From a Jail Cell to Entrepreneurship.

A Book, a Prison Cell, and a New Direction.

Michael Reynold was born and raised in Alaska. Between 2015 and 2019, he was incarcerated in federal prison. In 2017, he began reading How to Outsmart the Credit Bureaus by Corey P. Smith. That book introduced him to consumer credit education and started a pursuit of knowledge that would eventually become his career.

He studied credit reports, the way information is reported, and consumers' rights to dispute potentially inaccurate information. There was no company or office yet. He was learning because he believed the knowledge could be useful—and because he was thinking about what he could build when he returned home.

His First Client Was His Sister.

Around 2018, while still incarcerated, Michael's sister saw how seriously he was taking his studies in consumer credit. She encouraged him to practice what he was learning by working on her credit, not simply because she needed help, but because she wanted to see him doing something positive with his life. She had lived in Tennessee for more than two decades, and she became his first client before he had a formal business.

She began telling family members and friends about his work. Those conversations, including among people in Tennessee, gave Michael early word-of-mouth recognition. Long before he had a website or advertising campaign, people were learning about his credit work through someone who knew him personally.

Her encouragement helped turn his studies into practical experience and showed him that his knowledge could reach beyond his own circumstances. Before he ever had a business, he had someone who believed in what he was becoming.

Returning Home to Tennessee.

In 2019, Michael was released from federal prison to Tennessee. He brought years of study and his early experience helping his sister into the next stage of his life.

His ambition to build a business was already taking shape. He still needed money for formation costs, licensing, software, and additional training. Then the COVID-19 pandemic changed the country's economic landscape.

When the World Shut Down, He Started Building.

In 2020, businesses closed, workers were laid off, and families faced widespread financial uncertainty. The federal government introduced stimulus payments and expanded unemployment benefits under pandemic relief programs.

While living in Tennessee, Michael received pandemic unemployment benefits. He recalls receiving more than $700 per week in combined benefits, including federal assistance. The exact amount varied by individual; these weekly benefits were distinct from the one-time stimulus checks.

As he watched the disruption around him, Michael thought about what he could build with the resources available to him. He had already spent years studying credit and developing a vision. Rather than using the money for short-term entertainment, he decided to invest it in that vision.

He paid for business formation and licensing, subscribed to Credit Repair Cloud software, and invested in webinars, seminars, and additional education. He worked to put the pieces of a functioning credit repair business together himself.

The pandemic assistance did not create his ambition. It gave him an opportunity to act on an ambition that had existed for years.

In May 2020, Michael established 907 Credit Repair Agency. His sister's earlier referrals had already helped people become familiar with his work, and the financial strain of the pandemic made credit education especially relevant to many households. He began developing the business from that combination of preparation, personal investment, and word of mouth.

An Alaska Visit and a Family Push.

Michael's business beginnings connected Tennessee, where he was living, and Alaska, where he was born and raised.

During a roughly two-week visit to Alaska in 2020, his brother encouraged him to establish an LLC after hearing about an affordable formation opportunity. Michael took steps toward formalizing the business during that visit. He then returned to Tennessee for several weeks before moving back to Alaska in the summer of 2020.

The exact order of the visit, LLC filing, and May business launch has not been pinned down, but the larger picture is clear: the business idea and early reputation developed while he was in Tennessee, and his Alaska roots and his brother's encouragement were part of its formal beginnings.

His sister helped introduce his work to others. His brother helped encourage him to formalize it.

From Credit Student to Published Author.

In 2021, Michael published The Credit Repair Companies Secret Handbook. For someone whose interest in credit had begun with a book in prison four years earlier, becoming an author marked a personal milestone.

In April 2026, Michael published What They Never Taught You About Credit, with his wife La'Niaja Reynold as editor, illustrator, and publisher, continuing that commitment to sharing consumer credit knowledge.

He began as someone searching for information. Over time, he also became someone creating educational resources for others.

Books by Michael Reynold

Read the Books.

The Credit Trappers Association Takes Shape.

In 2022, 907 Credit Repair Agency evolved into The Credit Trappers Association (TCTA). This was the continuation and development of his business, not a sale of 907.

TCTA focuses on helping consumers better understand their credit reports, identify potentially inaccurate information, and learn about their rights. Michael wants the brand to stand for education, transparency, accountability, and realistic expectations—not guaranteed credit-score increases or the removal of accurate information.

Professionally, he is known as The Credit Trapper. He is also known as Mustafa Ibn Ali, a name he adopted following his shahada, his declaration of faith in Islam. These are connected parts of the same person's journey.

A Story Still Being Written.

Michael continues developing TCTA's educational resources and professional relationships. His path has included incarceration, family support, learning, publishing, and the willingness to invest in a business during an uncertain time.

He began studying credit in 2017, his sister encouraged him to practice what he was learning around 2018, returned home to Tennessee in 2019, established 907 in 2020, published his first book in 2021, transitioned to TCTA in 2022, and published a second book in 2026.

For Michael, the central lesson is simple: your past may be part of your story, but it does not have to define your future.

What began with a book inside a prison cell became the foundation for an entrepreneurial journey that continues today.