In an industry infamous for cutting corners, our investment in quality continues to pay off. In 2015, we won a number of major contracts and retained many of our long term clients, including one who had already been with us for eight years when they renewed their contract.
There’s a positive buzz throughout the company as our success has allowed us to reward our staff for their hard work. Many of them will be working over Christmas while our clients enjoy the holidays, so I make sure that they know they’re appreciated more than ever this time of year.
I made an extra effort to talk to people at every level of Magenta in 2015. So much of what I’ve learned about this company has been through honest conversations with my staff, which not only lets me find ways to improve the business but also gives me an opportunity to encourage the people who keep it running.
They are the ones I thanked when I accepted our award for Best Business for Customer Service at the Hounslow Business Awards. Winning in a category that was shared by companies with multi-billion pounds of investment and turnovers to match. It was my personal highlight of the year. We weren’t just competing against other security companies but against businesses of every shape and size.
It reassured me – in our twentieth year of business – that there is something special about Magenta and our focus on rewarding our staff, building careers and investing in our customers.
Where is business licensing? It’s a question I’m getting tired of asking. 2015 was supposed to be the year that the Security Industry Authority finally implemented industry-wide, full business licensing but it looks like I’m going to have to get back on my pulpit in 2016.
I’ve written many times about why business licensing is so important to sweep the dirt out of this industry. With rogue companies still not kicked out of the game, legitimate businesses are stuck in a race to the bottom against people who are willing to stretch or outright break the law to keep their costs low.
Worst of all, the first thing these cowboys cut is basic support infrastructure and investment, putting the businesses they serve and the staff they hire in danger. Such operations are a stain on this industry and, while I’m getting sick of talking about them, I’ll never stop trying to get rid of them.
Unfortunately, I’ve seen more and more security companies resort to cost-cutting to try and stay competitive in this climate. There were a number of mergers that left a trail job of losses in their wake and a rise in the use of self-employed guards.
I’ve started laying the foundations for something that could end up being far more important than any profit I’ve ever made. I’m in talks with like minded companies to set up an official charity for the security industry, which will let all of us work towards a common goal for the good of others.
Charity has always been what’s motivated me. I got into business so that I could help people, so that I could use my success to give life changing support to those who need it most. By having an official charity for the whole industry, I can share this goal with thousands of other people and achieve more than I ever could by myself.
I hope that when I look back on 2016 that I will once again be able to say it was our best year yet, but more importantly, to make it the best year yet for people in need across the world.
Have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year,
Abbey Petkar
