Breaking into a male-dominated industry like electronic security, as Glynn Mashonga did when she founded GlobeScope Security Solutions, often means having to prove competence twice over before clients and lenders extend the same trust they’d give a male-owned competitor by default.
Building credibility from the ground up
Mashonga started her business after hitting a glass ceiling at a security company, moving into hands-on technical work like drilling and installing security systems to demonstrate she could deliver the same quality as any competitor. That deliberate choice, proving physical technical competence rather than only managing the business side, was specifically aimed at overcoming the scepticism she describes facing from both clients and banks early on.
Why technical credibility mattered more than marketing
Security installation is a field where clients need genuine confidence in the quality and reliability of the work, not just a competitive quote, making demonstrated technical skill a more effective trust-builder than marketing claims alone. Securing work with institutional clients, banks, universities, insurers, requires exactly this kind of proven reliability, since these organisations have low tolerance for security failures.
What this means for women entering technical, male-dominated industries
Mashonga’s approach, demonstrating hands-on technical competence directly rather than only occupying a management role, offers a practical model for women entering any male-dominated technical field where scepticism about competence is a real, if unfair, early barrier. Building a track record with recognisable institutional clients then becomes the strongest signal to future prospects that the scepticism was misplaced.
Frequently asked questions
What challenge did Glynn Mashonga face building GlobeScope Security Solutions?
Overcoming scepticism from clients and banks about her competence in the male-dominated security installation industry.
How did she address that scepticism?
By demonstrating hands-on technical competence directly, including drilling and installing security systems herself, rather than only managing the business.
Why does technical credibility matter especially in security services?
Clients need genuine confidence in installation quality and reliability, which marketing alone can’t establish in a field with low tolerance for failure.
How did winning institutional clients help her business?
Contracts with recognisable institutions like banks and universities became strong proof points that helped counter early scepticism.
What can other women in technical industries learn from her approach?
That demonstrating direct technical competence, not just managing from an office, can be a powerful way to overcome unfair industry bias.
Originally published in February 2018. Updated September 2026.
Small business support context via the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.
Further reading
Originally published in February 2018. Updated September 2026 to link current examples of the same institutional-trust-building work women founders in male-dominated technical sectors continue to navigate.
