From my earliest days at Deloitte, diving deep into accounting systems and processes, to two and a half decades at Raymond James, my work revolved around guiding teams, recruiting talent and supporting clients as they built their wealth and companies.
Later, at Stonehill, I helped organizations transform through Design Thinking.
But in 2021, I finally stepped out of the corporate seat and into the entrepreneur’s chair. I took ownership of a business where I could apply my own views on leadership, integrity and building great teams. That decision led me down a new path, one lined with storm protection and installation crews.
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When I purchased Home Safety Solutions, a respected Tampa Bay company founded in 1986, I knew I wasn’t just buying a business. I was assuming a legacy.
My goal was to bring modern operational rigor and a better customer experience to an industry that hadn’t changed much in decades, particularly one tied so closely to Florida hurricane season and homeowner preparedness.
What follows are a few lessons from that transformation, how I approached the transition, the mistakes I learned from and what I would tell others considering the leap into ownership.
Building a business around Florida’s climate
The road from corporate life to entrepreneurship wasn’t linear, and I didn’t stumble into ownership by accident.
I spent months researching opportunities, reviewing more than a hundred potential businesses and conducting deep due diligence on about ten.
Buying a business is a lot like buying a home. You can start by browsing online, but it doesn’t take long to realize you need a guide.
After encountering several seller’s brokers who provided little more than surface-level information, I turned to Penny Parks at Links Financial. Penny agreed to represent me as a buyer’s broker and shared my analytical approach.
While I had a strong accounting and operations background, she filled the gaps on how to actually buy a business.
When we discovered Home Safety Solutions, it stood out immediately. The company had nothing but five-star reviews, long-tenured installers and staff and an owner-operator who cared deeply about the work.
This mattered in a business where trust is everything, especially when customers are making decisions about hurricane shutters, storm shutters and long-term home protection before hurricane season in Florida begins.
Modernizing a legacy hurricane protection company
After taking over, I applied the same discipline that guided my corporate career to every part of the operation.
When I arrived, the company’s database was essentially a glorified Rolodex running locally on a single computer.
We’ve since moved to a cloud-based CRM using HubSpot, with automated lead capture and customer communication tracking.
Accounting shifted to QuickBooks Online and we adopted a VoIP system that lets our team call and text customers through one platform.
We’re also developing proprietary tools, including quoting and permitting apps, to bring more transparency and ease to the customer experience. That matters when homeowners are comparing hurricane shutters cost, weighing the cost of hurricane shutters, or deciding between accordion hurricane shutters, roll down hurricane shutters, or hurricane storm panels.
We’ve taken what many would call a blue-collar business and layered in technology without losing the craftsmanship that defines the work. Systems should enhance quality, not replace it.
Understanding today’s hurricane shutter options
As we head into 2026, I’m proud to announce our rebranding from Home Safety Solutions to Storm Shielder.
This change is more than a new name. It’s a declaration of purpose. The original brand carried a strong legacy rooted in home safety and childproofing. Today, our focus is clear. We specialize in hurricane protection for Florida homes, whether that means hurricane window shutters, accordion shutters or modern solutions that blend safety with design.
Our product offerings now include impact windows alongside traditional hurricane shutters that Florida homeowners rely on, giving families more options as hurricane season approaches each year.
We’re also expanding geographically to better serve underrepresented areas like Hernando and Citrus counties, where demand for Florida storm shutters continues to grow as the population increases.
Why hurricane season drives demand for storm protection
When I began my search, I thought I wanted to own a product-based business rather than a service business. Looking back, I realize I also found something else.
Many white collar industries built on recurring revenue are now facing real headwinds from AI. Somehow, I landed in a business that still depends on human hands and honest work.
You can’t outsource craftsmanship. You can’t automate trust. And when a homeowner asks about when hurricane season starts, when is hurricane season or even the end of hurricane season, what they’re really asking is who they can rely on.
What we provide at Storm Shielder is tangible protection you can see, touch and trust. And every day, I’m grateful to lead a team that delivers something real.
Troy Atlas is a recovering CPA with B.S. and M.S. degrees in accounting from the University of Florida. A Tampa native, he has served as former Chair of the ReliaQuest Bowl, former Chair of St. Joseph’s Hospitals Foundation, Trustee of the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and a participant in Leadership Florida. For more insights on entrepreneurship and business ownership, contact Troy at [email protected].
