It's never too late.

When LaSonia Mansfield was looking for a career change, she turned to a program run by the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

She was once a nurse at San Quentin State Prison. But the 58-year-old walked away from that and into the organization’s Franchise Fund, an educational program for minority-owned small businesses, according to a report from the Associated Press (AP).

Now she’s an owner at Mansfield & Mansfield Construction Clean-Up Co., a construction site supervision and cleanup company.

“I knew I was going to be an entrepreneur; I’ve had dreams of a two-piece suit and a briefcase for years,” Mansfield told AP in an interview. “I was just looking at all the construction going up, and we clean well, but I never knew the business of construction, so I started researching it and found out I needed a contractor’s license, and I just jumped in with two feet.”

Her daughter and forewoman, Deja Stocks, works with the company to help survey construction sites she’s responsible for keeping clean and safe.

Recently, Mansfield & Mansfield secured a $2.6 million, four-year contract, according to AP. It was also hired by Webcor for a project focused on water pollution control.

The contracts have allowed the company to hire other women of colour to gain experience and knowledge of a trade.

“The biggest word that comes to mind is opportunity,” Stocks told AP. “As long as we have contracts, I have the opportunity to work consistently. One of my goals is to close out on a home. This is the closest I’ve ever been to that opportunity.”

The Warriors’ Franchise Fund has helped nearly 60 businesses get funding and certification in the first three years of giving out four-month grants.

The Warriors have assisted in educating more than 57 Bay Area firms, 53 per cent of which are run by women and employ close to 600 people, according to AP.

“One of the most unique things about the program is it has benefited people at every stage of their business experience, whether you’re someone who’s just starting their accounting business, which we’ve worked with, or someone that works in design or architecture,” Yoyo Chan, Warriors senior vice president of government and community relations, told AP. “It really ranges and I think everyone’s found value from it.”