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52m 12s

Entry & Exit #1 How to Build, Scale & Se...

JOHN WILSON
About this episode

Welcome to Entry & Exit — the new Owned and Operated series for builders in the security & life-safety world. Hosts Stephen Olmon and Collin Trimble share how they grew Alarm Masters from under $2M to ~3× revenue, including +50% RMR growth in Year 1.

From recurring revenue (RMR) to acquisitions and organic growth, this episode breaks down what it really takes to scale a security business — and eventually position it for a successful exit.

✨ What You’ll Learn
-The 3 revenue pillars (Install, Service, RMR) and target margins
- Why buying monitoring accounts opens doors to 5 scopes (cameras, access, fire, intercom, PA)
- The coffee/taco drop strategy that keeps customers sticky & cross-sold
- How Alarm Masters went from 1st deal → 4 acquisitions → $6M+ in just 2 years
- Lessons on hiring, ops leadership, and competing with the national giants
- What buyers look for when evaluating your business (RMR %, retention, service cadence)

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Stephen Olmon

Collin Trimble


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John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC

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