Former UK Police Detective Turned Entrepereanur: Simon Osamoh - Kingswood Security

SPEAKER_01 0:04

This is the Beyond the Story Podcast, a show that goes way beyond the story. And Simon, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

Hey, thanks. Really excited for this conversation. And like I sent you offline, I've followed some of your stuff for quite a while. So it's an honor and a privilege to be with you today.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Likewise, my friend. You uh I said you I got a message from you and you had uh asked about potential guests, and I checked out your profile, and I thought, yeah, you know what? Sure, let's do it. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. Normally I'm doing a little more due diligence on that on there, but it ended up working out all right because we figured out that we were chatting at some point a couple of years ago on the Clubhouse app. So the world continues to get smaller and smaller.

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Well, and I've done a lot of um, I'm I'm a hard person to categorize as well because I've done so many different things. So I think people find me fascinating, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

I love it. Well, let's let's dive in. Let's you know, let's kick things off for for context purposes, help our listeners better understand a little bit more about you and your backstory and what really brought you to present day with what you're working on.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Yeah, so I mean, I'll I'll come where I am now and then go back. So um, my primary sort of business is security consulting. So we help organizations stay safe and secure, schools, small businesses, houses of worship. Uh, like you, I'm a podcaster. You know, I love to learn people's backstories to how they became, who they became. So really infusing podcasting. I'm also um uh an Amazon best-selling author, two times Amazon best-selling author. And as I was at dinner with someone last night, I said, What does that mean? Do you meet Jeff Bezos or something? I said, No, it just means that the algorithm pushes more books. So those are the things I'm really involved in right now. But I guess if you go back to my journey as to uh now I guess I'm technically a British American, um, been in the US for 12 years, became an American citizen last April, so just done one year as a US citizen. Uh and in the UK, my background was all organized crime and terrorism. So uh very different to the US. I joined the police when I was 19 in England. I became a detective when I was 22, 23, something like that. So very young, uh, focused on covert police and organized crime, and uh emigrated to the US in 2011 with my American wife to head counterterrorism at Mortal America, Minnesota. So a lot of your American audience will know that that's one of the largest pieces of infrastructure in the Midwest. It has 42 million visitors per year. Um, there's a theme park inside, it's like six and a half million square feet. There's two hotels, you know, it's a it's an amazing, amazing uh location. So I guess all my roles really have been in a sort of very stressful, um, very stressful positions, but it all sort of stems back from me being a police officer in the UK and then really discovered in my journey that I'm very entrepreneurial in everything that I do. So it's um I think that's the running theme is uh being a sort of chief problem solver and an entrepreneur.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Absolutely, chief problem solver and entrepreneur. Isn't that what an entrepreneur is, is a problem solver?

SPEAKER_00 3:11

Exactly. Yeah, yeah. Well, and and it's funny. So here's here's what happens. So when I and this is interesting. So when I first moved from England, I was a detective of 10, 11 years, had done a lot of many things, and you want you look at your what where's my place in the world? When I first moved emigrated here, I was thinking, where does someone with my unique skill set go? I spent most of my time in covert policing, in surveillance operations, in phone tap all the sexy and exciting stuff you see on TV. And I was thinking, well, where do I find my place in the world? And it was really when I left more of America that the sort of penny dropped, and I understood my purpose. But as a police officer, all you were doing was solving people's problems. And as an entrepreneur, as a business owner, you are really rewarded by how many problems you can solve for people. So problem solving comes naturally, and then people see that, and then it leads on to various different ideas. So I think it's a unique skill to be able to see the end result without seeing the obstacles that stand in their way. So yeah, so I'm sure someone else has said it, but Chief Problem Solver is what I call myself.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

Absolutely. So, what what what occupies most of your time right now? I know that uh you said you got your hands in a couple of different projects as a serial entrepreneur. That kind of comes with the territory. But what's what's the most exciting thing you get to work on these days?

SPEAKER_00 4:31

Yeah, so I mean, outside of security concern, like I said, I mean, the how America has changed in the last particularly two to three years coming out of um the pandemic, uh coming out of the post-George Floyd era, um, my consulting business, Kingsburg Security, is really helping churches, schools, and organizations stay safe and secure. And, you know, since 19 years old, that that's been my passion is to help people stay safe and secure. So I'm seeing a lot more growth in that area, and we're allowed we're able to help a lot more people, you know. I mean, when you see active violence on the news and, you know, a school in Nashville, three nine-year-olds are being killed and not coming home, they're the same age as my son. I mean, it breaks my heart to see how broken the world is and the trouble. So helping organizations stay safe and secure, a lot of sort of active shooter training. But then on the flip side, which is a bit weird, which is why I said I'm hard for some people to work out, is you know, I'm really big into podcasting. So I have a podcast aimed on church security, where similar to you, I I educate um on sort of best practice, um, helping churches stay safe and secure. And then on my other podcast called Who I Became, I focus on people's backstory. So very sneakily, in a way, I use that to help my journey. As an example, um, I had Joe Foster, who's the founder of Reebok, um, 87-year-old billionaire, sold Rebok to Adidas for 2.6 billion pounds in like 2006. Um, so being on a podcast interview with him for an hour, where else do you meet a billionaire who's been there, done it, and got the t-shirt? So um, if you've got any sort of would-be podcasters or podcasters in the making, listen to a show, uh that's something that I do is that I use my podcast to feed in guests where I can then learn. There's another tax strategist called Carlton Dennis from the West Coast, uh, sort of million followers on YouTube, you know, and I I interviewed him. And at the same time, I've abstraction knowledge to help me on my entrepreneurial journey about sort of tax strategies. So uh having a a bit of a strategy in what you do, you know, again, that really helps being an entrepreneur, but that's where most of my time is spent between those sort of couple of projects.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

Absolutely. So you said you you really enjoy the the world of podcasting and what you're doing. How would you say that your podcast has impacted your business the most?

SPEAKER_00 6:51

Oh wow. So um I I think the people that I've got to meet and the collaborations and networks. I mean, there was one guest that I spoke to um called Jamie, and you know, we did the podcast. She's a uh SEAL entrepreneur, um sort of young mother, and we're sort of talking back and forth about kids. Then at the end of the podcast, she said to me, she said, Simon, uh, how are you doing all this stuff yourself? You know, you shouldn't be doing this, you should have a team of people around you. And then she then connected me to her assistant, who then started working for me. Then it led on to other people, and it really impacted me because you know, you know, I learned so much from from these people, and and I I didn't have a virtual assistant three like two years ago, and it's changed my my my entire business, having someone that can field calls that can be there for me and sort of keep me on track. So the people that I meet and their help and support is what's really helped grown grow my business. Is by having a uh virtual assistant, it's allowed me to focus on what's important within my business, you know, collaborating, networking, and sort of building revenue.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

Yeah, absolutely. Why why do you think a business owner should actually start a podcast for their business?

SPEAKER_00 8:03

Yeah, great question. I mean, I think the single purpose is the authority building that it brings and also that no like and trust. Um, you know, I've I've presented to people where some people have said, yes, Simon, we see the need for your safety and security. You know, here's a blank check, go. That doesn't happen all the time. In business, it is the no like and trust. Having a podcast allows people to get to know you, to hear your voice, um, to resonate with you, find that connection with you. And then honestly, when I've had people that have reached out to me, they're talking like they already know me. I I had a guy one time who reached out and said, Um, can you help me? I'm going for a tough time in my marriage. Can you help me with marriage advice? And I was like, What? And where did that come from? Marriage advice? I can do, but you know, but but his connection was so strong, he felt like he knew me. So I think for a business, it's really important to share your message for sure, but also it's a great way to build no like and trust for your audience because they're listening to your voice and they're getting to know you. And by the time they reach out, they already know, you know, Sebastian's a person, Simon's a person. Um, I just want to do business with you. So I think every business should have a podcast for that lens to build authority, but but also to build that no like and trust.

SPEAKER_01 9:23

Yeah, I couldn't agree more as a as a podcaster and someone who helps people start podcasts. That's definitely I share those same same sentiments and thought process. So you said you wrote a book on de-escalation. What does that mean to the average person that may not know what that means?

SPEAKER_00 9:39

Yeah, so so de-escalation is about working with people that are in crisis, uh, working people that are in a highly agitated state. And so anyone who's a parent or grandparent, you know, they're they're working with if you if you're working with kids, you know, they they test this all the time. And de-escalation is finding the strategies or the abilities to um help someone through a crisis or a very highly agitated situation. One of the stories I share in my book, 10 Powerful Strategies for Conflict Deescalation, is around my nine-year-old son when one day I took away his Xbox because he was rude to me. And then that then resulted in him going through like a series of anger. He slammed his door up to his bedroom and 20 minutes comes down later, and he's all sort of solemn and subdued. Um, you know, and I used some strategies to de-escalate him where I didn't go looking for an apology because he's nine years old, you know, he knew what he'd done wrong. Um, and I sort of just used the the strategy of listening and asking open conversations about um how could you behave differently to try and diffuse the situation. So de-escalation is really working with people that are highly agitated and confrontational or in crisis.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Yeah, absolutely. Well, um the world needs a little bit of that these days. I think we always have, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:58

You know, yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely more so in the last two or three years. I mean, you know, one of the stories I share in my book was that um where I used to work, my HR department terminated someone and the woman refused to leave the building. And I came back three hours later and she was still there, and my HR department said, Simon, you know, we need your help. And I said, Is there no one else that can de-escalate the situation? And that was one of the inspiration stories for writing the book is understanding not everyone is good around conflict, not everyone knows how to diffuse conflict. Um, so yeah, it's fascinating stuff.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

Yeah, it really is. What what would you say the toughest part about being an entrepreneur is?

SPEAKER_00 11:35

I think one of the the hardest challenges is the sort of the a little bit, if I'm honest, about shiny penny syndrome. Um, but there's there's always an idea, there's always something to chase. Um, and and I think that is one of the hardest things is to know where to go. And actually, when I interviewed Joe Foster, the founder Rebot, you know, the 87-year-old billionaire, I said to him, one question I said to him was, I said, Joe, when when do you know when to stop and re-sequence and do something else? And he said, Simon, he said there was a time before Rebot really took off. He said, I was sleeping on a mattress on the factory floor of my wife. And my wife said, You know, Joe, you've got to sort this out and pretty quickly. Um, and he said, You know, but I pushed through and persevered. And I think that is part of the shiny penny syndrome, is that you've got to have a strategy. You know, he had a strategy to get himself out. There's so many things that you can do, um, but you've got to have a strategy to either overcome the problem or as to where your destination is. Otherwise, you can get so scattered and nothing can ever get finished. And I believe one of the strengths of an entrepreneur is finishing the journey. Um, I say to my 12-year-old son, you don't have to be the best out there, you don't have to be world class, but whatever you do, you've got to finish the journey. And most often, if you finish the journey, um, it means that you've got a great product, a great service, you know, and you're gonna be helping a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01 13:00

Yeah, you got to see it through. I think there's got to see it through too easy. It's too easy to throw the talon, but when you really are tapped out to really do something and you're really deeply passionate about it, pushing through to the other side is uh you know, whether it's a podcast interview, a new product, dealing with problematic situations that arise within business, whatever it may be, being flexible um is is a huge underrated uh uh uh task and tool to have uh in the world of business and entrepreneurship.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Well, well, you know as well in your in your world in podcast, I mean, how many people say the average podcast is seven episodes? How many people stop and say, Oh, it's too difficult, it's too hard, no, no one was listening. Um, you know, and you you you reframe the question and say, Well, what have you tried? Explain to me what you've done so far. You get some pauses, I was just too difficult. So, yeah, finishing the journey, as you say as well, is is that's half the battle.

SPEAKER_01 13:54

I remember Tony Robbins telling a story one time, and somebody came to him and coaching client came to him and he's like, I've tried everything. And he said, Bullshit, because if you tried everything, you wouldn't be here asking me how to change this.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Yes, yeah, it is true. It is, it is so true. You just yeah, you gotta you gotta keep persevering. Sure. Um, and and maybe that's part of us as humans as well, right? It's it's but you know, when things get difficult and challenging, our minds start to talk. Well, maybe that's when imposter syndrome comes in, maybe I shouldn't be podcasting, you know. And now one of the things, you know, I'm so glad that me and you are having this conversation, but yeah, do I reach out to millionaires and business people that I shouldn't be talking to? Absolutely. The worst they can say is no, right? Um, but but you know, they might be intrigued enough to have the conversation what a fan again tying it back to your world in podcasting, is that everyone wants to share their story, everyone wants to talk about it. So yeah, we always find common ground.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

Definitely, deal. Well, Simon, dude, it's been so great to chat with you again, even though we didn't know that we were chatting again on here, but that's the power uh of uh of the internet. And I'm just I love having fellow podcasters uh on the show. It's clear that you're really passionate about podcasting, and that is podcasting is my life's work. So being able to see people understand the power of it and really take it and do something with it is always refreshing to uh to hear. So I definitely appreciate you taking some time out of your day to to hang out with me on the show here and uh share a little bit about what you've got going on in your world and your area of expertise and of course your story too. So thanks again for that. Any any final thoughts for our listeners?

SPEAKER_00 15:25

No, I would just say, you know, in relation to you know, sort of my main skew, I guess if you like, in like safety and security is that you know the the world is a troubled place right now. And I'd really encourage people, no matter what it looks like, is to learn a bit more about your personal safety and be a bit more situation with situationally aware, think a bit more about the place that you're going, because in the last two to three years, I mean, in the US, where someone's hit the self-destruct button and the world isn't a safe place. So I'd really encourage people to, if you're a parent, look out for young children. You know, if you're an adult, look out for your own personal safety and just make sure you're aware of what can happen. Um, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 16:01

Absolutely. Those are great final thoughts. Thanks again, Simon. I really appreciate it, brother. Look forward to staying in con in contact with you.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

Take care.

SPEAKER_01 16:09

Until next time, friends. Thanks so much for tuning into this episode of the Beyond the Story Podcast. Be sure to appreciate it. If you haven't done so already, make sure you're subscribed to the show. This way you'll get updates as new episodes become available. If you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. Be sure to appreciate it. Signing off from the podcast, launchlab.com studios. We'll talk to you next time.