Entry & Exit - Inside the Security & Fire Industry

Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble
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Entry & Exit is a podcast about building, scaling, and exiting security and fire businesses. Hosts Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble share their journey growing Alarm Masters through acquisitions and organic growth, along with the lessons they’ve learned along the way. From recurring revenue strategies to sales, operations, and M&A, Entry & Exit gives business owners and entrepreneurs an inside look at what it takes to succeed in the security industry. Whether you’re starting your first company, growing past the owner-operator stage, or thinking about an eventual exit, you’ll find practical insights and real stories to guide your path.

  1. 5 天前

    Your RMR Is Leaking — Here’s How We Fix It

    Getting that sweet, sweet RMR under contract is only good… if you can keep it. Most security and life safety companies obsess over selling monitoring and stacking new accounts. But the best operators know the real game is retention — because attrition kills cash flow, collections, and enterprise value. In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble (Alarm Masters, Houston) break down the customer success systems they built to protect RMR: first-call resolution, zero missed calls, tighter case handling, better onboarding, and a knowledge base that turns your team into a force multiplier. They also explain why customer success is bigger than “customer support” — billing, contract admin, and every post-sale touchpoint either reinforces trust… or quietly pushes customers toward a competitor. If you run a security, alarm, fire, or life safety company, this episode is a tactical playbook for keeping more of the RMR you already earned. What You’ll Learn Why RMR isn’t real until it’s retainedThe difference between customer support vs. customer successHow first-call resolution and being reachable reduce churnA simple way to track repeat issues (the “red account” approach)How virtual / remote team members can handle most Tier 1 requestsConnect Stephen Olmon — https://x.com/stephenolmon Collin Trimble — https://x.com/TXAlarmGuy More Entry & Exit — https://www.entryandexit.co/ Owned and Operated New Episodes Every Wednesday! Subscribe For More

    36 分鐘

  2. 2月11日

    The RMR Playbook for Alarm, Security, and Fire Businesses

    In this episode of Entry & Exit, hosts Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble (Alarm Masters, Houston) break down how security, alarm, fire, and life safety companies can shift from a project-first mindset to an RMR-first operating model—without slowing sales, damaging culture, or killing momentum. They explain why installs should be treated as the onboarding experience to recurring monthly revenue, not the finish line—and how to build discipline around selling monitoring, cloud solutions, inspections, and service agreements on every job. From sales compensation and KPIs to vendor strategy and customer onboarding, this episode is a tactical guide to building a healthier, more valuable, and more resilient security business—even if you’re not planning to sell anytime soon. If you run a security, alarm, fire, or life safety company, this episode lays out a clear blueprint for turning installs into long-term cash flow and enterprise value. You’ll learn: Why RMR is the foundation of a healthy security businessHow to make recurring revenue the goal, not an afterthoughtWhy installs should always lead to monitoring, service, or expansionThe RMR metrics that actually matter (RMR per install dollar, revenue mix, lines per customer)How diversified RMR (cloud video, access control, managed services) reduces churnThe operational discipline required to scale subscriptions without chaosWhy buyers and owners value RMR so highly during downturns and exitsConnect Stephen Olmon: https://x.com/stephenolmon Collin Trimble: https://x.com/TXAlarmGuy More Entry & Exit: https://www.entryandexit.co/ Owned and Operated New Episodes Every Wednesday! Subscribe For More

    34 分鐘

  3. 2月4日

    How Great Sales Reps Win Deals: Budget, Authority, and Urgency

    How do you improve your sales reps without turning them into product-pitch robots? In this episode of Entry & Exit, hosts Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble (Alarm Masters, Houston) break down the core philosophy behind consultative selling: better discovery, better questions, and better qualification. Fresh off their sales kickoff (SKO), they share the frameworks and drills they use to help reps uncover budget, reach decision-makers (authority), find the compelling event, and confidently ask for the business—without overpromising or losing integrity. If you’re running a security, alarm, life safety, or service business, this is a practical playbook for building a sales team that closes more of the opportunities they pursue. In This Episode, You’ll Learn: Discovery vs. demos: why great reps win with questions, not featuresConsultative selling: listening, probing, and guiding the processBudget conversations: anchor pricing and avoiding surprise objectionsThe compelling event: “Why now?” and how urgency impacts dealsSales training that sticks: role plays, Watch–Do–Teach, and coaching🔗 Connect Stephen Olmon — https://x.com/stephenolmon Collin Trimble — https://x.com/TXAlarmGuy More Entry & Exit — https://www.entryandexit.co/ Owned and Operated New Episodes Every Wednesday! Subscribe For More

    36 分鐘

  4. 1月28日

    The Financial Cleanup You Need Before You Buy or Sell a Business

    Most service businesses don’t fail because they lack growth—they fail because their financial systems break under scale. In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the real-world lessons they’re learning while cleaning up their financials during rapid growth. From cash vs. accrual accounting to inventory control, job costing, and RMR reporting, this episode explains what actually matters when lenders, buyers, or equity partners start asking questions. If you plan to acquire businesses, raise debt, bring on equity, or eventually sell, this conversation will help you avoid painful (and expensive) mistakes. What You’ll Learn: When cash accounting works—and when accrual becomes unavoidableWhy being “accrual-ish” causes major financial problemsHow poor inventory and purchasing controls destroy marginsWhat senior lenders and buyers expect in your financialsHow to track RMR adds, attrition, transfers, and roll-forwardsWhy clean financials give you leverage and optionalityThis episode is essential listening for security, alarm, and service-based business owners scaling past the $3M–$10M range. 🔗 Connect Stephen Olmon Collin Trimble Owned and Operated New Episodes Every Wednesday! Subscribe For More

    41 分鐘

  5. 1月21日

    How Smart Security Companies Scale Past $3M: KPIs, Talent, and Budget Discipline

    Most security & life-safety companies don’t get stuck because they lack hustle—they get stuck because they lack measurement. In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble (Alarm Masters, Houston) walk through their 2026 planning process: how they set revenue/RMR/EBITDA goals, translate them into departmental KPIs, and use actuals vs. budget to decide when to invest, when to cut, and how to avoid “hope-based” growth. They unpack why so many firms stall around $3M in revenue (comfort + underinvestment), why “Talent Wins” became a non-negotiable, and how to think about emerging trends like AI the right way—starting with a solid tech foundation and the right people before chasing shiny tools. You’ll also hear the core scorecard metrics they track across sales, marketing, finance, operations, and M&A, plus practical homework you can apply immediately in your own business. 🔗 Connect Stephen Olmon Collin Trimble More Entry & Exit  Owned and Operated New Episodes Every Wednesday! Subscribe For More

    47 分鐘

  6. 1月14日

    How to Scale a Sales Team in Security (What Actually Works)

    How do you scale a sales team inside a security or life-safety business—without hiring too fast, burning cash, or building a “hope-based” sales org? In this episode of Entry & Exit, hosts Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the exact framework they’ve used at Alarm Masters to grow from founder-led selling to a six-person sales team—and the systems that make it repeatable. They cover quota math (3–5x coverage), segmented sales roles (hunters vs. farmers), the KPIs that prevent surprises, and why face-to-face wins in this industry. You’ll also get real-world guidance on hiring, ramp expectations, building playbooks, and how to design your sales process around a clear value proposition—so your reps don’t default to discounting when pressure hits. Plus, they share quick updates on what’s happening at Alarm Masters, including new add-ons and expansion plans across Texas. What You’ll Learn When to hire the next salesperson: The “pay for the next rep” principle (and how to apply it without waiting a full year)Quota math that actually works: Why 3–5x OTE coverage matters—and a simple way to think about itSegmented sales strategy: Why you shouldn’t expect one rep to do everything (and the roles to hire first)Hunters vs. farmers (install base): The difference between new-logo selling and expanding existing accountsLeading indicators & KPIs: Pipeline coverage, close rate, average deal size, conversion rates, and sales cycle lengthThe gospel of face-to-face: Why more in-person time increases win rate and reduces attritionSales process + value prop alignment: How “we’re the Chick-fil-A of security” shapes the entire sales motionPractical ops reminders: Contract audits, customer communication, and why intentionality beats hoping it works🔗 Connect Stephen Olmon Collin Trimble More Entry & Exit  Owned and Operated New Episodes Every Wednesday! Subscribe For More

    44 分鐘

  7. 1月7日

    Buying a Business? Don't Make These Mistakes in the First 90 Days

    Avoid expensive post-close mistakes by running a calm, disciplined first 90 days after acquiring a security or life-safety business. In this episode of Entry & Exit, hosts Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down what actually happens after you close—and why most buyers hurt themselves by moving too fast. Drawing from real acquisitions (and real scars), they lay out a practical “stabilize first, optimize later” playbook: how to earn trust with a new team, avoid culture-killing moves, protect licenses and compliance, and lock down customer relationships before you start changing systems, comp, pricing, or process. You’ll hear the biggest early-stage mistakes (the ones they made), plus the specific moves they now treat as non-negotiables: meet your top customers, over-communicate the transition, centralize logins, audit contracts, and use the seller’s knowledge before it disappears. What You’ll Learn The 90-Day Mindset: Why your #1 job is to be the world’s best employee first—not the hero CEO on day oneTeam & Culture Traps: How arrogance, fast firings, and premature promotions create attrition (and how to lead with humility)Stabilize Before You Optimize: Which operational “improvements” (tech stack, process, comp, parties/bonuses) backfire if you rush themCustomer Protection Plan: How to identify your top customers, meet them early, and prevent churn through over-communicationOperational Risk & Compliance: License/CEU gotchas that can bite you when you’re distracted by integration workPost-Close Hygiene: Passwords/logins, contract cleanup, and why “we’ll get it later” becomes months of painPricing & Branding Decisions: Why you shouldn’t raise prices (or kill the acquired brand) in the first 90 daysHomework Framework: Build your “do / don’t” list and keep your first 10 priorities mostly learning, not change🔗 Connect Stephen Olmon — https://x.com/stephenolmon Collin Trimble — https://x.com/TXAlarmGuy More Entry & Exit — https://www.entryandexit.co/ Owned and Operated New Episodes Every Wednesday! Subscribe For More

    42 分鐘

  8. 2025/12/31

    Due Diligence After LOI: The First 7 Days That Prevent Post-Close Surprises

    Avoid expensive post-close surprises by mastering the first seven days after signing an LOI. In this episode of Entry & Exit, hosts Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble deliver a brutally practical due diligence playbook for buying a security or life-safety business. Drawing from real acquisitions, they break down exactly how to run diligence without chaos—and why skipping steps almost always shows up later as lost revenue, integration pain, or legal risk. This episode walks through a real-world due diligence checklist, focusing on what to request immediately, where buyers most often get blindsided, and how to protect yourself before money changes hands. What You’ll Learn The Week 1 Protocol: The specific diligence requests you must make immediately to uncover key-person risk and owner dependency Financial Deep Dive: Why quality of earnings analysis and RMR audits are non-negotiable in security and alarm acquisitions Legal Pitfalls: Purchase agreement strategy (Asset Purchase vs. Stock Sale), assignability issues, and spotting “tribal knowledge” gaps Risk Management: How customer concentration and undocumented arrangements should impact deal structure and walk-away thresholds Whether you’re evaluating acquisition due diligence for a small alarm company or a multi-branch integrator, this episode breaks down the real cost of rushing diligence—and how disciplined buyers avoid it. 🔗 Connect Stephen Olmon Collin Trimble More Entry & Exit  Owned and Operated New Episodes Every Wednesday! Subscribe For More

    47 分鐘
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簡介

Entry & Exit is a podcast about building, scaling, and exiting security and fire businesses. Hosts Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble share their journey growing Alarm Masters through acquisitions and organic growth, along with the lessons they’ve learned along the way. From recurring revenue strategies to sales, operations, and M&A, Entry & Exit gives business owners and entrepreneurs an inside look at what it takes to succeed in the security industry. Whether you’re starting your first company, growing past the owner-operator stage, or thinking about an eventual exit, you’ll find practical insights and real stories to guide your path.

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