A passionate investor

In late 2012, when writing up the list of requirements for what my shareholders at the time wanted from a new owner for Connexion2 (now SoloProtect), passion wasn’t likely to be at the top of their list. It was however, top of mine. You see, I had a strong belief that the rest of my career will be devoted to making lone workers feel safer and so I hoped that I might find a new buyer who would share my vision and passion. In Kings III, I achieved that goal…and more.

Since being acquired in May 2013, SoloProtect has flourished in so many ways, not just in terms of sales and market reach (SoloProtect is now available in six countries) but in its culture and its collective belief in what it is doing. Making a profit is of course very important to us (and we do!) but Kings III and its owners have helped me to realise that you can balance profit with high quality customer support and making sure staff are very well looked after. 

Our staff numbers in Europe have grown by about 30% since the acquisition and will grow further later this year when we open our own, EN50518 approved Alarm Receiving Centre. Overall, the business now employs 165 people.

Kings III and SoloProtect share a common set of values, with honesty, integrity, a heavy focus on customer value and passion running through all that we do. This ethos comes from the top but is instilled in all of our staff, in short, we care about what we do. Creating new jobs in the business is always a wonderful feeling for me but creating jobs that pay well and help challenge those that take up the role is even more rewarding. I like nothing more that embracing the change and ideas that come from a team that is filled with a belief in what they do.

Our Chairman and Owner, George Broady recently announced a desire to see all staff earn a minimum of $17 (approx. £11) an hour, far in excess of the UK’s acknowledge ‘living wage’ of £7.50. This plan will be in place from June 1^st 2015.

So on this, the 2^nd anniversary of the sale of SoloProtect to KingsIII I feel better than ever about the future for the business we are in and about the quality of support and service we can provide our customers with. The investment from Kings III, not just money but resource, knowledge and time is helping me and the European team fulfil the very long term objectives I’d like to see us achieve over the next ten to twenty years. It’s a great place to be and it simply wouldn’t be possible without us having found such a passionate investor.