We had the good fortune of connecting with Troy De Baca and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Troy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I always knew that I’d be a business owner/entrepreneur, just not like this.

It all started as I was climbing the corporate ladder in IT. I would come up with solutions to problems I saw within my industry but the management and higher ups didn’t appreciate my talents of seeing problems outside of my direct title. In fact they wanted me to “stay in my lane” and “stop thinking outside of the box.” Unfortunately for them and fortunately for me, this is who I am. I’m a “professional creative solutionist.”

That being said, I could see that I would thrive if I could break out of the corporate chains. Fast forward to 2007 I started a screen printing and embroidery shop in Denver, CO, Troy’s Custom Tees. I began printing for bands, bar and restaurant and breweries started popping up. That was my bread and butter until in 2012 I had one of those realistic dreams that changed my life forever.

“The Dream”
I was chasing an ice cream truck decked out in bright vivid bold graphics with laser beams and smoke machines. When I got up to the service window I ordered a “Rocket Pop” and a “Fudgsicle” and instead of them handing me ice cream they screen printed shirts right there, on the truck. I was blown away!

When I awoke with the dream still fresh in my head I began searching Google for “T-shirt Truck,” “Screen Printing Truck,” and any variation of my dream and….. It didn’t exist! I know speak around the country and tell people, “if you Google something and it doesn’t exist, that’s the Universe nudging you to go build it!”

And so the first truck was born in 2012 in Denver, CO. and so began, The Silk Screen Machine Inc. where we Live Screen Print and customize promotional merchandise for events and festivals around the country. Our first big clients where Charles Schwab’s annual conference and then RedBull contacted us to do a 20 day pop up tour for their Music Festivals around the city of Los Angeles, CA. This required me to ship the truck out there and find a new home for it. And so it began.

We now have 8 trucks around the country in L.A., San Diego, Las Vegas, Denver, Nashville and Chicago. We do “Experiential Marketing,” brand and product campaigns, pop-up shops, conventions and conferences and festivals for fortune 500 companies from coast to coast. We’ve developed lasting relationships with household brand names and continue to innovate and create unique branding experiences for some of the biggest events in the country.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In my opinion the biggest challenge for any creative, business minded person or business endeavor is fake it till you make it. The struggle is real when it comes to imposter syndrome. You’re taking chances you and quite possibly no one you know have taken. You’re building new new connections, neurons and pathways in your brain. If you’re doing it right you’re totally out of your element and this forces you to challenge what’s possible and helps you grow tremendously in ways you never saw coming. When you start getting good at it, you become self aware on another level. You have a confidence about you. You move and think differently and as a result you can see situations and scenarios almost before they happen. You get a spidy sense and move with thoughtful intention and purpose.

The thing I’ve experienced most is a stability and confidence in self. I now know my gifts and how I can make unimaginable things take place and manifest. It’s an incredible feeling and it continues to grow and shape with every new client relationship and event that we successfully pull off. I would trade it for anything!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ok, if you’re in Denver for a week the very first place I would start you off (and you’d probably hit more than once) is El Taco De Mexico down on Santa Fe. You have to have the chili rellano burrito! It’s my favorite thing in Colorado and I’ve been going here, no joke, for probably 35 years.

Next we’d hit the town and troll through some of my favorite watering holes including, The Horseshoe Lounge, catch some live music at The Skylark or The High Dive on Broadway.

For breakfast eats we’d go to Pete’s Kitchen on Colfax. Hop into one of the classic music bars in town, The Lions Lair and then cruise down Colfax to finish at the cruise room or stops along and around Union Station.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wow, so many people have helped in so many ways through out this journey. A few right off the top that come to mind that we for sure wouldn’t have made it to where we’re at are:
Johnny Larchick, Brent Pirtle, Matt Skakun, Eric Learo, Memo Padilla, Roman Kulwicki, Lucas O’Connor and Shelby Louder w/ Live Louder Productions. Last but not least and who I owe most of our success to is my beautiful wife, Katie Mortimer. Without her belief in me and my “crazy” ideas none of this would be possible.

Website: https://www.thesilkscreenmachine.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silkscreenmachine

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesilkscreenmachine

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvTXsezsH7jA_qZo9mcSNJg/videos

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