“You can’t do it by yourself, there’s just no way.”
Chuck Walsh, owner of Signal of Corpus Christi knows firsthand the value of having a good team behind you. He first heard about Signal in 2019 and was intrigued by the idea.
“I thought to myself, I don’t need to buy a franchise, I can do that on my own,” he said. “I started the ball rolling but then realized I was so wrapped around the back axle dealing with all the back office stuff, I had no time to do sales and didn’t have a script. There were just lots of things I didn’t have. So, I put it on the shelf and basically threw my hands up.”
A year later he got another phone call from Signal and this time he was ready. Walsh, a former Sheriff’s deputy and current Officer in the Coast Guard Reserves, launched his franchise in March 2020, right as the Coronavirus pandemic was starting. He’ll be the first to say that the timing wasn’t great.
“Two weeks after launching everything was shut down,” Walsh said. “I had one client at the time, so I worked every night. I did four patrols a night and they probably got more value out of me than they paid for but I took good care of them. After about three months they decided to cancel so then I had nothing. Offices were shut down, there were no sales going on, and everybody was scared.”
Around the same time Walsh was recalled to active duty in the Coast Guard. That lasted six months, after which he came home and recommitted to building up his franchise again.
“Everything was still shut down, but I had one person reach out to me,” he said. “He wanted patrols and for about 5 months I had one patrol client. Then I had someone else reach out for Spring Break and landed two dedicated jobs, but now I couldn’t find anybody to help me, I was a one-man show.”
During this time Walsh worked from noon to 5:30 A.M. covering two separate dedicated sites an hour outside the city and his patrol route in Corpus Christi. Although his business is successful today, Walsh said the future did not always look as bright back then.
“There were times I was going to give up,” he said. “But one of the things I realized is that the results you get today are from the effort you put in two or three months ago. So, keeping that in mind has kind of forced me to keep looking forward and moving forward. I can’t go out today and make a sale and expect to see the money tomorrow. But I realized the effort I put in today will show me results in two or three months.”
2021 proved to be a turning point for Walsh’s business and he was able to hire his first employee in July of that year. Today, the franchise is averaging $60K a month in revenue and they’ve started a major contract with the city of Corpus Christi. Walsh’s perseverance and hard work are two of the reasons he’s been chosen as Signal’s Franchise of the Month for February 2023.
“He was faced with a huge challenge,” said Reed Nyffeler, Signal CEO. “Launching the business, trying to get contracts and everything’s shut down with COVID. But nonetheless, he continued to persevere, his passion never faded and that’s key as a franchise owner, and ultimately, he was successful.”
After starting out completely on his own, Walsh understands the value of having a team with him. Over the last year, he’s been able to build his team out to include several Coordinators and Branch Supervisors.
“You have to have a good team around you, you just have to,” he said. “Everybody here is doing a great job and I feel blessed they’re with me, Aaron, Connor, Gavin, Noe. It’s all a learning process but we’ve had guys come in as shy little officers and we get them into different positions. They become more outspoken and learn and embrace it. I’ve watched people grow and it’s great to see.”
Since he first tried to enter the security business on his own, Walsh says he has a greater appreciation for the Signal Franchise Model as well.
“The franchise system, and especially the Home Office, they’ve provided this support system for us and I’ve noticed it big time,” he said. “When I tried to do it myself and failed and fell flat on my face, I did not have a support system. I found myself having to do everything. So that’s where this model is so valuable. You’ve got people around you to provide help, all you have to do is take it and run with it.”
If you’re interested in joining Team Signal, begin your journey to success by applying to become a Franchise Owner.