Power Through : Going to prison changed one man’s life: it helped him become a multi-millionaire

James Longley got into a fight one night and ended up being sent to prison. It could have destroyed him, but a chance meeting after his release helped him turn his life round and make his fortune in an energy business. Having sold that business, he has now devoted himself to helping prisoners break the cycle of reoffending

‘Inspiring and courageous’ Tim Samuels After a heavy night’s drinking in 2002, James Longley – an RAF aircraftsman from the East Midlands – got into an altercation with a taxi driver which turned nasty. He ended up in prison, serving an eight-month sentence. It felt like he had wrecked his own life. In fact, the experience would be the making of him. Upon his release, determined to pull himself together and start afresh, he borrowed some money to set up a small business. A chance meeting then led to a new venture, pioneering the practice of switching energy suppliers to get cheaper bills. Within ten years he employed seventy people and in 2018 he sold the business for an eight-figure sum. James has now embarked on a mission to help prisoners past and present learn entrepreneurship skills and break the cycle of reoffending. Telling his own story is part of that quest, showing by example that if you hit rock bottom, you can still achieve success – and pay it forward.