People often have mixed opinions about family or friends working together. In Keith, Andy, Jack, and Julian’s case— their relationship allowed them to build a great company to solve a problem they all had observed during their professional years in the lead up to building Guardhouse.
Before building Guardhouse, they each worked in a different field, which allowed them to bring all their experiences into play. Andy’s skillset had a focus on workforce management, Keith had a lot of business and IT experience, while Julian and Jack came from a customer service and sales background. They were passionate about solving problems that relate to people and people management, as they have all experienced these problems firsthand.
Guardhouse was created after Keith, Julian, and Andy found a gap in the market for security companies. Their other business, Zenshifts, provides a rostering software designed to fit companies across all industries. It was when security companies started reaching out to them that they realised there was nothing designed specifically for the industry’s uncommon needs such as covering security compliance, simplifying complicated scheduling & invoicing systems, and streamlined incident reporting. The main insight from people in the security industry was how common it was to use 4 to 5 different systems for their workforce management tasks, and that’s when Keith, Julian, and Andy took on the challenge to create an all-in-one platform to solve this issue. They asked Jack to come on board, and proceeded to do a comprehensive market research and invested time in understanding the security industry— and that’s how Guardhouse was born.
When the co-founders came together, they were able to collate all the best practices they’ve learned about people management to create the perfect software catering to security companies. Guardhouse is a market leader in security management because it is built in conjunction with big players in the security industry, to ensure it has features and benefits that fit the market’s dynamic needs. Guardhouse’s organic journey continues to make a bigger impact beyond solving the needs of security companies. Aside from being an end to end workforce management tool, it also serves as an extension of security companies by providing 24/7 support, resources, and constant innovation.
Julian came up with the idea to call the company Guardhouse. The idea came from visualising a security guard on duty using CCTV equipment to monitor from a guardhouse. This perfectly symbolises Guardhouse’s essence as a company that watches over security companies and ensures that they are working efficiently while increasing profitability. The way Guardhouse continues to evolve from where it started is a testament to the different level of passion and dedication that can come with working with family or friends, and how it positively impacts everyone they work with.
