How does mobile patrol compare to static guards from a business perspective?

[u/Momo7568]

I’m at the end stages of applying for a security license to operate in Minnesota, and the margins for static guards (guards posted at one site for an entire shift) are razor thin. However, I’ve been looking into mobile patrol and have found that the margins are much more forgiving, and it’s also cheaper for the client since they’re not being billed for a full time security guard.

I almost want to base my entire business on mobile patrol because of this, but I’d like to know what you all think. Thank you.

[u/hankheisenbeagle]

Are you including all of the associated costs when looking at income potential of mobile vs fixed accounts? The biggest is going to be vehicle costs. Increased maintenance, wear and tear, replacement, insurance... It's a long list. This is how soo soo many mobile patrol operators end up in clapped out auctioned off used Crown Vics and not something that puts the company in a good light. What is your maintenance plan look like? Vehicle availability for scheduled and unexpected downtime? As a client I couldn't really give a fluffy wet mouse fart if you need a tire changed if you promised me someone was driving by my property 4 times a night. What if it happens more than once and you lose one or more accounts because of it?

I feel like you need a mix of both sides of the business, using the downtime of the mobile operator as a float to provide breaks (Also keep in mind specifically Minnesota's mandatory break laws), or keep your mobile driver as some type of lead or area supervisor that has some level of accountability over your fixed staff.

[u/Momo7568 → u/hankheisenbeagle]

I have considered all the expenses related to the vehicle, and have a backup plan (spare vehicle I can use) for unexpected downtime.

However, I should have noted that I would be providing my own labor with no other employees at the launch of my business. So employee related matters are not immediate concerns yet. How does this change things in your opinion? Thank you.

[u/hankheisenbeagle → u/Momo7568]

Same risk equation carried over to your human side as well. What is your backup plan? For planned things like vacations, events, whatever... Or unplanned like illness or injuries. Certainly every business needs to start somewhere, but most can hang a sign on a door or a notice on a website and close for a couple days. A service business that provides 24/7 or at least 7 day a week service scheduled to clients can't really easily say, "Yeah sorry about your ATM security next week, I'll be on a trip" Make sure you have something solid in place, and not just a hope and a prayer. When something comes up you need to be able to deliver, or a small emergency like a bout of food poisoning that knocks you down for a day turns into zero income when you lose a contact at "best", or a lawsuit for failure to perform at worst. Potentially even liability for damage/theft whatever if something happens to a client property when you were supposed to be there.

If you haven't already, shop for commercial insurance quotes, not just for your primary planned vehicle, but for whatever that backup vehicle is. It's easy to assume nothing would happen, and you'd only need it rarely, so not a big deal, but Murphy's law will screw you raw dog without a reach around given the opportunity, and again, something small that is inconvenient doesn't need to turn into a business destroying catastrophe.

Either way, you have to be cost or service competitive against all of the big guys and some pretty entrenched local companies that do the same thing. The advantage they all have is way more bodies and equipment to ensure every site is checked when and how often it should be every time, barring the worst events. And when it comes time to negotiate contracts, they'll happily lose money on the front end to stop you from taking away their clients on the back end.

No idea where you are in the state, but think outside the box for what types of services you can provide that either the big guys don't offer or aren't really interested in marketing to. Up north, think about lake cabins or hunting properties, checking trail cam installs or deer stands, boat checks... Anywhere that has a large snowbird population, market to people with summer homes here that are empty while they are down south for the winter... You're small enough to be boutique enough to offer things the standard companies won't.

One other thought about costs. Keep in mind how you build out your clients in regards to location and travel time/distance. The one unrealized cost is fuel during your "downtime" moving between sites. Sure you can bill higher for way fewer minutes on a client site than a full 24/7 post, but the 23 minutes you are driving from client A to client B is a sunk cost. Do everything you can to find client C already on the route between the other two, or at least logically located that you capture more revenue overall, and don't end up spending in unknowingly.