Barber to Wealth Builder

At age 19, Fred Rouse enrolled in barber school, with a strong work ethic and a dream of financial success. Across the next two decades, while cutting hair in Madison, Wisconsin, Rouse learned the real estate business, reading and talking to business-savvy hair clients.

Starting small, Rouse acquired and managed property, eventually leaving barbering behind. With a trusted team, he began developing new properties and investing in the stock market. Over time, his dream of success became an astonishing reality.

This inspiring memoir tells the whole remarkable story: From an early family tragedy to a triumphant hometown return, in which Rouse’s philanthropy revitalizes the small northern Wisconsin town that helped form him.