One of the oldest Black-owned security firms in the United States, Johnson Security Bureau, provided mainly unarmed guards to New York banks, public works, and hospitals. The company’s status as a woman-owned, minority-owned firm had been crucial to its competitive strategy since CEO Jessica Johnson-Cope took over the firm from her father.
BRIAN KENNY: That’s a good way to start. Jessica, let me turn to you for a minute. It’d be great if you just tell us a little bit about Johnson Security Bureau. How would you describe it in your own words? And I know your journey began after your father passed away, that’s when you stepped in to take over the business as the case describes it. Can you tell us more about what it was like for you to step into those shoes? It’s got to be a really difficult thing to be able to do.
With technology and with the type of partners we have, being able to scale geographically is more of a reality now than it was when my grandparents started the business. So those were some of the key considerations.
BRIAN KENNY: Yeah. Yeah. It’s a fabulous program. When we did the show, it was probably five or six years ago, so they were coming up on their 10th anniversary at that time. So really glad to see that it’s still thriving. But let’s go back to the other part of the question, which is minority business owners face a whole set of challenges that other business owners don’t face.
BRIAN KENNY: Yeah. This is a key theme that I think we see run through a lot of challenges that family-owned businesses in particular face, which is you have the originator of the business, who’s got a vision, who’s got the core values, who’s setting the tone.
HENRY MCGEE: Yeah. Yeah. Brian, if we could go back and talk a bit about Jessica’s success, which is so much based on the values that were handed down to her by her family.
HENRY MCGEE: I think that they would describe her as a combination of being both inspirational but also forceful. There as you know, many theories about the value of leadership from behind. She’s very, very much in the leading, leading by example.
JESSICA JOHNSON-COPE: Some days you just get decision fatigue, and you don’t have the strength to see things clearly. So you call in the reinforcements. Who’s on the bench? Is it Aaron Rodgers or is it Patrick Mahomes? I want to go to Patrick Mahomes if I have decision fatigue.JESSICA JOHNSON-COPE: But I understand what I know and what I don’t know.
HENRY MCGEE: Several things. First, I think that understanding both your market and market trends very, very important. If you are in a mature business, be aware of that and think about how you’re going to compete in a mature business. In Jessica’s case, for example, while she’s in the security business, has been around for a long, long time, it is mature. There are also segments that are growing to cyber security. So her strategy is to move into cyber security.