Bill Bartmann is Glad to be Free after Facing a 600 Year Prison Sentence!

Bill Bartmann was indicted on 57 federal felony counts in 2002; Attorney General, John Ashcroft alleged that he was guilty of making fake transactions to shell companies in order to falsify his balance sheet.

Bill Bartmann said, “Ashcroft’s action was after two grand juries voted not to indict. I didn’t know if it was a slow new week at the Justice Department or whether he hoped to find the next Enron-type scandal. All I knew was that I faced a cumulative 600 years in prison if convicted.

Bill Bartmann went into survival mode as he faced the situation head-on. He chose to be honest with his family and not try to sugar coat anything. “The natural inclination is to attempt to shield the ones you love,” said Bartmann, “but your desire to protect will produce the opposite result. Silence allows them to conjure up the most dreaded of possibilities.”

It was a very painful experience for Bill Bartmann, his wife and two young daughters as they witnessed all 89 days of his trial. His wife and daughters watched as the government produced more than 1,000 exhibits and called 53 witnesses in their effort to show Bartmann as a crook. “I produced zero exhibits and called no witnesses, because I had not broken the law,” said Bartmann. “My family also got to hear first-hand when the jury found me not guilty on all 57 counts.” A public statement was later made to confirm that Bill Bartmann had not committed any fraud.

Bill Bartmann was not guilty; however, he was devastated. The lifeblood of his company consisted of credit lines; those lines vanished at the hint of fraudulent activity. Bill Bartmann was a billionaire and the 25th richest person in America one day; bankrupt the next.

Bill Bartmann took steps to accept responsibility for his own actions. “People like winners, not whiners,” said Bartmann. Though he was not guilty of any crime, Bartmann was the head of a company employing 3,900 people, all of whom lost their jobs. “Accepting responsibility for a failure didn’t make me a bad human being – it instead made me a real human being.”

Bill Bartmann is not one to give up, no matter how bad things get. He didn’t wallow in bitterness and self-pity when the bankruptcy judge had a crew come to his home on Christmas week to chainsaw a hunk off his pool house; it was just a few feet over the one acre of land she would allow him to keep in bankruptcy.

Bill Bartmann would not have been able to move on and bounce back to success if he continued to relive the bad times. This is why he closed this chapter in his life and began writing the next one. Bill Bartmann concentrated his energy on building a thriving business of teaching entrepreneurs how to remove obstacles that stand in their way to success. His new book, Bailout Riches, has reached Amazon #1 world-wide best-seller status. The book shows ordinary people how to capitalize on the current government bailouts.

Bill Bartmann believes it is better to forgive others for their wrong doing rather than focusing on revenge which only produces negative energy. He learned that Attorney General, John Ashcroft would be at a book signing in Chicago while he was in town. Bill got in line, wearing a name tag that simply said, “Hi, My Name is Bill.” When he got to the head of the line, Ashcroft greeted him, saying “Hi Bill, where are you from?”

Bill said, “I’m from Tulsa.”

“Oh, really? We had a big case there a couple years ago.”

“Yes, I know. It was mine.” The color drained from his face as Ashcroft recognized Bill Bartmann.

“Mr. Ashcroft, you know now – and you knew then – that I was innocent. Your actions cost 3,900 people their jobs, and cost me $3.5 billion, not to mention enormous anguish on the part of my family. Mr. Ashcroft, I came here for one reason – to forgive you.”

Bill Bartmann turned and left before Ashcroft had a chance to react. He wasn’t concerned with his reaction; he did it for his own peace of mind and mental well-being.

Bill Bartmann says that when your world comes crashing down around you, your attitude toward failure will determine if you recover and become successful again. “Nature is all about regeneration,” said Bartmann. “You’re the most developed product of evolution up until this moment; you have the capacity for renewal.”

Bill Bartmann is the author of Bailout Riches: How Everyday Investors Can Make a Fortune Buying Bad Loans for Pennies on the Dollar. The book recently became an Amazon #1 world-wide best-seller. Bill Bartmann has been named “National Entrepreneur of the Year by USA Today, NASDAQ, Inc Magazine, Ernst & Young and the Kauffman Foundation.

Bill Bartmann Business Advice: Professional Phone Presentation

When people call your company, what do they hear? If you or an employee is at work, they likely hear your happy voices, but what if you are not around. What do they hear after hours or if all the phones are busy? You should have a professional recording that will pick up and take care of those customers. If you don't you stand the risk of losing a sale or even turning a potential customer off from you since you sound less than professional.

You need a professional after-hours and busy recording.

Clear Voice

Bill Bartmann's tip # 1 is the first thing you need to look for is a clear voice to give your message to potential callers. Remember, your phone message is your first contact with a potential customer who may call when someone else can't pick up. That means you need to make sure it is a voice that speaks clearly and well and seems to suit your company well. Perhaps your voice will be able to fit the bill. Some businesses hire professional voices to do their recordings.

Who They Are Calling

Bill Bartmann's tip # 2 is that first thing your professional after-hours and busy recording needs to have on it is a clear introduction of who they are calling. When people call your business they first want to make sure they have the right number. They also like to know they are really calling a legitimate business, so make sure you offer them a professional introduction.

Service You Offer

Bill Bartmann's tip # 3 is remember, the phone message that your callers are going to listen to is a replacement of a real person picking up the phone to talk to them. You need to make sure the message on the machine is just as thorough as you would be if you picked up the phone. Make sure the phone message mentions the services you offer and how you can help them.

Time and Location Information

Bill Bartmann's tip # 4 is one of the things that many people totally forget to put on their phone message is their location and their business hours. Many people who are calling are calling for just this information. Make sure you let them know when they should come to see you and where you are located! Give them your full address.

Website Information

Bill Bartmann's tip # 5 is even if it's after hours, is there a way people can get a hold of you online or at least look at what you have to offer? Why not send them there. Make sure your phone message gives them your website so they can go and read all about you and possibly even put in an order. There's nothing like making money while you're not even at the office!

Bill Bartmann offers very detailed due-diligence advice in his online course, Billionaire Business Systems. This course covers financial and legal issues of starting, owning and operating a business.