Shaun: Jim’s Security Diamond Creek Region, Vic
Joined Jim's Security in 2018.
What were you doing before Joining the Jim's Franchise?
Before I joined Jim’s I was working with a Telstra contractor doing copper fixed-line and ADSL faults. I did that job for two years. Before that, I was over at the Telstra office as part of the TIO escalation team. I decided to move out of that job and onto the tools because I wanted to earn more money, and I’ve been working in this area ever since.
Why did you make the change?
Sorry to be a bit boring, but I wanted to earn more money! In my previous roles I working up to six days but my income was limited to the hourly or job rate set by my employers and this wasn’t enough for me as I have a young family. My friend told me about an opportunity to join Jim’s Security and increase my earning potential, so I decided to give it a go.
Why Jim's Group and why Jim's Security?
Like I mentioned, my mate told me about it. But, before that I didn’t know much about Jim’s Group. All I knew was that it was a big company, so I could trust that the process of starting up and being looked after from the beginning would be reliable. It was reassuring to have had been referred to the company by a friend, and to be familiar with the brand name. If it was a small company, I probably wouldn’t have done it.
Being one of the original members of the Jim’s Security team, I had to take a bit of a leap of faith – but it paid off in the end. Over the last couple of years, we’ve built up a good team of experienced installers in Melbourne, so there’s a lot more support for the new franchisees joining now.
How did you find the start-up phase and did having access to antenna work help?
At first, I won’t lie, the start-up phase was tough – but it was a good learning experience. Initially, I struggled to factor in my expenses properly and I also had to learn through experience and training how to convert leads, and not become too fixated on the ones I’d lost.
During the start-up phase Security jobs were definitely there, but they were sporadic and a bit harder to convert. I might have gotten 3 to 5 Security leads a week, and only converted one or two. In-between I was doing lots of antenna jobs.
Having antenna work was very helpful. The appeal with antennas is that you can quote, convert, do installations and collect money all at once. It’s good for cash flow and when you’re learning to sell antenna work allows you to build up confidence in the sales area. Selling a $300 antenna was a lot easier than selling a $2000-dollar security system.
Although I did a fair bit of Antenna work in the beginning, I gradually phased it out because I prefer the nature of Security work. But, honestly, if someone has a lot experience in the field and they’re really good at selling themselves, they could just jump straight into Security now. But, of course having antennas is a bonus.
Has it been a good financial decision?
It has been. I make about 30% more than I did working for Telstra and I work less hours. I usually do about 3 large jobs a week and maybe a few smaller ones. At Jim’s I definitely don’t work as hard as I used to with the Telstra job, but the work I do here is more challenging technically and physically. I also enjoy the flexibility that I have, because I can take days off as I please.
What advice would you give to someone looking at a franchise with security?
Be prepared to work hard and don’t become too focused on whether you win or lose a lead, after all it’s just one job. There is always heaps of work to be done out there, and more leads will come your way. It is also vital that you are results oriented and prepared to look at the bottom line –keep on top of your expenses, and know how much profit you are making from month to month.
What are your future plans?
I am looking to take on an employee in the future to increase my earning potential. Once I’ve got them set up, I will shift my focus more towards quoting and supervising work, rather than always being on the tools.