Revenue, margin and cash flow gaps identified within 48 hours of your evidence pack
Security Services Provider, Mobile and On-Premise
Case Study
At a Glance: Mid-sized Melbourne security business | Annual turnover: $1M-$2M | EBITDA margin at engagement: 7-8% | Debtor days: 65+ | Revenue growth achieved: 22% | EBITDA margin achieved: 15-16% by month 9 | Debtor days reduced to: 38 | Proposal win rate lifted to: 60%
The Situation
A mid-sized Melbourne security business delivering mobile patrols, static guarding, alarm response, and events services was under pressure from every direction. Margins had compressed to 7-8% as labour, fuel, wages, and insurance costs rose steadily. Debtors were averaging 65 days, creating constant cash strain. And the business was growing only when referrals came in - there was no structured sales engine driving new revenue.
The service mix had drifted toward the wrong work. Low-margin overnight guarding and commoditised patrol contracts dominated the portfolio. Mobile patrols were being sold as basic checks with no visible proof of value. Static guarding had no differentiation from any competitor quoting on price.
The owner knew the business was capable of more. The problem was knowing where to start.
The Brief
Fixer48 was engaged to stabilise the business, reset the service and pricing model, and build a commercial growth program with the discipline to sustain it.
The brief covered four areas:
- Stabilise cash and reduce operational cost pressure within 30 days
- Rebuild the service portfolio and pricing model to recover margin
- Activate a structured sales and outreach program targeting the right segments
- Install a weekly tracking system to hold performance gains and drive continued growth
The Approach
Fixer48 stabilised cash first, then reset pricing and service mix, then activated growth with a disciplined sales system and weekly tracking.
Phase 1 - 30-Day Stabilisation
The immediate priority was cash and cost control. An approvals gate was installed for all payments and a 13-week cash forecast built. A prioritised debtor call list was activated with clear next actions and fast-payment incentives where appropriate. Route optimisation, overtime caps, and shift rule resets delivered immediate cost relief. Ultra-low-rate overnight static shifts were paused and selected mobile packages were repriced for a fast margin lift. Supplier and statutory pressures were managed to secure operating room and reduce disruption risk.
Phase 2 - 26-Week Commercial Blueprint
With stability holding, the focus shifted to repositioning and growth. Mobile patrols were rebuilt as proactive risk reduction services with GPS verification, incident response standards, and client dashboards - giving clients visible proof of value. Static guarding was repositioned as premium on-site protection with concierge-level standards, performance reporting, and technology integration upsells. Tiered packages were built per service line, minimum margin rules were set by service type and shift profile, and a pricing uplift of 12-18% was applied to repositioned offerings with discount rules enforced.
On the sales side, target lists were built across commercial property managers, strata groups, retail centres, schools, offices, and industrial sites. Direct outreach was launched using free site risk assessments as the lead driver. Capability statements and proposals were rebuilt to match the new offer. Partnerships were developed with strata groups and insurance-adjacent referral channels.
Weekly Execution Tracking
Pipeline volume, proposal win rate, average contract value, and gross margin were tracked weekly. Service delivery metrics ran in parallel to protect retention while growth accelerated.
Challenge and Outcome
Key Challenges Addressed
How do you recover margin in a commoditised market where clients have been trained to buy on price and competitors are still discounting?
How do you reposition a service that has no visible differentiation without losing existing clients during the transition?
How do you build a sales pipeline from near zero when the business has relied almost entirely on referrals for new revenue?
How do you lift average contract value without triggering client attrition at the point when the business can least afford to lose revenue?
What Fixer48 Delivered
Revenue up 22% from new and higher-value contracts across retail precincts, office buildings, education sites, and industrial clients - driven by structured outreach and improved proposals, not discounting.
EBITDA margin improved to 15-16% by month 9, more than double the starting position, through pricing discipline, service mix rebalancing, and route optimisation reducing mobile fuel cost by approximately 18%.
Debtor days reduced from 65+ to 38, extending cash runway and removing the constant operational pressure that had been forcing reactive decisions.
Proposal win rate lifted to 60% and referrals and partnerships grew to 25% of new business - up from approximately 15% - giving the business a repeatable commercial engine for the first time.
The Deliverable
Fixer48 produced a full commercial growth plan covering the situation assessment, cash stabilisation program, service portfolio rebuild, pricing and margin framework, sales and outreach activation plan, partnership development strategy, 26-week implementation schedule, and a weekly scorecard system with owners, proof requirements, and escalation triggers at every step.
The document was structured for immediate owner execution - sequenced by priority, commercially grounded, and built to drive sustainable margin and revenue uplift without relying on volume or discounting.
"Security services reward visible proof, consistent delivery, and disciplined pricing. When you remove low-margin work, add a value layer clients can see, and run a structured sales engine, you improve margins without relying on volume." From the Fixer48 Commercial Growth Plan conclusion
What This Engagement Demonstrates
This engagement is representative of Fixer48's approach to commercial growth advisory for service businesses operating in commoditised markets. The client did not need a rebrand - he needed a service model clients could see the value in, a pricing framework that held under pressure, and a sales engine that did not depend on who called that week. Fixer48 delivered all three.
Core capabilities demonstrated in this engagement include cash flow stabilisation, service portfolio repositioning, pricing and margin recovery, structured sales program design, partnership development, and weekly performance management.
To discuss how Fixer48 can help your business, contact Ashley Kent. ashley@fixer48.com.au fixer48.com.au
