Listen to the Podcast here: https://troublegroup.com/ken-bombace-troublemaker-at-global-threat-solutions/
I’ve always gotten the greatest learning from examples at the edges – the extreme cases. Ken Bombace and his team at Global Threat Solutions are busy re-inventing just such an industry.
ABOUT EXECUTIVE PROTECTION
Successful entrepreneurs are careful to differentiate their businesses from competitors. Ken will be quick to tell you the protection, investigation, and due diligence services company is 100% veteran owned. That is one of his favorite innovations.
The company uses the phrase “Executive Protection” rather than the standard “Bodyguard.” Not meaning any offense to bodyguards Ken says, “We don’t use the term bodyguard in this industry. Quite frankly, to people in the executive protection industry, it’s offensive. It rings of somebody who thinks we’re like, a bouncer.”
You might think Ken’s use of a more elevated term like Executive Protection means he and his team only handle the big stuff, he’s quick to point out that his team is trained to handle every detail of an engagement. That includes carrying bags from the airport to the vehicle. It also includes high awareness of any issue that might inconvenience a client. In any big city, the airports and highways get crowded. Picking up a client from Teterboro Airport and getting them to Wall Street with just minutes to spare can be high stress. Ken’s team is trained to handle it.
NOTABLE QUOTES
“Some of the larger firms have a “more distant” relationship with the clients. Executive Protection is a very personal business.”
“Perseverance. Never quitting is the number one attribute for any successful entrepreneur.”
“The senior leadership of the business has to be within immediate reach of the principals we’re protecting.”
“No matter how busy we have become, I monitor all communications threads for every protection detail we have going, all the time.”
Replace the above phrases like Executive Protection with your industry phrases. Do you feel this strongly about your profession? You might want to look into that.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS
Ken leads off the podcast with his EXTENSIVE background. He also leads his sales pitch the same way. In this industry, someone who’s been in the world’s worst security situations is precisely who you want protecting your diplomats, top executives, and loved ones. Sit through the entire opening and I bet you’ll be ready to hire Global Threat Solutions.
THE MIND OF A TROUBLEMAKER
One of my favorite stories from Ken is how he turned a standard magazine interview on its head and into a huge PR opportunity. (Read the full story on the GTS blog). Without giving to much away, Ken was approached to be interviewed for a magazine. Rather than just be interviewed over the phone, he offered to pick up the reporter and treat her like a V.I.P. for a day. She was met at the West 30th Street Heliport, whisked downtown to the 9/11 memorial, and then off to lunch uptown and an imaginary meeting. She got the full treatment and learned much more about the Executive Protection business than she would have.
Ken isn’t sitting on his many laurels. His next move with GTS is to shake up the standard EP training. He’s just launched an online training course, and he launched it fast. As Ken well knows, many times speed to market is the deciding factor. This course opens up huge new geographic opportunities for the company.
When asked “why are you the one to shake up the industry?” Ken makes it clear that he’s a student of business success and a voracious reader on the subject.
Entrepreneurs (especially the troublemaking kind) are almost always on the lookout for marketing, networking and sales opportunities. That’s likely why Ken jumped at the opportunity to do this podcast, and I’m certainly glad he did.
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By the way, if you click that Email link above, it goes to Ken’s personal work email address. He’s that serious!
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