We’re willing to wager that, at least sometimes, your job feels like like two jobs. Wear different hats. Do more with less. Sound familiar? If you run your own business, this will hit even closer to home.
Being a business owner is an honor, whether it’s a local shop or a global enterprise. The road to get there is twisty and bumpy, and once you do, the work can be overwhelming — especially for small business owners who have sole responsibility day-to-day. You face many of the same challenges and risks as a large company, only with less people and resources to address them.
Truth be told, there’s nothing small about your workload when you run a small business.
What if something could be taken off your plate, like security? Better yet, what if you could find a smart security system that could not only help you protect your pride and joy — your business — but help you run it?
You probably already know that business security helps protect against intrusion and burglary — and don’t worry, we’ll cover that straight away. But there’s so many more benefits that may not be as obvious, and they’re worth their weight in gold.
Simply put, smart security helps you run your small business like a boss. Here’s how.
Helps protect your investment
All that hard work we just talked about is worth it at the end of the day. But the threat of break-ins, vandalism, and loss loom large, and the impact can be sizeable:
Shrinkage — or loss of inventory related to theft, shoplifting, error, or fraud — cost retail businesses $46.8 billion in 2018.
The name of the game is being proactive, not reactive. When a business owner chooses not to take steps to protect their investment, it’s like shoving their valuables into an unlocked safe and walking away, fingers crossed.
We propose a different strategy: Invest in your investment with a professionally installed, professionally monitored smart business security system.
Look for a security company like Guardian Protection who can connect your business with 24-hour state-of-the-art monitoring centers that run like well-oiled machines. At Guardian, our highly-accredited monitoring centers are fully owned and operated by our own people, right here in the U.S. Our protection specialists are rigorously trained and can respond to your site’s alarm in seconds. (They’re also pretty great folks, just by the way.)
Expertly installed sensors can signal both you and your security company’s monitoring center if there is an unauthorized entry or break-in. The monitoring center will notify the authorities if necessary, so even if you’re on vacation, your site can get the help it needs. You can even send a silent panic signal directly from your phone if there is a robbery or another emergency.
Helps you keep tabs on the go
What’s going on at my business? What’s happening when I can’t be there?
Stop wondering and just know. Guardian’s small business solution gives you real-time mobile alerts that keep you in touch whether you are on-location or away. Set up customized notifications and get text alerts for specific activity, such as:
- When system is armed or disarmed
- Who on your staff is arming or disarming
- Any after-hours entry
- Propped-open doors
- Open and close times
- Power failures
…And more! What questions keep you up at night? Chances are, there’s an alert for that.
Helps you protect your employees
Protecting your team is a big responsibility, and employees who feel safe at work are happier, more engaged, and more productive. A smart security system takes some of that weight off your shoulders, providing an additional layer of security for your employees. It implies protection, that ownership cares, and provides the peace of mind that’s essential for a happy workforce.
Fixed and remote panic buttons are a great security option and an easy way to call for help, particularly for employees who spend time on site alone. Fixed buttons can be placed at the cash register or front desk, and remote panic buttons can be carried with the employee if they are going to be at a remote workstation or in a secluded area of the business (like a walk-in fridge, the back office, or an inventory space).
And beyond that, smart business security…
Helps you manage your employees
Even if you’re running the A-Team, overseeing staff will always be part of the gig for small business owners. And the cost of employee-related shrink is no joke. According to NRF’s survey, the average dollar loss per dishonest employee is $1,264.10. It’s estimated that companies lose around 5% of their annual revenue to employee fraud and abuse, and small businesses get hit the hardest. Research reveals that employee abuse does the most damage in companies with less than 100 employees.
Smart security systems can help you control employees access and keep tabs on activity when you’re not around. Is someone on the team opening late and closing early? You’ll know right away with those real-time mobile alerts we just talked about. Need to make some personnel changes in a hurry? No problem. You can assign unique security access codes to employees, and codes can be added, deleted, and adjusted instantly, from anywhere.
No one wants to feel like Big Brother, and a security system provides a pretty elegant solution. You can check in discreetly, even if you’re sitting on the couch at home.
Tailored to your business needs
Nothing about running a business is one-size-fits-all; that’s why we don’t offer standard small business security packages at Guardian Protection. You don’t necessarily want (or need) the exact same equipment as the shop next door, and our experts recognize those nuances. Go with a security company that offers professional installation and designs solutions based on the needs of your location.
For example, if you have multiple employees, it may be appropriate to design a system that gives different workers different levels of access. One way to do this is by partitioning.
A partition is a separate section of an alarm system that can be controlled independently from other areas. This means one section of your business can be disarmed (like the front door) while another section is armed (like the back office). So, if part-time cashier Johnny is restricted from entering the office that houses the safe, you can arm that partition when he’s on-site alone.
Or, if you want to keep it simple, we can install a smart sensor on the office door or the safe itself to notify you when someone opens them.
Guardian’s technicians help businesses of all sizes. We’ll do a thorough evaluation of your site and talk through your day-to-day operations. The result? You get the equipment you need, placed where you need it.
Not sure what products you to need to help secure your business?
Take our small business quiz to find the equipment that’s right for you.
Spot and halt potential problems in their tracks
Hindsight is 2020, but who has time for that?
Again, we want to be proactive, not reactive. Smarter video and real-time alerts give you instant awareness, allowing you to zero in on an issue quickly and take action. Working as a fully-integrated solution, your system can capture an incident on camera, send you a mobile alert with a timestamp notifying you an incident occurred, and then allow you to jump to footage of that incident for further inspection — rather than digging endlessly through hours of footage.
Whether it’s a vandal kid who wants to be Banksy, a stray cat who is obsessed with your trash cans, or something more nefarious, smart security helps you spots potential problems before they become bigger, more expensive problems.
Start protecting your business with smart security today
It’s hard to articulate the relationship between a boss and their business (but we’ll try). It’s exhilarating, and sometimes exhausting. It’s challenging, but incredibly rewarding. It may be frustrating at times, but at the end of the day, it’s worth it. It’s beautiful, because it’s yours — and we can help you protect it.
Learn more about Guardian’s small business security solutions here or call 1.800.PROTECT (1.800.776.8328) to talk about the system that’s right for you.
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