Crossword Genius

Business people strong on safety first (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

firms

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'business people' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are plural nouns, I cannot understand how one could define the other.

'strong on safety first' is the wordplay.
'strong' becomes 'firm' (synonyms).
'on' says to put letters next to each other.
'safety first' becomes 's' (1st letter of 'safety').
'firm'+'s'='FIRMS'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for firms that I've seen is " Companies".)

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app