Coffee Break with Jake

The tables have turned. Jake Voll (the host of Coffee Break With Jake and CEO of SS&Si Dealer Network) is in the hot seat this time! Tyler Martin takes over the mic to uncover the story behind one of the alarm industry's most distinctive distributors: how a family business and an eBay side hustle evolved into a national competitor that punches well above its weight class against billion-dollar giants.

This isn't your typical origin story. Jake reveals the unconventional strategies, "poison pill" competitive edges, and relationship-first philosophy that allowed SS&Si to carve out dominance in a commoditized market. From building one of the industry's largest online communities (Burglar Alarms Online) to offering unprecedented free branding programs for dealers, Jake shares the counterintuitive moves that turned limitations into advantages—and how you can apply the same thinking to your business.

✅ The pivotal moment that transformed an online side hustle into a distribution powerhouse

✅ Why Jake's "poison pill" strategy slowly dismantled competitor advantages (and how family-owned companies can deploy similar tactics)

✅ How SS&Si differentiated in a commodity business through creativity, community, and killer branding

✅ The real cost and ROI of investing heavily in dealer branding programs (printers, people, systems—Jake breaks it all down)

✅ Why Jake's favorite customers are family-owned alarm companies—and what that reveals about competitive moats in this industry

✅ Behind-the-scenes insights on leadership in ESA, TMA, and why industry involvement isn't optional for serious players

✅ What the billion-dollar distributors consistently miss that small, nimble companies get right

Coffee Break With Jake is recorded live every Friday at 11am ET. Join us live or register to attend at https://go.ssandsi.com/coffeebreak