Any Advice ?

[truesecurity]

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone has any advice to give when it comes to starting a new electronic security company ?

I have been an engineer for 16 years and have worked my way up from an apprentice to my current position. I do still work for a company as I am only just starting this company now.

I have registered with companies house, and bought a domain name and phone number.

All the companies I have worked for in the last 16 Years were NACOSS or NSI Gold Approved, in my current company I am partially responsible for keeping up with NSI requirements. I realise I wont be able to apply for NSI approval for a while (I do intend to when allowed), but I wonder how many people actually require it these days ?

Any thoughts ???

Thanks.

[arfur mo]

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone has any advice to give when it comes to starting a new electronic security company ?

I have been an engineer for 16 years and have worked my way up from an apprentice to my current position. I do still work for a company as I am only just starting this company now.

I have registered with companies house, and bought a domain name and phone number.

All the companies I have worked for in the last 16 Years were NACOSS or NSI Gold Approved, in my current company I am partially responsible for keeping up with NSI requirements. I realise I wont be able to apply for NSI approval for a while (I do intend to when allowed), but I wonder how many people actually require it these days ?

Any thoughts ???

Thanks.

hi,

a warm welcome these forums and the ranks of the self employed.

i'm (infamously in here i you'll see ) not NSI/SSAIB registered, and traded that way neary 30 years without advertising, so don't be shy.

when i looked into it some time back, if you could prove to have held a mamgerial position i think for 2 years or could prove 5 years in the trade you could apply straight away for silver.

might have changed since but i'm sure James will be along and set you straight.

i would say look into and weigh up the finacial implications early on, there will be some overheads and we are heading for a crunch, those costs and paper work if taken early could drag you down, you will gamble on you registration to outweigh that cost, so you need to think where your clients base will be comming from.

when i started up a lot of my clientel was sons and daughters of my companies customers, workers i spoke to as i serviced and so on. though it would have been real easy, not any direct customers deliberately stolen from the firm i had worked for (scouples can be a real pia).

i had a service area in north london for 5 years, when i took it over was in a right state. initially whem i showed my then new face the disrespect was naked and intense. after a while i got the systems sorted attacking the worst 1st. and tamed the false alarms. got to the point i was welcomed not ignored by originally hostile clients. when i told people to expect a new engineer as i was leaving to start up it cause some shock waves,leter we sent in dammanding the company makes me stay, many said they wanted to move with me as i had been the only one who looked after them properly.

sounds like personal trumpet blowing, for me the drive was a quiet area meant very few calls, i got less moans and more tea with achoccy biscuit - and i got home early as simple as that.

that is the best kind of client to have and cultivate, if you sorted out any nasty company systems, make sure that client knows you going it alone, loiely they will pass on work to you in good will - so use it, they tend to recommend you on endlesly, i still have many originals on my books, and most of their siblings and freinds.

good luck

regs

alan

[wilks121]

Like Arthur, I have worked for myself for 25 years unassociated with any Trade registration knowing my market and the only bit of advise I would pass on is STAY CLOSE TO THE MONEY! Always try to deal with the person who ultimately will pay you and you wont go far wrong.

Wilks

[Guest anguscanplay]

get approved, or spend your time competing with every other engineer "thinking" about setting up on his own (theres a subtle dig there but I doubt you`ll get it) - no brainer really IMO.

however - would I look at starting an alarm company today? no chance.

hope thats put you off (LOL)

Angus

[hpotter]

If your getting a regular wage at the mo, it might be an idea to keep getting it.

I could say now's not the time, but then there never is a good time. Starting from scratch, approved or non approved, it takes golden balls. The only real difference is that approved balls are hallmarked.

[arfur mo]

If your getting a regular wage at the mo, it might be an idea to keep getting it.

I could say now's not the time, but then there never is a good time. Starting from scratch, approved or non approved, it takes golden balls. The only real difference is that approved balls are hallmarked.

mone have got Ovaltine stains - so any good :lol;

Angus dead right about starting up, especially an alarm only company, when i started (and when Angus did possibly) alarms were viewed by most as a secret black art and it was a real skill demanding not only electronic but carpentry and fabrication skills, these days you can buy systems 'off the shelf' at any shed or electrical wholesalers don't forget ebay.

although most of it is just fast buck making low grade kack, you will find yourelf up against those known prices.

so your sales ability will be challenged, selling the fact if you supply and install you are in effect giving an on-site warrenty, the nature and importance of an alarm system means thats potentilly a 24/7 warrenty.

no good saying on friday night as you off to the pub/meal/show to a client with ringing bells "bit busy at the mo - i might pop in on tuesday" just wont go down to well - thats registered or not.

we are in for a tough period, i've found alarms and security work tends to increase. i assume because normally honest upright people feel forced to turn to crime when they lose there jobs rather than be evicted or see thekids go without.

and don't forget, in our trade we need villians to for us to survive, if we caught them all - who would need security?

regs

alan

[lawandorder]

mone have got Ovaltine stains - so any good :lol;

Angus dead right about starting up, especially an alarm only company, when i started (and when Angus did possibly) alarms were viewed by most as a secret black art and it was a real skill demanding not only electronic but carpentry and fabrication skills, these days you can buy systems 'off the shelf' at any shed or electrical wholesalers don't forget ebay.

although most of it is just fast buck making low grade kack, you will find yourelf up against those known prices.

so your sales ability will be challenged, selling the fact if you supply and install you are in effect giving an on-site warrenty, the nature and importance of an alarm system means thats potentilly a 24/7 warrenty.

no good saying on friday night as you off to the pub/meal/show to a client with ringing bells "bit busy at the mo - i might pop in on tuesday" just wont go down to well - thats registered or not.

we are in for a tough period, i've found alarms and security work tends to increase. i assume because normally honest upright people feel forced to turn to crime when they lose there jobs rather than be evicted or see thekids go without.

and don't forget, in our trade we need villians to for us to survive, if we caught them all - who would need security?

regs

alan

Arfur makes a good point here, I first started work for an alarm installer in about 1982, lots of stirkes, lots of poverty in our area. Crime shot up and so did the need for security.

Not sure that I would want to start again on my own now though, the domestic market is less bouyant than it was in the 90s and the commercial market is harder to get in to unless you are NSI/SSAIB.

Having said all that it's like anything else, if you are better than the competition you will survive.

[Guest anguscanplay]

[quote name='lawandorder' post='210906' date='Sep 19 2008, 08:54 PM']Having said all that it's like anything else, if you are better than the competition you will survive.[/quote]


betters one thing, he`ll have to be cheaper too ................

[arfur mo]

betters one thing, he`ll have to be cheaper too ................

not always so Angus, and its part of the 'art' of selling.

present yourself or your product as superior or even bespoke people will pay more for it.

that added value might be in the caring personalised service, the legnths you go to in being clean and tidy in their home/office, simple things showing you care about their possetions by like removing your shoes, having clean over shoes or as i do a pair of house slippers, simply shows a degree of respect for them thats not always forthcomming from am 'on the cards' engineer.

i worked on istal, big house in margereting, as was their habit i handed over to the area service engineer, this buffoon damage a painted wall dragging is rubber sole shoe while getting onto a flat roof via a window to check the sab.

every time anyone went there, that item was brought up, not a word about how reliable, not a word about how neat, not a word about you could not see any wires, not a word about no mess - but the engineers were very careless with that wall.

very valuable lesson learned for later on when i eventually started up imo, it takes forever to get a good name, takes but seconds to get a bad one, a good reputation is forever 'work in progress' or you have already lost it.

regs

alan

[Guest anguscanplay]

not always so Angus, and its part of the 'art' of selling.

20 years ago maybe - today? price