We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Troy Looper a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Troy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?

The biggest misconception is that we teach or promote gun violence when in actuality we do just the opposite by teaching protection. I came into the industry to be a collector as a personal hobby, then I started to lose a lot of people to senseless violence and friends dealing with domestic violence made me take action to teach.
I have a story to go along with this question without mentioning any names I had a lady who confronted me at a pop-up market showcase about guns and violence. I let her speak her peace respectfully even as she made a scene while expressing why she hates guns and people in the firearms industry. I proceeded to show her videos of my students and a few lessons that I have taught by her expression she still was convinced that I was a bad guy. Then from nowhere, a student of mine shows up initially to help me promote then proceeds to tell her story of surviving domestic violence with my help after she had tried everything from restraining orders, moving to a different city, having him arrested, to finally learning to stop running and take a stand to defend herself. To make a long story short the lady took my gift package anyway well a little over a year later she called because her daughter was being abused.

Troy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I describe myself as the only book in the library without a cover or a catchy title. I am just a book amongst thousands with an intriguing story that has to be discovered. I have always searched for something to fill the void that says, “Who am I?” I knew that I was more than just Troy Looper, who grew up on the streets of Greenville, SC. I woke up one day after a night of crying about all of the loved ones that I had lost. I decided that I no longer wanted to be a product of my environment, but be the change of my environment like Nipsey Hussle did for Compton, California with his Marathon business.
I did my research on the process of becoming an instructor, then studied some instructors to understand the industry so that I could make my own assessments of what to do and not to do. The first thing that I noticed is that there wasn’t any type of unity or loyalty amongst any of the instructors even those who worked together down-talked their partners’ craft or style. I found that instructors wait for clients to find them instead of them finding clients. I noticed that some were too professional, so it made clients feel like the instructor was impatient or too pushy and to add there wasn’t any catchy name that stood out different from everyone else. A light came on once I felt like I was ready, so I took all of my studies and did the opposite of my experiences with instructors that I encountered to make my business plan my next move was to find someone that not many people know of to take my instructor course because I felt like he was a silent weapon for a quiet war.
My name came from my cousin who’s always called me “Fat Daddy” my whole life. He had recently passed so it was only right that I honored him this way because he was the one who taught me to live my life my way no matter what people think of me.
I make a promise to every student that I will help them change their output on themselves I gain the excitement of them saying that “I DID IT” more than any monetary payment that I have ever received.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The hardest lesson I had to learn is that everyone you think is going to be your support system is not, and you will get more support from strangers than you will from family. The family seems to believe that the “F” family means free and that you owe them something because you are related. I have met total strangers who have sent me students in demographics that I never thought that I would reach, such as race, lifestyle, age, etc. which helped me grow faster than expected, but by no means will I ever turn a student away I wish that I was bilingual to conquer all diversities that stand in my way.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I built my social media audience by using common sense and staying simple-minded to not limit any audience by overthinking leaves openings for mistakes. After every session I get my students to do a small four-second commercial for me to upload on social media for everyone to see because, at some point in time, everyone wants to do a commercial of some sort. Social media is the new world so why not take advantage of what’s at hand to use for business of course you will have those who will report your post but it will reach those who are in need.
My advice for people who are starting out with a new business use the old ways with cards and flyers for those without social media, but for everyone else, social media is the way to promote yourselves the greatest benefit is that it works for you while your sleep or busy doing other things.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Fatdaddysdefensellc
• Facebook: Fat Daddy’s Defense LLC
• Linkedin: Troy Looper
• Twitter: FatDDefenseLLC
• Youtube: Fat Daddy’s Defense LLC
• Yelp: Fat Daddy’s Defense LLC

Image Credits

Photos by: Xtraonearth Photoinnerchi & Delilah Looper
Clothing by: 3 of A Kind D3signz and FansIdea
Barber: Travis Mayes