Tom was quite a handyman. He was an electrician, a plumber and mostly a landscaper. He had the tools and he knew how to use them. After a career as a pastor, an insurance salesman and a Jewel Tea man, Tom decided to start his own business. Because he did the kind of jobs that most people would do themselves in the days gone by but most no longer had the time or knowledge to do, Tom chose the slogan "Let Tom do it" and he featured this simple phrase on his business cards.

The sign shown here is very similar to his "Let Tom do it" business card, except for the "rototilling". The date of this recently discovered slide makes it contemporary with his card, but it is unclear if the sign inspired the card or if it was the other way around. Of course, rototilling wasn't the only thing Tom did, but he was very proud of his Troybilt "tiller".

Tom continued to use the slogan even long after he had given out the last of his "Let Tom do it" business cards. It is not surprising that he got a vanity license plate for his pickup featuring the shortened form "tomdoit" This phrase is often misunderstood to this day and the plate earned him some odd looks from elderly ladies who thought he was a "dirty old man"

After using it on two different trucks, Tom eventually gave up his "vanity" plate, but by then the phrase "Tomdoit" had worked its way into many other parts of his life.