How do I keep the sale of my security guard company confidential?

Guard companies are hard to keep quiet about. Your guards stand at client sites every day and talk to the people there. Competitors bid on the same contracts and hire from the same pool of guards. A buyer who walks a site is visible to the client. Rumour can unsettle staff and clients before you have a deal, so plan how information leaves the company.

Advertise without naming yourself

A blind listing describes the business without identifying it. Leave out client names, site types that point to one account, and your town if it narrows things too far. Describe the services and the general size of the operation in broad terms. Ask every interested person to sign a confidentiality agreement before you share anything that names a client or a person.

Decide who needs to know, and when

• Your lawyer and accountant, from the start.
• One or two senior people, if a buyer needs to meet them.
• Supervisors, only when a serious buyer has to speak to them.
• Guards and clients, normally after terms are agreed.

Stage what the buyer sees

Give early-stage buyers summaries: general financial information and anonymous descriptions of contracts. Share client names, contract terms and the roster with a buyer only after the confidentiality agreement is signed and the buyer has shown real interest. Arrange any site visit so it looks routine, for example outside normal hours. Our guide on selling a security services business covers contracts, insurance and staffing; for the general approach see keeping a business sale confidential.

Plan for it getting out

Even careful sellers have news leak. Decide in advance what you will say to a guard or client who asks, and keep the answer short and calm. Your lawyer can tell you what a confidentiality agreement does and does not protect, and what to do if a buyer breaks it.