Troy Reed of DTLA on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Troy Reed and have shared our conversation below.

Troy, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Usually, my day starts by taking my dog out for our morning walk together. After that, I do a little bible study before digging into the news and seeing what’s happening around me. Maybe a little bit social media indulgence before moving on. Afterwards, I’ll have a little breakfast: toast and orange mango juice and then start getting cleaned up and ready to head on in to work. The first 90 minutes are usually a blur, because before you blink it’s time to get ready to head to work

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Troy Reed. I am owner of Tee, The Writer: a document preparation and notary service based in Downtown Los Angeles. 2026 will be year number 20, which is crazy. I never in my wildest dreams envisioned lasting 20 years in business. Most young African – American men are not into my line of work, so I guess I stand out in that regard. I sometimes wish that I had a more traditional business, but I guess God had other plans. I love to write and tell stories and am currently working on two projects: “The Contingency Plan” and “Operation Raindancer.” “The Contingency Plan” is set to be published sometime later this year and “Operation Raindancer” towards the end of the year or early next year. Just trying to maximize the talents that I have been blessed with and hoping to inspire others to achieve their goals.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was always a dreamer. Initially, my dream was to be an electrician since I loved to experiment (mess with) various appliances, televisions, and VCRs. As I got older, I kind of drifted away and that and didn’t really know what I wanted to do. After high school, I landed my first real job and thought this would be “it.” Entrepreneurship wasn’t something that I really thought a lot about – that seemed unrealistic. The world told me that I would be better off working a traditional job that provided steady income. Entrepreneurship was something that was out of reach. A pipe dream. Eventually, I just came to a point to where I became tired of working jobs that were going nowhere. I wanted something different for myself. So I decided to take the leap. I decided to launch my business. When I announced the idea, I was crazy and some other less than kind adjectives. Despite that, I pressed forward. I became a dreamer again. I didn’t let the world put a limit on what I could do or be.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes. Starting a business from the ground up can be very difficult. You have to build a customer base and earn the trust of your customers. The first few years were very difficult, and I did consider shutting the whole thing down. Maybe I should have stayed in my lane and continued working a “regular” job. But through hard work and encouragement from my mother and even some of my first customers, I stayed in the fight. And eventually, I began to build up a customer base and actually start to make some money. But make no mistake, there have been some very dark days and sometimes you do wonder if it is worth it. Owning a business is great when you’re making money, but when the slow times come, it isn’t a lot of fun. And the bills don’t stop coming just because business is slow. I guess one of the reasons I fight it through is because I believe in this business and I genuinely love what it is that I do. When that love begins to wane, then maybe I will decide to close up shop. Until then, I will keep going until I can’t go anymore.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
Dave Chappelle. I admire the fact that he has gotten to a point in his life and career to where he tells it how he sees it – regardless of the blowback. He had the integrity to walk away from FIFTY MILLION dollars just because he felt what he was doing wasn’t aligning with his vision or values. I don’t know if I will ever face that kind of choice, but if I do, I hope that I have the integrity to do the same. I don’t necessarily agree with all of his takes, but I do admire his ability to stand on principle. A wise person I know once said: “money doesn’t make me, I make it.” That’s a valuable lesson for all of us to live by. Stand for something even if means losing everything.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Stop working as much and start enjoying life. Traveling, relaxing, living it up. I wouldn’t want to spend my final days with a laundry list of things I wished I had done. The reality is that you have to work to make it. And I am willing to work hard to achieve the life that I want. But the day will come when I have to walk away from the business and work and live the rest of my life. And I want to use that time to live life to the fullest. Life is short and our prime is even shorter. For the last few years of my life, I just want to enjoy life. I would hope that I had built up enough money to live the kind of life I want to live. You work so much today to enjoy tomorrow. I fully intend to enjoy tomorrow when tomorrow comes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://teethewriter.com
• Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/FVhV5wQzD06hsfwvyrw2Yw/