In times of instability, how a company behaves matters just as much as what it delivers. When pressure mounts and clients are most vulnerable, principles are tested and revealed. While some security providers chase short-term gains by taking advantage of crises, we’ve learned that staying true to ethical principles, even when it's not the most profitable path in the moment, builds real trust and supports long-term resilience.

The “Hit-and-Run” Mentality

Over the years, we’ve seen a recurring pattern across the security industry: security providers that view crises as an opportunity to extract as much profit as possible, treating each request as a one-off transaction rather than part of a trusted partnership. These “hit-and-run” providers capitalize on client vulnerability, often applying arbitrary markups under the pretext of urgency.

For example, during several global crises in recent years, some security firms have exploited scarcity and fear to significantly raise prices, especially for critical assets like vehicles. In one extreme case, we witnessed armored vehicles being offered to clients at six times their actual cost during an active conflict. The clients, left with no alternatives at that moment, were pressured into accepting inflated deals under duress.

While this approach may bring in revenue short-term, the damage it causes to a provider’s reputation is long-lasting. These firms are perceived not as partners, but as opportunistic providers, and clients rarely return.

Crisis as a Test of Character

Yes, crises often come with increased costs: fuel may become scarce, vehicles limited in availability, driver risks rise, logistics grow more complex. But ethical conduct means addressing those realities transparently, not exploiting them.

At our company, when prices surge during emergencies, our first instinct isn’t to pass the full cost to the client. Instead, we actively seek more affordable alternatives through our vendor networks. When prices must go up, we justify them clearly and seek prior client approval.

Principled Pricing

Acting ethically doesn’t mean ignoring business reality. It means applying logic, fairness, and integrity. When costs genuinely rise during crises, we adhere to a set of core principles and practices that have consistently served us and our clients well:

  • Pricing with integrity: Higher rates are applied only when they are tied to actual, measurable increases in operational costs during genuine emergencies—such as fuel, overtime, risk insurance, or vehicle wear. These adjustments are accompanied by clear, itemized justifications.
  • Limits on profit margin: Even when costs increase sharply during emergencies, we cap the profit margin we apply to those costs. This ensures that any price increases remain fair and reasonable, protecting clients from excessive charges and aligning with industry best practices.
  • Advance notice and options: Whenever possible, we provide clients with early guidance on how conditions may evolve—and how those changes could affect pricing—as a crisis unfolds or before it escalates. While exact costs are often unpredictable in rapidly changing environments, we offer informed estimates and walk clients through likely scenarios to help them plan ahead. This allows for better budgeting and prevents surprises.
  • Loyalty discounts in emergencies: We offer preferential rates to long-standing clients, even in difficult times.
  • Vendor sourcing: When a vendor attempts to exploit scarcity, we seek alternate suppliers rather than passing inflated costs along without challenge. We maintain a vetted vendor pool to avoid forced overpaying.

Our Guiding Principles

We see our role not as mere service providers, but as advisors. We take the time to understand the broader context of a client’s challenge, propose viable and scalable solutions, and help manage risks, not just mitigate symptoms.

We’ve built our reputation and business on two core pillars:

  • Advisory first: We don’t push what’s most expensive. We recommend what’s appropriate.
  • Problem-solving mindset: We aim to solve the root of the issue, not just sell a quick fix.

Ethics as a Business Advantage

Ethical conduct is a key driver of reputation and long-term growth—not only with clients but with vendors as well. Vendors prefer working with security firms that deal fairly, pay on time, and negotiate openly, especially during high-pressure periods. These connections, built over time, allow us to secure better rates, faster service, and more dependable supply chains in moments that matter most.

We’ve seen firsthand how behaving with integrity shapes outcomes, not just in theory, but in every contract renewed, every vendor who picks up the phone, and every client who returns in a moment of need. There may be faster ways to make money, but not better ones. In this work, trust isn’t a slogan, It’s the real currency.