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Dave and Carol Sephton set up Abacus Fire & Security Limited in April 2006. With a background in the security business and experience in engineering, sales and management, Dave had an ideal spread of expertise that could be put to work in his new venture. Carol also has previous experience working in the security industry in the customer care department. The two combined make an excellent team.
Some people might think of the security business as already being overloaded with customer choice. Dave’s company sells, installs, services and maintains burglar alarms, fire detection systems, CCTV and access control systems for commercial and residential customers; it only takes a glance at the local Yellow Pages to know that this is an industry already populated by lots of competitors. So what makes his service any different to what’s already on the market?
“The security industry doesn’t have a terrific image”, says Dave. “It’s well known for letting people down and I simply knew that I could do better than that offered by many of the big companies.” When an opportunity came up to buy a small security business based in Maldon, Dave jumped at the chance knowing that he could transform the way the company did business.
At was at this point Dave realised he would benefit from professional help in setting up the company, marketing himself, and generally planning for the future. A friend had mentioned the Colchester Business Enterprise Agency (Colbea) and Dave was soon enrolled on one of the free ‘Planning Your Business’ courses, which the Agency runs on a regular basis. “In some ways I found I was well prepared, but the course told me all about the stuff that matters when you’re setting up a business. It was professional, packed full of helpful advice, and extremely well run. At the end of it I had a business plan that I could present to the bank and be assured that I was on a solid footing.”
As it happened, Dave set up a bank account for his business but didn’t need to borrow money. From the start he was self-financing and quickly built up the new company, re-branding it but managing to keep its existing customers as well as gain new ones. The very necessary accreditation from the National Security Inspectorate (previously NACOSS) was gained in record time and although only in his eighth month of trading, Dave now employs two people and is looking for another technician. He has recently been successful in gaining a contract with a house-builder for security systems to 250 properties; an indication that his battle to create a reputation for excellence is being won.
Covering a wide area up to the M11 in the west, London in the south and mid Suffolk in the north, Dave has to be ready to deploy all possible time-saving strategies. He’s insistent that his customers come first and that excellent service is what he wants to be known for, but believes that efficiencies in administration can reap rewards. For example, he has purchased a portable printer that plugs into his laptop and can generate a customer invoice whilst he’s still on site. By keeping overheads down and searching for ways to employ best practice, Dave has been able to double the company’s turnover within six months – quite an achievement from a standing start.
For further information about Abacus Fire & Security Ltd, go to www.abacusfas.co.uk
For information about Colbea visit www.colbea.co.uk or phone 01206 548833. Colbea provides free confidential business advice to anyone in the Colchester or Tendring areas thinking about setting up in business, starting out, or already trading. Their fully qualified advisers will help with all practical aspects of being your own boss. Free training courses on business planning are also available.
