Pros
I love working at Tom James! I have been blessed beyond what I would have ever imagined when I started. I came to Tom James in in 1995 at the age of 23, I was mentored by some of the wisest men I have ever met. I had the opportunity to meet with our division leader, president and CEO as much as I needed to. These leaders helps me uncover my goals both personally and professionally. I bought in early to the opportunity. When I had been at Tom James for 18 months I was allowed to open my own store. For 18 years I have hired and trained other sales professionals. Because of their success in selling I have made over 1 million dollars in leadership pay alone. My cumulative earnings have now surpassed 2.5 million dollars over 20 years. Having met many business owners over the years I have met very few people who could earn what I have earned and made no capital investment in their business. My investment was in time and energy alone. I also subscribed to the stock. It has been an amazing investment. Having contributed to 401k and other outside investments over the last 20 years it has far surpassed anything else I have participated in. My stock is currently worth over 1 million dollars also. Last year my dividend was 15,000 dollars. While the compensation has been extraordinary, it's not even the biggest benefit. I was raised by a single mom in very poor economic circumstances. Having worked alongside the principled leaders in our company I have been mentored on how to be a better business person, husband and father. Without the mentors that I had at Tom James I am scared to think where my life would be today. Forbes magazine published an article in the December 1997 issue about our founder Mr. Spencer Hays. That month Forbes profiled companies with a share the wealth philosophy. Tom James was one of the featured companies profiled by Forbes because of the generosity of Mr. Hays. The unlimited opportunity, the ability to earn stock, the chance to be promoted based on merit alone, profit sharing, etc... Have all been true In my tenure. As I have seen my college friends and contemporaries move from job to job I have stayed where I was planted. And I have been richly rewarded for it.
Cons
It's disheartening to read about some people's experiences with Tom James. My experience was so much different that what has been described by a few people who left. I take the responsibility of helping people that are hired by Tom James to achieve success quickly. And to some degree the reviews of people who didn't achieve success at Tom James is a charge on me and all leaders in Tom James. I would love it if no one ever left. I would love it if everyone archived their personal and professional goals while they are here. I am thankful for forums like this as it will ultimately help us become a better company. It hasn't always been easy. And yes at times I have considered leaving Tom James. Over the years we have experienced some growing pains. We have tried many different approaches to hiring and training. Some of them got great results and some didn't. Some people were hired and were not given the best circumstances. While others had leaders that didn't pour into them what my leaders poured into me. For new partners to achieve success their must be 100 percent accountability by both leaders and salespeople. Currently the training program is as good as we have ever had. And we are greeting better results with our new partners now that when I as new.
