There is an unwritten rule in the world of parenting. When playing a game or engaging in some kind of contest with your children, do not let them win.
Sure, it’s fine to let a toddler beat you in arm wrestling for good laughs and bonding, but once they’re old enough to understand games, rules and the objectives in winning, children need to experience defeat in order to appreciate, and strive for, victory. Pushing and challenging them paves the way to developing strategy, focus, critical thinking and the desire to win. The long-term benefits are obvious.
Plus, there’s no prouder moment than seeing your offspring legitimately get the best of you at any age, which signifies their continued growth beyond what they have been taught. Tobin Bartholomew is a prime example.
Back in the 1980s, after graduating from Weber State College, Bartholomew went to work for his father’s small copier business in Ogden, Utah. Then, in 1989, the younger Bartholomew captured the Salesman of the Month award. Its significance lies in the fact that he had outsold his sales manager, who also happened to be his dad, Calvin Bartholomew.
“I knew at that time, I could make this a career,” said Bartholomew, a 2021 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. And for the elder Bartholomew, who had shown his son the business and sales side—along with providing him the tools and resources to be successful—came the satisfaction of setting his son on the road to success.
Storied Career
Tobin Bartholomew continues that push today with 30 years of sales success under his belt, developed through experiences with Valley Office Systems, BOE (a Xerox Company) and IKON Office Solutions. Even in the teeth of the pandemic, Bartholomew cultivated roughly $2.3 million in personal revenue growth, bolstering revenues for Allied Business Solutions in excess of 25%.
The vice president of business development’s voracious appetite for closing deals is reflected through his love for winning. “Winning drives me,” Bartholomew said. “It’s exciting to help others succeed. I do not like to lose. But through winning, I like to mentor and help others achieve success, too.”
That entails leading by example and hard work. Bartholomew is never one to expect from others anything he would not do himself, and he works with his team to ensure expectations are clearly defined and understood—factors critical to achieving a common goal.
While Calvin Bartholomew armed his son with the necessities to embark on a successful sales career, Tobin has also reaped the wisdom of two notable mentors, among others. In more recent years, Brent Kelly, a vice president at Valley Office Systems, provided a creative thinking perspective to help close deals. Current teammate (and Allied company president) Tom Beeles illustrated the value of putting others first and furnished a blueprint on becoming a better manager.
“It’s more about others and bringing them along, rather than my personal success,” Bartholomew noted.
Cultivating Greatness
Buoyed by his 2020 milestone year, Bartholomew and his team are poised to register 30% overall sales growth when this year’s receipts are tallied. From a managerial standpoint, it’s a matter of vetting the expectations for performance that he’s set. In the process, helping his managers increase their skill sets and advance their leadership potential can make for the desired win-win outcome.
Bartholomew is active in community organizations, mentoring the young men’s group at his church in addition to his work with the Boy Scouts of America and Ronald McDonald House Charities. Tobin and his wife, Lisa, have been married for 33 years and have four children and seven grandchildren. He serves as a youth sports coach for his grandchildren’s team and enjoys refereeing high school varsity basketball games.
