Bill Bartmann has overcome more than most can dream of in his life, rising from a homeless, street gang member and high school dropout at 14-years-old to putting himself through college and law school.

Bartmann once took over a foreclosed, oil-field pipe manufacturing plant and turned it into a million dollar a month business, until OPEC slashed the price of oil. Bartmann was left out in the cold and a million dollars in debt.

Bartmann would not give up, and along with his wife and business partner, Kathy, borrowed $13,000 and created a new industry called Debt Resolution. Within three years they had repaid the entire debt. Over the next 13 years the company grew to 3,900 employees with revenues over $1 billion and over $182 million in earnings.

In 1998, tragedy struck when Bartmann's former business partner committed fraud and sent the company into bankruptcy. Bartmann's former business partner told the prosecutors he acted alone, without Bartmann's knowledge and admitted his guilt. Bartmann was still put on trial, but the jury unanimously acquitted him on all counts.

Now, Bill and Kathy Bartmann bring their experiences to the rest of the country, sharing their stories of creating success and dealing with adversity. It is their life's goal to do for "failure" what Betty Ford did for alcoholism, and what Susan Komen did for breast cancer.

Bill Bartmann understands success and failure. He also understands the business world from the ground up - all the way to the top - and back down again - to the top again. It is no wonder he is one of the most sought after speakers in the industry.