Google has been my sales force, my IT department, and–most of all–my trusted partner from the very first day I started this business.
Angel Rodriguez
Owner
As a decorated Army infantryman, Angel Rodriguez found it was a natural progression to the security field once he returned to civilian life. He was running operations for a small security company when the owners, unhappy with the security guard training available in Nashville, suggested that he start training people himself. In 2012, he opened Alliance Training and Testing to license unarmed security guards, and he has since expanded the business to provide armed license courses and recertification. “It gives me the warm fuzzies whenever I meet someone and know that what I’m doing will help them get a job,” Angel says. The pandemic hit the industry hard, but Angel pivoted to offer the first online Unarmed Security License training course in Tennessee, working for eight months to change laws and gain approval. Business grew 138 percent in 2021, and in 2022 the company trained around 1,500 people. Angel has turned to his Google Business Profile to help that growth along.
“We created our Business Profile in 2012 when the company was formed,” Angel says, “and it’s equally important to me as my website.” In January 2023 alone, Alliance’s Business Profile was discovered nearly 3,000 times, with about 300 users clicking through to the website. “The products section, in particular, allows a frictionless way to offer my service directly to the customer right from the Business Profile page,” Angel explains. Also a Google Workspace user, Angel is particularly fond of Gmail for its ability to automate customer emails. This year, Alliance expects to double its business as it offers new courses based on new legislation, expands its online library, and starts to train students at client-hosted locations. “To quote Pinky and the Brain, we’re going to do the same thing we do every night,” Angel jokes: “Try to take over the world!”