Single Dad in Poverty to Success:

Tony M Fountain, the founder of Now Entertainment, went from being locked up to being a single dad living in poverty. But somehow found the strength to make it out of the gutter and started his own company. He later wrote a book, got remarried, and had two more children. We connected a while back, and after some time, I finally had a chance to ask him a few questions about his journey. Here’s what he had to say.

Being a single dad, what were your biggest fears and challenges?

So many thoughts crossed my mind, like how I would teach my daughter how to be a good woman or explain how to use feminine care products. I started noticing how my kids would speak to other women; it seemed like a desperate need for a mother figure’s attention. It was sad to see. I wanted to take their pain away but didn’t know how.

I couldn’t understand how someone could carry another life for almost ten months and then walk away from them. Still to this day, they rarely talk to their mother, the last time they saw her was back in January 2020. We’ve had to overcome many misplaced anger issues through counseling and just open conversations about it all.

What did you find most surprising?

I didn’t think I would find a new wife, to be honest. When I first started dating again, a few women my age whose friends tried to talk them out of dating me. They told me their friends had said things such as, “you can find a good guy that doesn’t have kids; why would you want to take on the headache of raising someone else’s.” Even though these women themselves had kids, and we’re looking for a guy to step up and play the stepdad role, they didn’t seem to think it was ok if the shoe was on the other foot.

When it came to the younger women, they weren’t serious about a relationship; it was more like a fantasy or something for them to date an older man with kids. And anyone remotely interested was given hell by my kids. At times it seemed almost like they would push them away out of the fear of being hurt again. I ended up marrying a beautiful woman with no kids, and we had a child together and now have another on the way.

Was there a day, a moment, an event that brought you to your knees and made you think you couldn’t do this but then somehow you made it through? If so, tell us about that situation.

Yes, early on, I drove trucks over the road to save up some money and get us into a better place. Driving a truck was my best option at the time to make a decent income, but I couldn’t get a local driving job without OTR experience because of insurance purposes. My mother helped to watch the kids when I was gone, but she fell ill and could no longer help. I asked my dad for help, and he said no.

He said that he would drop my kids off on the DFACS doorstep. I was at a crossroads where I had to either quit my job and be left with a five-thousand-dollar bill for the training and no employment to pay it or figure something else out. I was lucky enough to make other arrangements and keep my job.

What advice do you have for dads going through a situation where they are raising their kids on their own?

Take the time to let yourself and the kids heal. Don’t let yourself get worked up worrying about how you will make it. Focus on spending time with the kids, learning & reflecting. If you don’t then, you’ll bring baggage into your next relationship.

If your kids are a bit older, when you start dating again, make sure to get their opinion on the people you date. We’ve all seen the movies or heard the stories where a stepparent treats the stepchild terribly when the biological parent isn’t around. I also experienced this myself, but it didn’t get too far before I found out and put a stop to it.

How did you manage working full time, raising two kids alone, and starting your own business?

It was hard; it does take a village to raise a child for sure. But leaning on others for support was what helped me through it. I didn’t drink coffee before, and I have no idea how I would have done it with it now!

You recently started the Now Entertainment podcast and released a book. Can you tell us a little more about why?

As far as the podcast goes, it’s just the general direction things are headed, so I felt it was necessary. Most people like to listen to podcasts and books these days rather than read text. And for that reason, I plan to release an audio version of my book as well.

I wrote the book to explain certain things about the entertainment industry and entrepreneurship that people always ask about. There have been times where I felt like I was just repeating myself over and over to different people but saying the same thing, so I wanted to write it all down and be done with it. I wrote it how I feel best sums everything up and gives the information the people really want to know. I’ll most likely release a second edition with more details later down the line, but this book hits on the main things artists seek, and I didn’t fill the pages with fluff to waste their time as some do.