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
62 episodes
80% of Our Leads Come From Service: What We’ve Been Missing
Service might be one of the most undervalued revenue opportunities in the security industry.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down why they’re changing the way they think about service revenue in...
How We Grew a Security Company From $2M to $12M
Going from $2 million to $12 million didn’t come from one big breakthrough.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble zoom out on the last three and a half years of growing Alarm Masters and break down the bigg...
We Made 11 Acquisitions. Here’s the Playbook That Finally Worked
Alarm Masters is expanding across Texas.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down two strategic acquisitions, their partnership with Platinum Technologies, and how they’re taking the growth playbook...
The BEST Lead Source for Security Companies
The best lead source for your security business might be simpler than you think: get face-to-face with your customers.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down why in-person prospecting has become o...
Why Every Growing Security Business Needs a Finance Leader
Growing a security business gets harder when the financial side of the company can’t keep up.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down why Alarm Masters hired a Director of Finance and the lessons t...
How AI Agents Are Changing the Way We Run Our Business
AI employees aren’t the future; they’re already doing real work inside Alarm Masters.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the digital employees they’ve built to handle estimating, prospecting, ...
How We Make Our Sales Team More Productive (And How You Can Too)
Your salespeople should be selling, not spending half their week building proposals, updating the CRM, and scheduling appointments.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down how Alarm Masters is simp...
Should You Buy or Build Your First Security Company?
Security companies can look incredible on paper; but not all recurring revenue is created equal.In this special collaborative episode of Entry & Exit, Jack from JackQuisitions breaks down the security industry and the 1...
Why Traditional Alarm Companies Are Dying
The traditional alarm company is changing fast.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble explain why independent alarm companies are facing increasing pressure from industry consolidation, evolving cu...
From ChatGPT to AI Agents: How We're Using AI to Transform Our Business
Most business owners are still using AI like a smarter search engine. They're missing where the real leverage begins.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble pull back the curtain on their AI journey, ...
AI Won't Replace Security Companies. But It Will Change Them.
AI isn't coming for the security industry, but it is coming for companies that refuse to adapt.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble explain why AI is becoming the biggest competitive advan...
Your Service Department Is Your Best Salesperson
The best sales strategy might not come from your sales team. It might come from your service department.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the playbook Alarm Masters uses to turn routine serv...
The Leadership Hires That Actually Scale a Service Business
Building a great service business requires more than hiring great technicians. It requires building the right leadership team.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble share how they've approached key leadersh...
When to Fire a Customer (And When to Fight for Them)
Difficult customers are inevitable. Losing great customers because you handled the situation poorly doesn't have to be.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the systems they use to handle custom...
Why Paying Salespeople More Makes Security Companies More Profitable
Paying your sales team more sounds risky, until you realize it can actually make your business more profitable.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the compensation strategies that att...
The Security Industry's Best Lead Generation Channel Right Now
Paid ads can be one of the fastest ways to grow a security company—or one of the fastest ways to waste money.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the paid advertising channels security...
Security Is Becoming an IT Business. Here's Why
IT Is Taking Over Security and Most Integrators Aren’t Ready.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble discuss one of the biggest shifts happening in the security industry: the rise of IT as the primary decisi...
Our Biggest Takeaways from ESX 2026
Technology is changing fast, and the security industry is being forced to keep up.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble recap ESX and share their biggest takeaways from the conference floor. They discuss t...
AI for Service Teams: Scheduling, Notes & More Revenue
Your technicians don't need to sell more, they need to collect better information.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble share how they're using AI to improve service operations at Alarm Masters. From autom...
AI Tools That Make Sales Teams More Productive
Your sales team shouldn't be spending their time updating CRMs, building quotes, or chasing down information.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the AI tools they're using at Alarm Masters to ...
AI SDRs Are Overhyped: How We Actually Use AI to Generate Leads
Everyone is talking about AI sales agents—but most of the hype doesn't match reality.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble share how they're actually using AI at Alarm Masters to find buying signals, gener...
How We’re Growing EBITDA, Expanding Markets, and Fixing Bottlenecks
Growth solves a lot of problems—but it also creates new ones.In this Founder Series episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble share a candid update on Alarm Masters' growth in 2026. They break down what's drivi...
The Hidden Cost of Hiring B Players
Most companies don’t stall because of bad strategy. They stall because they tolerate B players for too long.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the hidden cost of hiring “good enough” talent —...
The Biggest Lessons From Our Second Year as Owners
Most operators think scaling comes down to process. But the real unlock is talent.In this episode of Founder’s Story, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the lessons from year two of operating Alarm Masters — including the...
Why Your Business Depends Too Much on You
Most businesses don’t stall because of strategy. They stall because everything depends on the owner.In this episode of Entry & Exit, Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble break down the hidden cost of founder dependency — why owners becom...