Former BLC keynote to be featured in new TV Series

Brian Hamilton delivers keynote speech to COB's Business Leadership Conference

In addition to founding Inmates to Entrepreneurs and financial tech company Sageworks, North Carolina entrepreneur Brian Hamilton can now add TV Star to his resume.

The new ABC television series, “Free Enterprise,” will share the journey of people who have struggled to find consistent employment because of their criminal records. They will work with Hamilton and his team of business experts and mentors to launch enterprises with little or no capital, providing a real-time view of product development, pricing, marketing and customer service. Along the way, viewers will see inspirational stories of self-reliance, hope, redemption and transformation.

Hamilton, who gave the keynote at the College of Business’ 2019 Business Leadership Conference, is a lifelong entrepreneur and philanthropist that truly leads with purpose.  He’s a leading national voice on the power of ownership to transform lives, combat recidivism and create access to the American dream.   Since selling his tech company in 2018, Hamilton has immersed himself in philanthropy. He created the Brian Hamilton Foundation, which oversees several nonprofit programs aimed at teaching people skills to succeed in business and making entrepreneurship education accessible to all. One such effort is Inmates to Entrepreneurs, the longest-running program of its kind in the country, which guides formerly incarcerated people as they launch their own small, low-capital businesses.

Hamilton commented about how future leaders from ECU could benefit from Free Enterprise saying, “Developing leadership characteristics takes grit and students who can duplicate the determination of the entrepreneurs on Free Enterprise will find many open doors on their journey.”  Additionally, Brian Hamilton explained that the show is a real-world classroom where “emerging business leaders are taught how to create economic opportunities by acquiring and retaining customers. Students should never forget that the lifeblood of a successful business is customers.”

“Free Enterprise” airs Saturdays. Check local ABC listings for airtime. Learn more about the show here.