Prison Consultant Shows Success After Prison
Sunday, June 28 through Saturday, July 4, 2015
Sunday, June 28 (Press Reports)
I’m spending a lot of time trying to figure out I can get more clients. This work has led me to review hundreds of press releases that the Department of Justice publishes. I figured out a way to insert an RSS feed into my websites. I’m sure there are better ways of doing it, but I like the automated feed of news stories that the DOJ publishes on people going to prison. The stories underscore how crucial it is for defendants to prepare for the journey ahead. Today’s podcast highlights the story of a real estate developer. The man made bad decisions, many bad decisions. But he messed up by not accepting responsibility during his sentencing hearing. When I work with clients who retain me, I help them grasp the importance of preparing for sentencing.
Monday, June 29 (Lexis)
I’m going to launch an outbound marketing campaign. It may be a better approach of generating business. We have 91 different judicial districts in the United States. Each of those districts indicts people regularly. According to a DOJ report, more than 90,000 people go through the federal judicial system each year. Of those 90,000 people, I should be able to build a sustainable business by providing services that some would find of value. I see it this way. Of the 90,000 people, at least 10% represent my ideal client. That is a universe of 9,000 potential clients per year, or an average of about 750 potential candidates each month. I need to devise a campaign that will allow me to reach those potential candidates, and convert some into paying clients. If I could convert 2 percent, that would be huge. Even 1 percent, or between seven and eight new clients each month would make sense. I need to crack this code.
Tuesday, June 30 (Surrendering to Prison)
I recorded a podcast with a man who will surrender to prison in six days. In talking with the man, I was reminded of the enormous challenges that anyone facing a prison term endures. He was convicted of wire fraud, or mail fraud, or some type of white collar crime. The prison term will disrupt his life and his return to society. Although I strive to help people prepare for the journey, when they reach out to me late, with only a few days remaining before the surrender date, I cannot do much. The case has been hanging over his head for longer than five years. If I could’ve spoken with him then, at the earliest phase of the proceedings, I may have been able to do more. I’m thinking more and more about ways that I can reach people sooner in the process..
Wednesday, July 1 (Apple Valley)
Carole and I drove to Apple Valley today. It’s a community about 90 miles east from where we live in Orange County. I want to purchase a rental property there. A friend introduced me to the area, and it seems like it makes sense from an investment perspective. I can purchase a house for $160,000 and rent it out for $1,200 per month. That rental income will pay the mortgage on a 15-year note. Carole was not too enthused about the area. In the end, we agreed to make the investment. Now we’re waiting for the title company to come through. We’ll see. I anticipate moving forward with this venture, and then purchasing at least one more property before the end of the year.
Thursday, July 2 (Probation Report)
At the start of each month I have to file a new report with a federal probation officer. As I’ve written previously, I concluded my obligation to the Bureau of Prisons on August 12, 2013. But several years of supervised release hung over my head. That meant I had to live in compliance with a federal probation officer. After a year, on August 12, 2014, a federal judge signed an order to terminate my term of supervised release. But then we learned that I remained beholden to the U.S. Parole Commission. I don’t know how long this will last. I’m told that the U.S. Parole Commission may release me next August, but there isn’t any way of knowing for certain. Fortunately, the probation officers who supervised me do not give me too much interference. I submitted my report today for the month of June.
Friday, July 3 (iPhone replacement)
While working today I received a phone call from Carole. While working at the hospital, she dropped her iPhone. The phone fell down four flights of stairs. The glass shattered, but the phone still worked. She sent me a message and asked if I could help her replace the phone. Carole has already been there to help me. I drove to the hospital and picked up the phone. Then I went to wait in line at an Apple store. A long wait, but we were able to retrieve the phone before the Apple store closed. The technicians replaced the glass and it works fine.
Saturday, July 4 (Reevaluating)
I spent Independence Day alone in my office, in front of my computer. I keep going over the work that I’m doing and trying to conceptualize new strategies I can take to improve efficiencies of my business. I do so much work without compensation and sometimes I need to assess the value that I’m creating. These weekly logs help me assess whether I need to make a change. Now that we’re moving into the second half of the year, I’m thinking that I absolutely should be making a change. I don’t know what direction I’ll take next, but I know that I must figure out new ways to reach my audience. I’d like to begin working on a new idea that I had earlier this week. But few people work on national holidays. So I’ll need to wait until Monday before I get much new traction.
Miles for week: 3.22
Miles for month: 34.71
Miles run for year: 411.85
Weight: 169