Latest updates and stories from Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce and its Members

For Michael Callum, Director of Callum Solutions, protecting people has been the common thread running through much of his working life.

After 21 years in the security sector and nine years working in education as a teacher and behaviour manager, Michael realised that the skills he had developed in two seemingly different careers were more closely connected than he first thought.

“Whether I was working in security with adults or in schools with young people, I was managing behaviour,” he explains. “That was the through line.” It was that combination of experience that led Michael to establish Callum Solutions in 2022, creating a business that sits, in his words, “where security and safeguarding intersect”.

Where security meets safeguarding

Callum Solutions initially began by providing specialist behavioural support within care settings, working with local authorities and care providers to support vulnerable young people with complex needs.

The role required far more than a traditional security presence. Michael and his team were there to safeguard young people, support existing staff and help manage challenging situations safely and effectively.

For Michael, it demonstrated why the right people and the right approach matter. “We were looking at things from a more holistic perspective,” he says. “These were some of the most vulnerable young people in society, so it wasn’t simply about security. It was about safeguarding too.”

Today, the business operates through two complementary arms: Callum Care Solutions, providing specialist support within care settings, and Callum Security Solutions, supporting clients across areas including event and corporate security, asset protection, security driving and close and executive protection.

Although they serve different needs, both are built around the same principle: providing carefully selected people with the skills, judgement and attitude needed to deliver the right support.

As Michael explains, the wider vision is for Callum Solutions to provide clients with a trusted, consistent service across security and safeguarding. Whatever the brief, he believes the starting point should always be the same: understanding what the client actually needs. “It’s really important to know what the client wants,” he explains. “Then it’s about providing a good level of service and exceeding expectations.”

Integrity, value and attention to detail

Asked what differentiates Callum Solutions from other providers, Michael’s answer is simple: “Integrity, value, and attention to detail.”

Those values influence everything from the way the company recruits to the bespoke service it provides each client.

Michael is deliberately selective about the people representing the Callum Solutions name, looking not only for the appropriate skills and licences, but the attitude, judgement and professionalism needed to deliver the standard he expects. “My staff are representing me,” he says. “They have to meet the same standard.”

It is an approach that is generating repeat business, with clients returning to Callum Solutions for further support across a range of different requirements.

For Michael, however, positive feedback is an incentive to keep improving rather than a reason to stand still. “I’m always looking for the next crest of the wave,” he says. “I think, ‘That was good, they’re happy with that - but how can I do better?’”

Turning challenges into determination

That determination to keep moving forward has shaped Michael’s approach throughout his career and the development of Callum Solutions. It is also something he has had to apply personally.

Born with cataracts and having experienced problems with his eyesight throughout his life, Michael has been managing glaucoma since his teens. An assault while carrying out security duties in 2012 caused further damage to his sight and left him with significant light sensitivity.

Rather than allowing those challenges to determine what he could achieve, Michael has used them as motivation to keep pushing forward. “I have to strive. I have to try and do better and be better,” he says. “If you know you can do something good for people or provide a great service to clients, you owe it to yourself to do that.”

That same mindset has helped him navigate the inevitable highs and lows of building a business. Michael is open about the fact that the journey has included both, but believes the difficult periods can often reveal new opportunities. For him, the important thing is to keep learning, keep adapting and keep looking for the next step forward.

Building a lasting family name

The Callum Solutions logo is based around a cornerstone, a deliberate choice that reflects Michael’s long-term vision for the company.

“The cornerstone is the most important part of the building because it’s what you build a structure from,” he explains. “I wanted to build something that can hopefully outlast me.”

For Michael, that means creating a family business capable of supporting future generations while building a name that stands for something.

His ambition is to develop Callum Solutions nationally and internationally, but growth alone isn’t the ultimate goal. “I want Callum Solutions to make people feel safe,” he says. “I want them to have that sense of security and know they’re being taken care of.”

That purpose extends beyond commercial security. Through the care side of the business and his own background in education and behaviour management, Michael remains passionate about supporting young people and believes some of the most meaningful work he has done has been helping change the direction of those facing difficult circumstances.

“We’ve already started to change lives and change trajectories,” he says. “Protecting people and making people feel safe is a calling. This is a life’s work.”

Preparing for Bedfordshire’s opportunities

Closer to home, Michael sees significant potential in the investment and development planned across Bedfordshire.

The Universal development is one obvious catalyst, but he believes its impact will stretch far beyond the project itself, creating demand across construction, hospitality and the wider supply chain. “A rising tide raises all boats,” he says. “Universal coming to Bedford is going to have a knock-on effect through all sectors of business.”

For Callum Solutions, that could create opportunities across construction security, hospitality, asset protection and other specialist services. Michael is also realistic that opportunities for local SMEs may not always come directly from the largest projects. Tier 1 contractors and other major suppliers will themselves need trusted local partners capable of supporting delivery.

“The company that gets the direct contract is going to need help from local providers,” he explains. “We want to be that local provider they know they can rely on.”

Finding strength in the Chamber

Michael joined Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce in 2025 because he recognised that growing a business could not be done in isolation. “A finger can do many things, but a hand can do much more,” he says.

He admits that joining a new business network can initially feel a little like the first day at school, particularly when it seems as though everyone else already knows each other. But as Michael has become more involved, those initial introductions have developed into meaningful relationships.

“I’ve had quite a few people from the Chamber reach out and say, ‘Let’s meet up. Let’s talk about what we could do and how we can help each other,’” he says. “That’s how business has always been done.”

His involvement with BedX has reinforced that belief. Through events such as Coffee & Connect, Michael is actively building relationships with businesses across the county and believes the real value of networking often extends beyond the people you meet directly. “Sometimes it may not be the person in the room who needs your services. It might be somebody they know,” he explains.

It is why Michael places such importance on building genuine relationships, sharing contacts and helping other businesses where he can. For him, being surrounded by people with different experiences also creates an opportunity to learn. “We learn by being around people that have more experience than us in certain areas,” he says. “That’s how we get better.”

Looking ahead

Callum Solutions is now focused on securing more long-term contracts and continuing to develop both sides of the business.

For Callum Security Solutions, Michael sees particular potential among construction businesses, corporate organisations, hotels and other sites requiring ongoing security, especially as Bedfordshire enters a significant period of investment and development.

Alongside this, Callum Care Solutions will continue to draw on the experience and safeguarding principles on which the wider business was originally founded.

But Michael’s ambitions go beyond building a successful company. He also wants to encourage other business owners facing challenges of their own to keep moving forward. Having overcome obstacles throughout his own life and career, he is passionate about reminding fellow Chamber members that difficult circumstances do not have to define what they can achieve. “Running your own business is extremely hard,” he says. “Win, lose or draw, you are the captain of the ship.”

But his message is also about the importance of not trying to do everything alone. “No one is alone. We’re all here to support each other in the Chamber,” he says. “We have a strategy, we have a plan and we have to make that plan a reality. We work on that and we work together. So let’s win.”

For Michael, that combination of resilience, collaboration and a determination to keep moving forward is central to both his own journey and the future he is building for Callum Solutions.

Find out more

To find out more about Callum Solutions and its two specialist service areas, visit Callum Security Solutions or Callum Care Solutions.

To find out more about Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce membership and how we help businesses connect, grow and influence, visit chamber-business.com or call 01582 522448.