Thinking of quitting your Fire & Security job to go solo?
You’re not the only one. We hear it often: “I’m great at installs. I hate the long hours. I could run things better myself.”
And maybe you could.
But before you hand in your notice, it’s worth taking a hard look at the reality. Because the freedom you dream of often comes with a lot more risk, stress and uncertainty than you expect.
Why running the business is a different job from doing the work
Ever read The E-Myth Revisited or The E-Myth Contractor by Michael Gerber? They are a must-read for anyone even thinking of starting out. The subtitle says it all: Why most contractors’ businesses don’t work and what to do about it.
The odds are worth knowing. Of UK businesses that started in 2019, 38.4% were still trading five years later, according to ONS Business demography figures published in November 2025. Not all of the rest failed. Some were sold, some closed by choice, some retired. But fewer than four in ten were still going.
Some of those closures will have been Fire & Security companies. They rarely close because the installations were bad. They close because running a business is a completely different job from doing the work.
So who does succeed?
It’s not the installer dreaming of more free time or more money. It’s the one obsessing over business models, cashflow, ideal clients and how to build sustainable systems.
Donald Miller calls them the second type of obsessive: not obsessed with starting, but with running a business.
If that’s not you? This might not be your path.
Before you walk away from your stable salary…
- Save up. Have 6 months’ expenses saved. For your life and the business.
- Leave well. Don’t burn bridges. And never try to poach clients from your old boss.
- Stand out. Don’t just be a cheaper version of your old employer. Specialise in what you do best and lead with that.
- Get third-party certified. Certification with NSI or SSAIB is independent assessment against a defined standard, for a defined scope of work. It is not a general competence badge and it is not legally required to trade. But without it, a large amount of commercial and public sector work is closed to you before you quote.
- Network. Local groups can help get your name out there. But be ready to work at it.
- Be honest. Are you ready to run a business full-time… or just tired of your boss?
Lollipop cannot help you yet, but we know who can
We work only with third-party certified Fire & Security companies. If you are not certified, we are not the right people for you, and telling you otherwise would waste your money.
That is not the end of the conversation though. Saying no and leaving you to it has always sat badly with us.
So we make introductions. Del Goodchild at Hue Imbued Consultancy and Bill Baillie at TCJ Compliance both help Fire & Security companies work through what certification requires and get themselves ready for assessment. We do it for free. There is nothing in it for us beyond knowing you have gone to someone who does this properly.
We help established Fire & Security businesses get seen, trusted and chosen online. When you are certified and trading, that is the conversation to have.
Right now, the more useful question is whether you should be starting a business at all.
What if there was a better option?
Before you throw yourself into the stress of going solo, read what happened to one engineer who did:
👉 Bradley Lucas left to set up on his own and found it was not what he expected
When I spoke to him at The Security Event in 2025, his company, Seen Services, was actively looking for top-notch Electrical and Fire & Security engineers who want freedom without the chaos of going it alone.
It’s not about giving up on your dream. It’s about finding the smartest way to live it.
A quick word about AI and marketing shortcuts when you’re starting your own Fire & Security company…
You might come across marketing companies promising to build your website, write your content and get you clients – all using AI. Sounds tempting, right? But here’s the truth:
AI-generated content that isn’t tailored to your industry or your clients doesn’t build trust. And in Fire & Security, trust is everything.
We’ve seen new business owners waste thousands on slick promises and auto-generated fluff that rarely converts. If you’re serious about growing a reputation (not just visibility), you need real strategy, not shortcuts.
Already up and running?
If you’re an established Fire & Security business ready to grow, let’s chat.
