Starting a security guard company is a great way to make a living. It can be a challenging and rewarding experience, but there are some important steps you need to take in order to get your business off the ground.
Here we will outline the process of starting a security guard company and provide some tips on how to be successful. So if you’re thinking about starting your own security guard business, keep reading!
Steps to Open a Security Guard Company
Before starting your security guard company, the first step is to choose a security business model to start your business in Canada.
As security is a multifaceted business, you can follow several paths. These paths all depend on your personal and professional interests. Here are the four main types of security guard companies you can start:
- Automobile Security
- Event Security
- Home Security
- Personal Security
For your business, the best is to focus on one type of security niche instead of catering to more than one in the market.
The reason is that all these security niches offer plenty of competition, and you want to carve out a path in the market with all your resources available. So it includes your branding using a good marketing plan.
Automobile Security
If you love vehicles, you can focus on providing automobile companies with systems and tools to make their car or a truck safe. It is a gadget-heavy niche! Your company can present dealers with items using the latest technologies like car alarms and biometric locking to security guards to protect significant dealerships.
Event Security
With your business, you present a business model with professional guards for private and public gatherings. Companies hire your guards to manage crowds of people to keep troublemakers away. In addition, you provide guards to monitor exits and entrances and handle emergencies to ensure that attendees remain safe.
Home Security
This is also a considerable market directed at businesses and consumers. It is a lucrative business as companies and homeowners have money tied up in properties. People are willing to spend money to protect families and customers from crime.
With the latest design, you can provide sophisticated technology, making it the heart of home security. Your security guards can provide 24-hour monitoring services with the latest cameras, motion sensors, and alarms installed.
Personal Security
With the security guard service, you can provide clients customized protection, including individuals and groups. Whether part-time or full-time, the guards work as bodyguards to protect them.
Hence, individuals have personal bodyguards to defend them from threats. Clients can range from business leaders, dignitaries, and celebrities, to children. You will use licensed and trained bodyguards you can trust to do the job without supervision.
Determine The Target Market and Obtain Training and Licenses
Once you decide which security guard service you will provide, the next step is to look at your target market for success. For example, you can choose to cater to consumers only, homeowners, individuals, or businesses in different industries.
Alternatively, you can market to businesses and homeowners. Yet, it helps to narrow down your choice to win over some customers when starting.
The next important step as a Canadian security guard company is that you protect property and lives. So, you need the training if you plan to offer a security guard service. In addition, the government requires that all security guards need a license.
While each province has unique requirements on how you can obtain a license. You must register with your solicitor general and pass the pre-approved training courses and exam. In addition, you will need to submit background checks and fingerprints.
If you open a security guard business, you won’t need to go through these steps as an owner. Still, the training and licensing provide insight into protecting others’ lives and property. In addition, the training can help you when the time comes to hire your security guard personnel.
Furthermore, going through the training yourself gives you valuable insight into the security industry’s expertise to make a success of it. If you’re thinking of opening your own company, then there’s a good chance you have this experience already.
Obtaining Your Security Guard Business License
Now that you have your training and decided on the security guard service you want to provide, the next step is to obtain your business license. Before operating in any province, you must apply for your security guard business license.
The business license is suitable for three years. After that, you must register with the province where you plan to open your business. If you plan on a partnership or a corporation, you need at least $1 million in liability insurance.
So, character counts whether you decide to be a sole proprietor or another business entity. In addition, you and your partner must have a clean criminal record with no serious criminal offenses or outstanding charges not pardoned.
Depending on the provisional government, you must provide personal to business documentation. The process can take two weeks to six months to receive your business license.
Investing Your Time in Hiring the Right Security Guards
The crucial part of your security guard business is to hire the correct people to get the job done. You want to have managers with years of experience in your business. Even the staff you hire must pass background checks, a standard requirement when working in the security industry.
The security guards you hire must show they are well-trained with outstanding people skills and have a security guard license with their weapon permits. When your staff gets along well with each other and other people, it reflects back to your business.
Marketing Your Security Guard Company
This is the last step is to get the word out that you have started a security guard company. You may have the best security systems, personnel, and techniques but if you do not have a good business marketing plan, your business will not get far.
The more creative you get with promotions to advertising, the more you will be noticed to gain customers. This needs to go hand-in-hand with professional branding, including your company name, slogan, and logo.
As a security guard company, you need to show that you are trustworthy and professional. Once you have attracted customers, then it’s time to start making money!
