Entry & Exit - Inside the Security & Fire Industry
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.
Episodes
36 episodes
Security Company Marketing That Actually Works in 2026 (SEO, AI & Lead Generation)
Most security companies are still marketing like it’s 2015. The best operators are already adapting to AI search, modern SEO, and smarter outbound systems.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down t...
Founder’s Journey: The First 90 Days After Buying a Business
Most people dream about buying a business. The first 90 days show you what ownership actually feels like.In this episode of Entry & Exit: Founder’s Journey, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the chaotic first three m...
How to Scale Your Business with AI (Without Replacing Your Team)
AI won’t replace your team — but it will make them dramatically more effective.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down how they’re using AI to scale a security business — from simple tools ...
How We Bought a Security Company (And Why It Was the Perfect Industry)
In this episode of Entry & Exit — part of the Founders Story Series, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble walk through how they went from software and small business experiments to acquiring their first security company — and why the i...
Why Security Is the Perfect Industry for High-Ticket Sales
Most trades sell one thing. Security sells four — and that changes everything.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down why the security industry is uniquely built for high-ticket sales — and how op...
Greenfield vs. Acquisition: How to Scale a Security Business the Smart Way
A security business doesn’t just grow one way — it’s built through smart expansion, whether that’s buying, building, or blending both.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the real tradeoffs bet...
$100K Security System Breakdown: Cameras, Access Control & More
$100K Security Installs: Where the Money Actually GoesBurglar alarms aren’t the whole story anymore—and they’re definitely not $100K.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down ...
How to Close High-Ticket Deals Using Sales Psychology
Sales isn’t about talking more—it’s about understanding why people say yes.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the sales psychology behind closing high-ticket deals—especially in indu...
Why Burglar Alarms Are Dying (And What’s Replacing Them)
Burglar alarms aren’t dead—but they are being replaced.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down how AI, video, and access control are reshaping the security industry—and why traditi...
The Exact Security Tech Stack We’d Use to Scale to $10M
If you’re building a security business, the biggest mistake isn’t picking the wrong tools—it’s building a stack that doesn’t scale.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the ultimate “god mode” s...
Is AI Replacing Security Operators? (ISC West Breakdown)
If you’re in the security or life safety industry, the biggest shift happening right now isn’t incremental—it’s foundational.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the biggest takeaways from ISC ...
The Exit Playbook: How to Structure a Business Sale for Maximum Value
If you’re thinking about selling your security or life safety business, the biggest mistake isn’t timing—it’s misunderstanding your options.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down ...
How to Prioritize Growth: A Roadmap for Scaling or Selling Your Service Business
If you’re trying to grow a security or life safety business, working harder isn’t always the answer. More often, the real bottleneck is structure.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the roadma...
AI + International Talent: The Hidden Lever Behind Fast-Growing Service Businesses
If you’re trying to scale a security, alarm, or fire business… the biggest unlock might not be more techs or more sales.It might be how you structure your team.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and...
If You’re in Sales, Watch This (How Top Reps Actually Win Deals)
If Your Sales Team Is Busy but Still Missing Quota, This Is Why Most sales reps don’t have an activity problem. They have a process problem.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble of Alar...
How We’d Spend $50K on Marketing in 2026
If You Had $50K to Grow Your Business, Where Would You Spend It?If someone handed you $50,000 to grow your company today… where would you put it?Paid ads? SEO? Cold outbound? Sponsorships?In this episode ...
How to Turn Your Service Department Into a High-Margin Revenue Engine
Waiting for things to break is not a growth strategy.Most security and life safety companies rely on inbound service calls and hope the phone rings. But the operators who win treat service like a measurable, trackable, and proactive reve...
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 — beca...
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-firs...
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 phil...
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...
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 Mast...
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 Trim...
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 ac...
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 buyin...