Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Fontalvo.
Hi Andrew, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, my name is Andrew Dante Fontalvo, founder of Dante’s Bounce House.
At 21 years old, I had just welcomed my first son and was working at an AT&T franchise retail store, living paycheck to paycheck. In my spare time, I would buy motorcycles, fix them, and resell them to generate extra income. Like many young entrepreneurs, I faced challenges early on—including a criminal record that made it difficult to secure opportunities in the corporate world.
Everything changed one day while browsing Craigslist for my next motorcycle project. I came across an ad for a bounce house rental. At the time, I had friends who were expecting children, and I saw an opportunity to create a second stream of income. I took a risk and invested my last $1,000 into purchasing my first bounce house and printing flyers.
From there, I committed to marketing myself daily, promoting my services online and in my community. I also built relationships within the industry, partnering with established party rental companies to sub-rent equipment while I gradually expanded my own inventory.
With persistence, reinvestment, and a strong work ethic, that initial investment grew into what is now Dante’s Bounce House—a company built on resilience, relationships, and delivering reliable, high-quality service.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has certainly not been a smooth or easy journey. In the early years, I was balancing a full-time job while building my business from the ground up. There were many long days where I would come home late, exhausted, and have little to no time to spend with my family.
For the first few years, most of the revenue went right back into the business or toward covering basic expenses. There was little to no profit during that time, which tested my patience and commitment. However, I remained consistent, pushed through the challenges, and focused on delivering exceptional customer service while steadily building a loyal client base.
Those early sacrifices and lessons in discipline, resilience, and reinvestment laid the foundation for our growth. Today, after more than 15 years in business, Dante’s Bounce House has expanded far beyond simple inflatables. We now offer mechanical rides, carnival rides, and full-service event solutions for weddings, baby showers, corporate events, and more—positioning ourselves as a true one-stop shop for party rentals.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Dante’s Bounce House is a full-service, one-stop shop for party and event rentals. With over 15 years in business, we specialize in a wide range of events—from corporate functions and large community gatherings to weddings, quinceañeras, baby showers, and private celebrations.
What truly sets us apart is the scope of our offerings and the strength of our team. This business has been built through the dedication of myself, along with my family—my brother and cousin—and a committed team that takes pride in delivering high-quality service.
Unlike many rental companies, we offer not only traditional inflatables—both water and dry—but also a wide selection of mechanical and carnival rides, including pirate ships, plane rides, rock walls, and bungee attractions. In addition, we provide tents, tables, chairs, and a full range of entertainment options such as clowns, characters, magicians, lighting, air conditioning units, and even fireworks.
Our goal is simple: to provide everything a client may need to create a seamless and memorable event, all through one trusted company.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Some books that I like is the Dwyane Wade book a father first Also built to sell by John Warilliow.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.dantesbouncehouse.net/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dantes_bounce_house
