Professionalism isn’t branding; it’s operations. In this episode, Jake is joined by several seasoned pros across the industry to break down what “high standards” actually look like in the alarm and security integration world.

From hiring sales reps for character and integrity, to building packages, pricing guardrails, and quote approvals, to tech behaviors as simple as booties + moving blankets, this conversation connects the dots between professional execution and what matters most: customer trust, retention, and long-term RMR.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

✅ How dealers are hiring salespeople around character, ownership, and integrity (not just charisma)
✅ Why “packages/kits” and clear product standards prevent sales-tech conflict
✅ How using the right tools can speed onboarding and reduce quote errors
✅ The 2-layer safeguard that stops bad quotes before they reach the customer
✅ Field professionalism that costs almost nothing but changes everything
✅ Why tech soft skills can be more valuable than speed, and how to measure it
✅ How to use post-install feedback to catch issues before customers quietly churn

Coffee Break With Jake is recorded live every Friday at 11am ET. Join us live or register to attend at https://go.ssandsi.com/coffeebreak

Most alarm systems still deliver the same thing they did decades ago: a binary signal from a door or motion sensor. But customers don’t buy “a signal”; they buy the belief that you’ll stop crime. In this episode, Jake sits down with Wes Usie (Founder/CEO, Guardian Alarm Systems and CHeKT) to unpack why traditional intrusion is hitting a ceiling and why proactive video monitoring is becoming the new standard.

Wes shares what he learned building an alarm company, running a monitoring center, and then building a platform to scale video monitoring. You’ll hear how to sell and price proactive video in the real world, how to reduce false alarms with smarter detection, and why SMB outdoor assets behind a fence might be the biggest untapped opportunity dealers have right now.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

✅ Why “binary door info” won’t meet customer expectations going forward
✅ The real business risk of the 99% false alarm rate
✅ How proactive video changes the game: deterrence before the crime
✅ Why a fence matters (and how it reduces events and improves monitoring outcomes)
✅ How to price video monitoring without getting wrecked by central station event costs
✅ A simple mental shift: stop selling “cameras”; start selling detection devices
✅ A practical on-ramp: self-monitoring + automated deterrence as a baby step into video

Coffee Break With Jake is recorded live every Friday at 11am ET. Join us live or register to attend at https://go.ssandsi.com/coffeebreak

What does it really mean to be unapologetically client-focused in the security industry? In this episode of Coffee Break With Jake, Jake sits down with Marvin Smith, owner of Orlando Emergency Signal, to unpack nearly two decades of lessons on service, culture, and building a brand people trust.

From growing up on a farm with a love for electronics to walking away from Disney to build a security company rooted in values, Marvin shares why attitude, appearance, and accountability matter more than any piece of hardware you install. This conversation is a masterclass in how service failures, when handled right, can become your biggest differentiator.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

✅ Turn service into a competitive advantage that fuels referrals
✅ Transition from solo operator to team leader without losing standards
✅ Set and celebrate milestones without chasing a moving goalpost
✅ Handle high-maintenance clients without firing them prematurely
✅ Use technology like texting and video to elevate customer experience
✅ Stay relevant to long-term customers as the industry evolves
✅ Build brand recognition through consistency, visibility, and trust

Coffee Break With Jake is recorded live every Friday at 11am ET.
Join us live or register to attend at 👉 https://go.ssandsi.com/coffeebreak

The tables have turned. Jake Voll (the host of Coffee Break With Jake and CEO of SS&Si Dealer Network) is in the hot seat this time! Tyler Martin takes over the mic to uncover the story behind one of the alarm industry's most distinctive distributors: how a family business and an eBay side hustle evolved into a national competitor that punches well above its weight class against billion-dollar giants.

This isn't your typical origin story. Jake reveals the unconventional strategies, "poison pill" competitive edges, and relationship-first philosophy that allowed SS&Si to carve out dominance in a commoditized market. From building one of the industry's largest online communities (Burglar Alarms Online) to offering unprecedented free branding programs for dealers, Jake shares the counterintuitive moves that turned limitations into advantages—and how you can apply the same thinking to your business.

✅ The pivotal moment that transformed an online side hustle into a distribution powerhouse

✅ Why Jake's "poison pill" strategy slowly dismantled competitor advantages (and how family-owned companies can deploy similar tactics)

✅ How SS&Si differentiated in a commodity business through creativity, community, and killer branding

✅ The real cost and ROI of investing heavily in dealer branding programs (printers, people, systems—Jake breaks it all down)

✅ Why Jake's favorite customers are family-owned alarm companies—and what that reveals about competitive moats in this industry

✅ Behind-the-scenes insights on leadership in ESA, TMA, and why industry involvement isn't optional for serious players

✅ What the billion-dollar distributors consistently miss that small, nimble companies get right

Coffee Break With Jake is recorded live every Friday at 11am ET. Join us live or register to attend at https://go.ssandsi.com/coffeebreak

Selling a family business isn't just a financial transaction. It's an emotional journey that tests your identity, relationships, and vision for the future. Jeremy Bates, VP of Business Development at Pye Barker, joins Jake to share the raw, unfiltered story of selling Bates Security, the second-generation company he helped build from cleaning bathrooms to the SDM Top 32.

This conversation goes beyond the numbers. Jeremy opens up about the fears that kept him up at night, the promises that mattered more than price, and why staying on after the sale became the opportunity of a lifetime. If you're a security business owner wondering what's next—or just trying to build something great—this episode will give you a roadmap.
In this episode, you'll discover:

✅ Why you should always run your business like it's for sale (even if you never plan to sell)
✅ The critical questions to ask potential buyers that go far beyond valuation
✅ How Jeremy validated buyer promises by talking to other sellers, and what he learned
✅ What actually changes post-acquisition (and what surprisingly stays the same)
✅ The "deal certainty" framework: funding, staff, infrastructure, and integration capabilities
✅ Real numbers that shocked Jeremy (like $20 million in employee bonuses and ownership programs)
✅ Why recurring revenue (RMR + service contracts) makes your business recession-proof and acquisition-ready

Coffee Break With Jake is recorded live every Friday at 11am ET. Join us live or register to attend at https://go.ssandsi.com/coffeebreak

Most security integrators treat large commercial projects like one-time windfalls.Install the system, collect the check, and move on. But what if that $50,000 access control system could generate $200,000 over its lifetime? 

In this episode of Coffee Break With Jake, Jake Voll welcomes Peter McCoy from New Lane Finance to discuss strategies for security dealers to transform project revenue into predictable, recurring income streams.

You'll learn about...

✅ The exact pricing formulas successful integrators use for service agreements (per door, per camera, per system size)
✅ Why waiting to offer maintenance plans until after installation kills customer relationships (and your profit)
✅ How to finance commercial systems with $408 monthly payments instead of $20,000 upfront (and still get paid in full immediately)
✅ The network control mistake that costs integrators thousands in unbillable service hours
✅ Real case study: How one dealer structures deals to collect $12,000 upfront and $12,000 more over 5 years
✅ Leasing vs. in-house financing. The risk/reward breakdown every integrator needs to understand
✅ The $1.89/hour sales technique that closes commercial deals by reframing security as supervision, not expense

Coffee Break With Jake is recorded live every Friday at 11am ET, and anyone in the security industry is invited to join us! Register to attend at https://go.ssandsi.com/coffeebreak

Let's talk about how AI is transforming security businesses. And no, we're not talking about AI-powered security technologies. We're talking about how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way security integrators and dealers run their businesses right now.

On this special edition of Coffee Break with Jake, Jake Voll sits down with Don Moran from HighlandTech, a former industry insider turned AI entrepreneur who left a Fortune 100 career to help security companies leverage AI agents in their daily operations.

If you've been hearing the AI buzz but struggling to understand what it actually means for your business, this episode cuts through the noise with real-world examples from central stations, integrators, and service providers already seeing results. Don and Jake explore how AI agents—digital workers with the ability to automate repetitive tasks—are helping security companies improve service levels, reduce response times, and stay competitive without necessarily reducing headcount.

✅ What AI agents actually are (and how they differ from ChatGPT): think digital workers that operate autonomously within specific workflows, not generic chatbots
✅ Real central station success stories using AI voice agents to handle non-dispatchable events, replacing clunky IVR systems with natural conversations that customers actually appreciate
✅ The service-side goldmine: why 24/7 service inbox monitoring, tier-one tech support automation, and inspection scheduling represent the biggest opportunities for security integrators
✅ How to start small and scale smart: Don's proven framework for identifying repetitive tasks, mapping workflows, and implementing vertical agents tailored to your brand voice
✅ Lead conversion breakthroughs: AI agents that call expired leads immediately, book appointments consistently, and never have a bad day or forget to follow up
✅ Security and ethical considerations: what you need to know about data privacy, prompt injection risks, and giving AI agents the right level of access
✅ The upskilling opportunity: how to help your team transition from repetitive roles into more strategic positions as AI handles mundane tasks, keeping jobs while elevating service

Coffee Break With Jake is recorded live every Friday at 11am ET. Join us live or register to attend at https://go.ssandsi.com/coffeebreak

What happens when your work spouse is your actual spouse? In this episode of Coffee Break With Jake, we dive into the real-world dynamics of running a business with your spouse. 

Jake sits down with Katie & Parker Smith of Alarm Protection Services, Barb & Dwight Sears of Silent Guard Security, and Jim & Rita Parker of Parker Security Services. Together, they unpack what actually works when love and livelihood overlap. 

From communication and culture to hiring, growth, and hard pivots, this is a candid look at how strong marriages shape strong companies.

Episode Highlights:

✅ “Attitude reflects leadership”: how respectful spouse-to-spouse communication cascades into company culture and customer care.
✅ The Sears family playbook
✅ Katie and Parker's transition lessons
✅ Startup grit from Jim & Rita
✅ Making big decisions without blowups
✅ Rapid growth without family chaos
✅ Home vs. office and setting healthy boundaries

Coffee Break With Jake is recorded live every Friday at 11am ET. Join us live or register to attend at https://go.ssandsi.com/coffeebreak

In this episode of Coffee Break with Jake, we dive into the realities of running (and working in) a family-owned alarm company with special guest Melanie Henson of Stewart Electronics. From rags-to-joy founder stories to third-generation transitions, we explore what makes family businesses resilient through candid insights from owners, successors, and non-family team members.

Key takeaways from this episode:

✅ How founders built loyal customer bases through word-of-mouth (and what still works today)
✅ The messy middle of succession: planning early, using a neutral consultant, and separating personal vs. business finances
✅ Creating fair opportunities for non-family staff with clear org charts, SOPs, and Monday huddles where every voice counts
✅ Setting boundaries: no shop talk at Easter, no chain-of-command shortcuts at work
✅ Open-door leadership that actually works: why access to decision-makers beats big-company bureaucracy
✅ Preparing the next generation the right way (rotate roles first; leadership is earned, not inherited)
✅ Why women are changing the game in security—and how to invite more into the industry

Coffee Break With Jake is recorded live every Friday at 11am ET. Join us live or register to attend at https://go.ssandsi.com/coffeebreak

In this episode of Coffee Break with Jake, we sit down with Steve Butkovich, president of The Monitoring Association (TMA) and Chief Product Officer at CPI Security, to unpack where professional monitoring is headed and why it matters for dealers, integrators, and end users.

From life-safety saves to business-critical dispatches, we explore how modern central stations turn sensors, video, and automation into real outcomes.

✅ Real saves that matter
✅ Next-Gen ASAP-to-PSAP
✅ AVS-01 Alarm Scoring
✅ Two-Way Voice.
✅Central-station portals and daily activity reports
✅ Central Station as a Service
✅ What makes (and breaks) partnerships

Coffee Break With Jake is recorded live every Friday at 11am ET. Join us live or register to attend at https://go.ssandsi.com/coffeebreak.