Bouncing Back: The Life of Bill Bartmann

by Bill Bartmann, Jonathan Rozek

From the Author of an Amazon #1 World-Wide Best Seller. All profits from the sale of this book are being donated to charity. They say that truth can be stranger than fiction, and in the case of Bill Bartmann, it’s absolutely the case. Bouncing Back is a glimpse into situations most of us never Leaving a dirt-poor family at age 14 to join the carnival Being an alcoholic gang member by age 17 Becoming paralyzed by falling down stairs drunk Being told that you’ll never walk again, yet later walking out of the hospital Those are unusual-enough experiences, but they were only the beginning of Bartmann’s journey. He is the only person ever to work in a pig slaughterhouse for years, and later become a billionaire—the 25th wealthiest person in America. After his success, Bartmann didn’t just go to Disneyworld, he rented the entire facility and hired 27 jumbo jets to fly his employees there. And he’s the only person to turn down an invitation to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom because he was too busy. As if that’s not enough to fill one lifetime, Bartmann was then personally indicted by the U.S. Attorney General on 57 felony counts, and faced 600 years in prison if convicted. Without testifying at his own trial or calling a single witness, Bartmann was cleared of all charges and the government later admitted it had no case. Now Bartmann’s back, taking on the entire debt-collection industry and creating a new form of debt-collection company never before seen on the planet. Bouncing Back is about the lowest of lows, and the highest of highs. It’s also about how you never know what’s around the corner.

Genres: Biography Memoir

392 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2013

Reviews

[Anton Swanepoel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a must read. Very inspirational.

I very seldom recommend books, as each book has a different message for each person. A book I may find uplifting, you may find boring.

However, Bouncing Back by Bill Bartmann is a must read book. It is an inspirational true story of a man and his family, rising from broke, to billionaire, just to lose it due to others greed for money and fame. They pick themselves up out of what would have broken most people, and start again.

What makes this story so gut-wrenching for me, is that I have been in some of the places he has. Losing years of saving due to others. Having debt collectors hound and threaten your family, because they can. It is also inspirational for different reasons, but for me, that he did not lose his dignity and humiliation when he was a billionaire. When one of his worker’s car broke down, and she walked 15 miles to work. He bought her a new car as appreciation for her dedication. The amazing part is, that he became rich by trying to help people. Instead of hounding people in debt for money, he helped them to get on their feet again and pay off their debt.

Bouncing Back by Bill Bartmann is a truly inspirational story, from working in a pig slaughterhouse, to billionaire, to broke and back up again.

Below is a letter i send to Bill.

Hi Bill

I just finished your book, Bouncing Back.
It was a gut-wrenching journey for me through the pages. Although I cannot imagine all you have been through, I can connect with parts of it.
Debt collectors are not just a problem in America. I am from South Africa and am currently in the Cayman Islands. I saved for years to make my dream come true of travelling the world. That dream got shattered by greedy people that lie for their own benefit. I went from no debt and money in the bank, to finding myself stuck and broke on an Island, with a mountain of debt. Working for a company that can treat you as they will. For you work on a visa that they can pull at any moment. Losing your job does not just mean you are without an income, it means leave the island or face deportation. While at the meantime, debt collectors threaten your family far away. Having no friends or family around for support, and no money, left deep scars.

It took me years to pay my debt, and save up again for my dream, just to have it wiped out again by trusting “friends”. I have now managed again to rebuild my dream, starting my own company in the process. As I stand at the brink of following my dream of backpacking the world, writing books, my confidence was wavering, from past scars. Then your book came along, and changed things. I realize that security does not lie in that you have all your bases covered. That you secured all your assets, and that you have money in the bank. I realized that security lies in the confidence in yourself, that when things do not go as you planned, you will make it work somehow. And that as long as you keep going, you will succeed one day. Your book and message reminded me of a believe I lost, and now found again. That one should not fear of what you may lose in trying, but what you may lose in not trying.

Thank you for not giving up, so that I do not give up.

[Christopher Lewis Kozoriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The more I can focus on enjoying the present and planning for the future, the brighter that future will become." (Bill Bartmann, Bouncing Back, Page 370)

This book is the autobiography of once billionaire Bill Bartmann. He has written two other books called Billionaire Secrets to Success and Bailout Riches.

Bill Bartmann writes how he grew up in a home where both his parents were poor and had not gone to college. He was the first in his family to get a college education and by much hard work and a little luck he was able to become a lawyer. He was only a lawyer for a little while and then started a business collecting on consumer debt. His company grew so fast that he became a billionaire; however, one of his partners was doing illegal transactions and he was accused of being involved. After he was prosecuted, he was found not-guilty; however, this caused him to loose everything and start again.

At the end of the book he relates to becoming a Christian, then an author and then a seminar speaker and then started another unorthodox debt collection agency based upon his previous company.

Being involved in law myself, I really enjoyed his detailed account of his prosecution. It is something movies are made of.

Unfortunately, I had a look online and Bill Bartmann passed away at the end of 2016 at the age of 68. I am glad he articulated his story before passing on, so we all could learn from his mistakes and successes. God bless him.

[DDI · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good book… unfortunate story

This is one of the few books that I’ve sent back and read a second time. The story is unfortunate… but it is enjoyable to read.

[Ian Cassel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Bartmann 19s story is one of perseverance and determination, and I have no doubt it will be made into a movie at some point. Bartmann grew up dirt poor, in an abusive family, and dropped out of High School when he was 15. Soon after he moved out of his parents place, he found a job at a traveling circus (literally), joined a gang so he could live at their head quarters (a shack), and became an alcoholic by the time he was 16. He got so drunk one evening that he fell down a flight of stairs and was paralyzed and told he would never walk again. This was all before the age of 18. Does this sound like a promising story? And this is just the beginning.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

another biography. This one bogs down in the middle, but the beginning and end are great. You really have to read the middle to appreciate the ending. This guy had a very interesting eventful life.

[Diane Paynter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story of a former Dubuque Iowa man