and they were inspired by my story and entrepreneurial journey. Some had gone through programs I created, were a family member of someone I helped, or they had seen me on the news for community building. It was about their desire to be the best version of themselves in the face of adversity, and them reminding me of who I was and not letting the situation define who I was.
They expressed interest in creating business plans so that when they were released they could do something positive. It started out as one on one sessions and grew into a group meeting once a week in the pod. I shared with them the tools I used to create my non profit: my story, the 5 principles of design thinking, the lean canvas business plan and a template to pitch my idea or monetize my story.
Little did I know at that time that those hand written diagrams I drew would grow into this book, or that I would create an entrepreneurship program for a non profit and it would be the class curriculum. For me it's about using my story, voice and lived experience to leverage with the entrepreneurial ecosystems, business district, department of corrections and the community.
Na'im Al-Amin
