Marcus Bullock was a sophomore in high school who just recently celebrated his birthday and was looking forward to Christmas break which was coming up soon when he made a terrible decision to carjack a man with his friend. At 15 years old Bullock was arrested for the carjacking and was sentenced to eight years in jail. His expectations of going to prom, graduating high school, playing basketball, and hopefully getting into the NBA were crushed when he realized he would not get out of jail until he was 23.
During this difficult time, Bullock’s mother would write him letters and send him photos of his family to try to remind him that there was more to life than what was right in front of him and that these next eight years would not last forever. His mother’s kindness is what gave him the idea now known as Flikshop.
Flikshop, created in 2012, is an app and website that creates customizable postcards that can be sent to inmates. Personal photos and messages can be put onto any postcard and it will be sent to the facility the next business day! The goal of Flickshop is for families to stay connected with their loved ones behind bars. On the website, there is an option to be a “Flickshop Angel” which is an opportunity to buy gift cards for families so that they can send postcards to their loved ones for free! These “angels” most likely will not know the families who will benefit from their generosity. Families can submit a request to receive these postcards for free and then the “angels” will donate or pay for the postcards, usually anonymously. The mission of Flikshop is to reduce recidivism rates (the chance of someone getting arrested again once they leave jail) by providing inmates with love and support just like Bullock’s mother did for him.
Once a person is an inmate in a jail, when they get out, I’m sure it’s tough to find a job with a criminal record. So, it was a perfect idea for him to start a business, especially when his target audience is inmates, so he knows a lot about it.
I absolutely love this story. It’s amazing to see the redemption that Marcus Bullock was able to see through the grace and love his mom gave him. I think in looking for new ventures, we can take some of the most moving parts of our lives and recreate them for others. I’m in awe at this example of hope; it expanded my gratefulness to live in a country and society where stories like this are possible.
I love how he was able to use his experience through adversity to turn around and give back to some of the families who might be struggling with a similar situation that his family was struggling with. I know there is a high rate of people who get out of prison then end up going right back, so it was really cool to see Bullock put the work in to come up with such a cool business idea that has such a positive impact.