Techy Geek and the Keys to the Kingdom
Within a couple of years with the Security company, myself and Dave grew it to a £2 million/year turnover taking on all manner of contracts.
The manned guarding contracts became the backbone of the business, and we also got into key holding and response jobs, jobs that the “big brands” didn’t want because they were logistically low-margin.
We went from strength to strength and set up a Technical Security section, installing alarms and CCTV…now these had good margins…but…
…I got called to the office to speak with Dave. It was not an unusual event as we often got together to discuss the contracts we had and the ones we were tendering for.
The subject of the conversation revolved around the Tech department and its poor financials…and this came as a massive surprise to me knowing a bit about the costs of equipment and that it was only a small team of engineers.
Dave digressed a little in the conversation and asked me about my understanding of the Tech world as it was at that point…he knew I had been a “Techy Geek” for many years…
The conversation eventually returned to the Tech department and the fact that “they”, the Directors, felt the manager they had in place wasn’t fully capable…and then a long silence…
“Do, you plan to move him on and recruit?” I asked.
“Ermmm…no…but given your abilities and how you have been a core part of the advancement of the business…we want you to go in and look at the processes. Dig into the paperwork…because we know you are also really good with admin stuff…and we will see what you come out with” he responded.
“Ah…I see…and what about Operations…is there someone to cover me while I do this?”
“No, because of the poor financials of Tech, we need you to run it alongside…well at least for now…until it turns a corner”.
“When?”
“Today. I have told the manager you will be looking at the department from this afternoon and he should offer you as much assistance as possible…you already know the guys on the ground, especially as you recruited them, so drop down there and see what you can find.”
Well, this was going to be fun, but hey I might be able to help somehow and maybe get the assessment of the paperwork done in a short time…
…nah, that wasn’t going to happen, was it?
The Tech Manager was a nice guy, heck I employed him so…lol
…however, paperwork clearly wasn’t his thing. He had a solid background in technical installs of CCTV and alarms having worked with a national company in the city.
Within days I highlighted the department was running at a £26k loss, a big chunk of change!
There were many incidences of suppliers locking us out as we hadn’t paid within 30 days or not giving us the scope for margin on the products.
The installs, those the team had up and running, were all technically sound but the guys on the ground were not keeping track of their paperwork and therefore some customers were not even being charged…oops!
So, what happened next?
The Tech Manager went into the fold, onto the install team and…
…I became the Tech manager…oh and still the Ops Manager, HR Manager and Logistics Manager…yup!
Within a couple of months, I got the department out of its financial hole and made it a profitable concern. Lots of personal visits to customers and meetings with suppliers bringing them back on board.
My home life had become non-existent but I got a buzz out of both the progress of the business and my direct involvement with the technical side.
Things were about to change AGAIN!
Dave employed an Assistant Operations Manager…for me, this was a positive as it eased my triple responsibilities a bit.
At that point, we were, as mentioned earlier, covering some key holding jobs around the city and that was going well and mostly was overseen by the Controllers.
However, a large National Keyholding company had started to talk to us about our ability to cover some of their contracts in the area. Their nearest patrol base was Leeds and whilst that isn’t a million miles from Hull, response times were out of the window and they didn’t want to set up another office in Hull.
Now, Dave, had a mate, a guy he knew from the Army and apparently he was “between jobs”…he recruited him as Keyholding Manager. Sound good? Well, the guy needed some guidance on what, where and how, plus the Nationals keyholding in our area was into the hundreds…more long days and overnight involvement.
But, we got there. Extra Patrol and Response drivers, extra vehicles, setting up the safekeeping and management of the extra key holding contracts and an agreed financial interaction between the companies so we all made money.
My work continued to consume me but my wife seemed happy with the stability of both of our wages going into the household.
The new house was great and when and where I could I made decorative changes. The boys had their own bedrooms for when they visited and the arrangement for joint custody between my ex-wife and I seemed to be going fairly well.
It was a strain, I can’t lie, but overall it felt like things were going well and my future employment was secure…
…perhaps!
Until Next Time
Next Time: Heads Will Roll!
Some more of my FREE Newsletters:
