I spent seven years in the United States Army. During that time I was deployed on several peace keeping missions, where I received the National Defense Medal for my service in both the first and second Gulf Wars. It was during my time in the military that I discovered my passion for serving and protecting others. Upon returning home, I still had a strong drive to continue my service to others and began searching for opportunities where I could further utilize that passion to help others.
After 12 years of working as a municipal bond trader, I began looking for a way where I could more directly work to protect and serve others and help my local community. I researched franchising because there are a lot of similarities between the franchise industry and the military, and ultimately I became a franchisee of Surveillance Secure – a commercial security integrator that consults, designs, installs, and supports a full range of enterprise grade technology for commercial clients. I currently own and operate a six-county territory in Greater Philadelphia’s Delaware Valley.
My military background prepared me for business ownership in a variety of ways, one of which was helping me be comfortable with taking risks. Opening a business and becoming your own boss is a huge risk, but my experience in the military helped me analyze the risks I was taking and helped me formulate the necessary steps that needed to be taken to mitigate that risk, and become a successful business owner and franchisee.
Protect and serve
Surveillance Secure is the perfect concept for myself and other military veterans because it provides us with the opportunity to continue that passion for service and protecting others.
Prior to opening my location, I went through Surveillance Secure’s franchisee training program where I learned how to consult with clients about their commercial security needs, design security systems, and install the various different enterprise grade technology options we offer our clients. This training gave me the confidence and foundation from which I could grow my business and protect and serve my clients. The confidence I received from the training program reminded me of the confidence I received from my time in the military, and of the crucial role team building played in a unit’s success. At Surveillance Secure, we are building a team that supports and assists our clients and one another, and having that military background greatly aids in helping me understand when I need to be a leader for my team.
Support and Structure
As a military veteran, I recall the structure of life in the military, and much of that structure is similar to owning a franchise.
Franchising oftentimes is described as a “turn-key business model.” While opening a business of course is a large undertaking and requires in-depth research, having a franchisor like Surveillance Secure that provides the necessary structure and a business plan to follow is a major asset to have for small business owners. I selected Surveillance Secure because their model had a record of success in the commercial security market, and they had a plan in place that I could follow to ultimately become my own boss and run a successful franchise location. Becoming a franchisee of Surveillance Secure was a decision I made not only because of my passion for protecting and serving others, but also because of the support the brand offers. Surveillance Secure offers franchisees centralized customer support and scheduling, which allows franchisees to focus on running their businesses, forging new client relationships, and continuing to grow their system.
Industry stability
As military veterans, we are trained to adapt to our circumstances and develop plans to help us chart the best path forward. COVID-19 has changed the business landscape for many industries, and while some categories have struggled to adapt to this new reality, others, like the security industry, have seen a drastic increase in demand.
Traditionally, businesses tend to look at security technology through the lens of loss prevention or asset protection. While that absolutely is a major function of security systems and technology, the COVID-19 pandemic has helped people understand and recognize the true versatility of their security systems.
Surveillance Secure has continued to provide end users with high quality, enterprise-grade technology that they are utilizing to protect their employees and customers in ways that surpass the traditional use of security technology. For example, we have been installing thermal cameras that can identify someone who has a fever, or make sure people are wearing masks before being granted access to a building. Surveillance Secure has also been installing no-touch access controls to minimize high-risk touchpoints in buildings (door handles, keypads, etc.). All of this technology has helped Surveillance Secure continue to protect customers and employees while continuing to serve our clients.
Military veterans are loyal, skilled, dedicated, and incredibly hard-working individuals that any company would be lucky to employ. I encourage veterans to take the risk like I did and to use those skills to put together a plan on how they can become their own bosses. Becoming a franchisee of a brand like Surveillance Secure provides the perfect structure for military veterans to showcase how their military backgrounds have perfectly prepared them to become successful business owners.