From ex-con to entrepreneurship, a Detroit man turns his life around to be a role model for his daughters

By Faraz Javed , Jon Austin

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    DETROIT, Michigan (WXYZ) — 35-year-old Dominique Tipton is the proud owner of 247 Mobile Tire Repair and Service shop on wheels.

“I’m focused on expanding my business and building a future for my children,” said Dominique.

The dad of two is also making a difference along the way…

How many clients does he service in a day?

“Anywhere 15… 20 at times,” Dominique said.

With a growing list of loyal customers and a 4.8 Google review, Dominique says success doesn’t mean money.

“Whatever you are trying to do, I think helping people is the most important thing,” said Dominique.

But for this Detroiter, things weren’t always the same.

“I went to prison on September 25th; it was the day before my birthday,” said Dominique.

In 2011, Dominique says he was charged with carjacking and felony firearm, a crime he committed on the city’s westside.

“So you are 21 years old and you are incarcerated for 6 years,” I said.

“Yes,” Dominique replied.

“What was it like in prison?” I followed up with.

“Prison is a whole other world, man. I was headed down such a bad path. I could have ended up in prison for the rest of my life. Or I could have ended up dead. So, when I was in prison, it was an opportunity for me to pretty much find myself. Because I was lost,” Dominique said.

Prison changed Dominique forever. He learned quickly to be a role model for his daughters, he would have to make changes. However, it didn’t come easy.

“A lot of prisoners who come home, they end up going back or going right back in the streets. They make it really hard for us, ex-cons, to be successful in society out here,” Dominique said.

Once released from Carson City Correctional Facility, Dominique worked odd jobs to save money. And with the help of his daughter’s mother, Dominique was able to buy his first service van. Now Dominique has more than 4 service vans servicing metro Detroit with expansion plans underway for Ohio.

“When you look at what you have right now, do you reflect on your past?” I asked.

“All day, every day. My dad was the biggest inspiration. He was my biggest role model. Honestly I’m just mind blown, you know where I’ve come from… you know coming from growing up in Detroit, to see where I’ve been, I’ve been traveling the world lately and its jsut been a good journey,” Dominique said.

“Can anyone change their life around?” I asked.

“Anyone can… I think about that every day. When you see the young guys in the streets these days, they are a lot worse. And it’s getting worse every day. The rate at young African Americans are killing each other, its just heartbreaking, man,” Dominique said.

Dominique wants to be an inspiration for the youth across metro Detroit. His message is simple; if he can turn his life around, anyone can. In the meantime, to learn more about the 24/7 mobile tire repair shop, just head to @247.mobile.tire.repair on Instagram.

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