Re: How Many Years Have You Been in the Industry?

[Robert L Bass <sales@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> So how many years have I been in the business?  Just the years as a business
> owner?  A couple  years as a sales man?  A couple years as an installer for
> the sound company?  A couple years as a service rep for the phone company?
> An undetermined number of years growing up fixing and building as needed?
> Does any of my experience teaching idiots to use computers in college count?
> What about the business I had servicing computers?

I built my first "alarm" when I was in grade school.  When I was
a kid my older brother bought a Morse code key so he practice for
his ham radio license.  He lost interest in it and I asked if I
could have the key.  No problem.

One night I decided to see what I could do using that switch to
complete a 110 VAC circuit.  I got some bell wire from my Gilbert
kit and wired the key in parallel (I didn't know it was called
parallel wiring at the time) to the light switch in my room.
That switch controlled the overhead lamp and half of an outlet.
Next I adjusted the two tension screws so the key would connect
if it received a slight vibration and set it down on the bureau
next to my door.

My bedroom door used to stick.  You had to shove it to make it
close all the way.  With the door closed and the code key in
place, I plugged my alarm clock into the outlet, turned off the
light and set the alarm to sound as soon as the outlet went live.

Every night my father would check each of the five kids' bedrooms
before he went to bed.  When he gently pushed open my door the
light came on and the alarm clock went off.  I woke up to a
really angry father.  What happened next would be illegal today.
:^)

That was my first alarm system.  I was 7 years old.  I took a
hiatus for a few years, traveled extensively, went to college,
studied business law, computer programming and a few other
interesting things and some years later wound up installing
alarms for a living.

Not counting the years between my first and second installations,
I've been in the industry for over 29 years now, built a small
alarm central station company, trained technicians, installed
hundreds of systems, serviced lots more, sold tens of thousands
of DIY systems and taught countless DIYers how to install their
own.

Now I'm just selling alarms.  I hung up my screwdriver several
years ago.  I only install for friends and family members -- not
for a living any more -- and I don't miss it.  At the current
rate I'll be ready to retire right around the time Bob C hits
2,500 monitoring accounts (~5-6 years).  :^)

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

Bass Burglar Alarms
The Online DIY Store
http://www.BassBurglarAlarms.com

--

Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large
groups.