Duty, Discipline, and the Drive to Serve
In the sun-soaked expanse of Southern California, a legacy of integrity, service, and grit continues to evolve through the leadership of Jonathan Wojtanowicz, President of Systematic Inquiry Group. A family-owned, veteran-operated security and investigations company, the firm was originally founded in 1993 by Jonathan’s father. But its present and future are being shaped by the vision of a Marine-turned-entrepreneur who has carried his battlefield lessons into the boardroom.
“I officially came on around 2019,” Jonathan recalls, “and we opened up our service offerings to include security, which is more of my background.” That background is far from ordinary. Born and raised in Southern California, Jonathan felt the echoes of 9/11 deeply. Straight out of high school, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, a decision driven by purpose, patriotism, and a sense of duty.
Joining the Marines just after high school wasn’t merely a career move, it was a calling. “If I had to go back, I would still do it again,” he shares. “It was a good experience overall. I was young and still had a lot of maturing to do. But the Corps taught me invaluable lessons of teamwork, troop welfare, and leadership.”
One of the principles that stuck with him was simple yet profound: take care of your people first. “If there’s not enough food, your Marines eat and you don’t. That kind of concept.” It’s this mindset of leadership that later defines his approach in business. “When you take care of your team, your team takes care of you.”
Jonathan deployed to Afghanistan on multiple occasions. He saw combat, formed bonds that only those who serve can understand, and returned with both scars and pride. “I’m proud I got to go, serve, and come back with all my limbs. But more than that, I came back with perspective on freedom, on sacrifice, and on how much we take for granted in the U.S.”
After his service, Jonathan dabbled in various roles including a stint as a freelance bodyguard. Eventually, he rejoined the family business. But by the time he stepped in officially, the industry had changed, and so had the scale of opportunity.
Jonathan’s entrepreneurial spirit had already been ignited by then. A few years before joining the company, he had launched a training business focusing on situational awareness, a skill honed from years in the military and security industry. “It really took off,” he says. “Everything was in-person, which I still believe is the best form of training.”
But then the pandemic struck.
“COVID wiped it all out overnight. No one wanted to meet in person anymore.” Though the setback was crushing, it set the stage for a different kind of change, joining and expanding the family legacy.
Walking into an already-established business sounds like a soft landing, but that doesn’t mean the road was easy. “I didn’t have to be in that fight-or-flight, all-or-nothing entrepreneurial headspace,” Jonathan explains. “But we were essentially starting a whole new service line, one that neither of us had ever sold before.”
They shifted from a subcontractor model to hiring W2 employees, a massive operational leap. “We were now dealing with payroll taxes, workers’ comp, insurance claims… huge expenses we never faced before.” Learning to navigate this unfamiliar terrain, with stakes that grew rapidly, became one of his biggest challenges.
“Our first payrolls were in the low thousands. Then we acquired a company, and suddenly our payrolls ballooned to $30,000–$40,000, not including taxes and comp costs.” Jonathan was now responsible not only for the growth of the business but for the livelihoods of dozens of employees.
It was a trial by fire, but he didn’t face it empty-handed. Years of military discipline, adaptability, and an instinct for leadership helped him meet each challenge head-on.
Formerly a boots-on-the-ground operator, he found himself straddling the line between doing the work and building the machine that does the work.
“I was great at operations,” Jonathan admits. “I knew how to manage teams, protect clients, cover estates, but I didn’t know how to sell what I did. That’s a whole different skill set.”
He compares it to being a top-tier mechanic who suddenly has to pitch their services to people with no idea what’s under the hood. “You have to explain what problem you solve, not what you do,” he says. “And that’s hard. It forces you to reverse-engineer your value in a way people understand.”
This sharp awareness of value has defined much of Jonathan’s recent work, from managing volatile public events like the Trump rally in Costa Mesa, where a peaceful protest spiraled into a riot to navigating tense moments at Black Lives Matter demonstrations. “You’re just trying to keep your team safe,” he recalls. “But what stood out to me more than the danger was how deeply divided the public was and how misunderstood everyone felt, even by the media.”
Despite the chaos, these moments gave Jonathan more insight into human behavior and the importance of perception. “People make assumptions both good and bad, just from how something looks,” he says. “That applies to our business too. If you want people to trust you, you have to be crystal clear about who you are, what you stand for, and what you solve.”
When it comes to solving problems whether it’s a staffing shortage, budget issue, or shifting client expectations, Jonathan believes in starting with brutal honesty. “You ask, what do I have right now to fix this? And is that even the real problem?” he says. “Maybe the issue isn’t a lack of staff, but that you’re not a good communicator and people don’t want to work for you. You’ve got to get to the root.”
Experience, he insists, is the best teacher. “You get better at problem solving by solving more problems. Just like pull-ups. You don’t start at 20. You start with what you’ve got. But you do it every day and you get stronger.”
That mindset ties directly into how he structures his time balancing discipline with flexibility. “I front-load my week with admin work,” he explains. “I delegate first, because those tasks can’t start until I hand them off. Then I move into A-level tasks. Friday is my flex day, my buffer. That way, the weekend belongs to my family.”
Jonathan has come a long way from doing every task himself. “A lot of entrepreneurs get stuck in that owner-operator mindset. You grow the business, but all that means is more hours for you. If you don’t delegate, you’re the bottleneck,” he says.
Yes, delegating costs money. But Jonathan sees it as buying back time which is a crucial asset if you want to scale. “I can charge $50/hour for my time, or I can pay someone $30/hour to do it, and I take home less. But I also get an hour of my life back. That’s a trade worth making.”
Ultimately, his focus has shifted from being the guy who does the work to the guy who enables the work. “You teach people to replace you bit by bit,” he says. “You shrink your responsibilities, not your vision. That’s how you grow.”
The Best Advice He Ever Got? “Not All Money Is Good Money.” That came from an old colleague during a stressful job on the Facebook campus in Northern California. “I was gone a lot, and it was wearing on my wife and me. I ended up leaving the deal.” When Jonathan opened up about the pressure, the man told him, “Not all money is good money.” “It stuck,” Jonathan said. “More money isn’t always better if it costs you too much elsewhere.”
Jonathan Wojtanowicz is not just building a business, he’s building a framework for leadership, rooted in clarity, adaptability, and service. Whether he’s navigating riots, managing risk, or teaching his team how to thrive without him, he’s always thinking two steps ahead.
And if there’s one lesson he leaves for fellow entrepreneurs, it’s this: “You win 100% of the fights you’re not in. Step back, breathe, and think. That’s where real leadership starts.”
