How to become a bounty hunter in 9 easy steps
Becoming a bounty hunter shouldn’t be that hard, right? I mean I’ve narrowed it down to 9 easy steps…
1. Find a quality bounty hunter school or training.
2. Get a license, if necessary.
3. If you are sure if a license is required, search for it.
4. Get essential equipment and support systems in place.
5. Market your services.
6. If successful, find and arrest the fugitive, then take him to jail.
7. If successful, bill and collect for the client’s services.
8. Repeat steps 6-8 as many times as necessary.
9. Find more bounty hunter training and improve your skills. Again, repeat as many times as necessary.
Actually, I wish it were that easy, but it is not, although it is not impossible, as many imagine.
Since I don’t know anything about you or your experience, I’m going to assume you’re starting from scratch… with no experience in the bail bonds, search, arrest, or bounty hunting job search industry.
With that in mind, I’ll give you the best advice you’ll get in our industry:
Commit right now to becoming a lifelong student of the bail recovery trade, which means finding a mentor, taking courses, reading books, researching, and networking. This is not just for the short term… but also for as long as you intend to find fugitives for business or pleasure. I commit to at least 5 hours a week to learn more about some aspect of this business; improve my marketing skills, keep abreast of the changing climate in our industry, study new hop tracking methods, etc.; each are extremely valuable topics to follow.
Competence is developed from the study and practice of these skills. Competition leads to success!
But as I said in my last bounty hunting blog post, finding the right school is of the utmost importance. No other decision made by someone who wants to learn how to become a bounty hunter is as crucial!
And finding the right course can be difficult! You have to consider many options and rule out scam courses (and there are more than a few) to find a really great bail recovery course. Ask about the training director’s tenure and/or background… if he gets offended or defensive, that would be a good sign to stay away. Examine your brain a bit: does what you have to say give you cause for concern or does it feel like something isn’t quite right? Walk away if something is wrong..
Ultimately, a variety of courses and/or books from a few reputable companies would be in your best interest – this is a tricky business and all “pros” tend to approach the industry a little differently and none of us can cover all. 100%; It wouldn’t hurt to expose yourself as much as you’re comfortable with.
Lastly, I want to leave you with this: After dealing with thousands upon thousands of people who asked the most frequently asked questions about getting started enforcing bail bonds, I have found that the only single cause of frustration and eventual failure is that new people are too busy trying to reinvent the wheel instead of enlisting the help of a researcher who has been in the field for a while or has benefited from their training programs.
Give yourself a fighting chance and start with step #1 instead of the middle of the list. You’ll be glad you did.