What you need to start a uk locksmith business

[RHINO RECOVERY]

Hi, my main line of work is vehicle delivery/recovery but have had a lot of job's opening vehicles for people who have lost keys or locked them in the vehicle & have vast range of picks,jigglers & over lifters
where do i stand with the legal side of things??? as i have never done a course is there any course available for just cars

[pjzstones]

Hi, my main line of work is vehicle delivery/recovery but have had a lot of job's opening vehicles for people who have lost keys or locked them in the vehicle & have vast range of picks,jigglers & over lifters
where do i stand with the legal side of things??? as i have never done a course is there any course available for just cars

all depends on the location you live in, but it would be foolish to not know or find out before you started to do this type of thing.

[nationallockandsafe]

Nah, you can do what you like really as long as it is on the right side of the law.

Like boiler engineers have Gas Safe (used to be CORGI), Locksmiths in the uk do not have any true governing body.

If your good at it, then keep it up. You willl always be somebodys friend when you get them into thier car on a rainy day!

[nationallockandsafe]

If you are from the US then you may have other rules!

[locksmithr]

Each state in the US has different rules.

locksmithr

[mr2nice]

great info here old post i know any one here done that course or any other please post how you got on I'd really appreciate the up date cheers

[Big ade]

great info here old post i know any one here done that course or any other please post how you got on I'd really appreciate the up date cheers

I have not done a course, i was lucky in the way that a friends father own a security company, and to a shop to expand. His alarm and cctv side of the company is busy beyond believe! The locksmith side was quiet, but getting around 10-15 calls a week but as he is so busy with the other stuff he was handing it out to other local locksmiths. But i joined the company in jan this year to become a apprentice locksmith, so he makes money on the jobs he was handing out now and im earning too.

[Rickthepick]

great info here old post i know any one here done that course or any other please post how you got on I'd really appreciate the up date cheers

I have not done a course, i was lucky in the way that a friends father own a security company, and to a shop to expand. His alarm and cctv side of the company is busy beyond believe! The locksmith side was quiet, but getting around 10-15 calls a week but as he is so busy with the other stuff he was handing it out to other local locksmiths. But i joined the company in jan this year to become a apprentice locksmith, so he makes money on the jobs he was handing out now and im earning too.

Your pretty lucky there!
its quickly becoming a cut throat business and most lockies dont earn enough for themselves let alone to take on anyone. Iv had a couple of calls asking if i do apprenticeship work or on the job training and as much as id love to have someone to chat with about locks all day you just cant afford another lockie popping up in the area.

[IseeMortise]

Old topic, new user.

In the USA, have been working for a shop as a locksmith/access control installer for about 10+ years and am seriously considering buying my own van and working on my own. I have a wife and two kids, enough expeirence just not sure I have enough gumption or insight on how to get started. I have most of the tools needed, some power, I still need key machines of some sort and need a Schlage punch (handy in the USA). Do I spend 5-7k$ on a van with cabinets etc., then buy keymachines? Should I stick with my employer long enough to get my van equipped, develop clients and so on? Would 7-10k$ be enough to get my van, equip it, and be ready for full service (less inventory)? I have very little exp in automotive, most of my exp is commerical and some residential with a splash of govt. Any advice for a late bloomer?

[criminalhate]

Have you ever looked into what the real costs of running a business will be?

Business Licenses
Vehicle insurance
Business insurance
Cost of getting a business Name (price and process vary by state)
Etc.


Is your wife willing to support you and your family for at least a year? Most small business are a money sink until you establish yourself.

If your not a person that gives it your all you will probably be asking your old boss for your job back in less then a years time.

Dont want to sound like an ass and I have no practical experience with being a locksmith. But I helped run a small time mechanics shop for around 3 years and watched the owner run through a lot of different problems

[toomush2drink]

With the uk in a recession forget starting up a locksmith business,its tough out there.

[IseeMortise]

So licenses and insurance aside - Would 7-10k$ be enough to get my van, equip it, and be ready for full service (less inventory)?

[79commando]

At a rough guess I'd say no. Mainly due to just the initial running costs are about that and that's before you get a vehicle. Insurance and advertising can take up a large part of the initial costs. That and if any of your customers are business customers you can wait up to three months to get paid. Add to this how your current employer will view you taking customers off of him after the time and money he has invested in you.

I can't speak for the USA market but the UK one is in dire straights, so much so that there is no end of training schools being set up by failling locksmiths hoping to cash in on the guilible and recent mass of redundees looking for a change of trade. Just ask yourself if the trade was so good why would you wont to train others up to take the food off your table. Don't listen to the rubbish that we only train one person in each area as there are hundreds of training schools preaching the same line.

[IseeMortise]

...no...the initial running costs are about that...before you get a vehicle. Insurance and advertising can take up a large part of the initial costs...you can wait up to three months to get paid (by business customers). Add to this how your current employer will view you taking customers off of him after the time and money he has invested in you.

I am only trying to figure the cost of the van, equipment for the van such as key machines, a grinder etc, will 7-10k be suffucient? I'm not looking to factor in customer billing, but if I need to have a bankroll to cover mostly commerical business' jobs would it be fair then to suggest having 2-3 months worth of light duty inventory (cylinders, grade 2 cylindrical locks etc), and a couple thousand in cash?

Any time invested in me has been paid back in spades. That said, my current employer and I have an understanding - He pays well for a job well done and nothing is more healthy than a competitive market.

[Rickthepick]

Even training schools are struggling now... theres nobody else to train haha

To be successful you need to survive this period and wait for all the newcomers to die off, most dont have enough stock to even do the jobs anyway.
Iv been called to a few reactfast bodge ups where the un-vetted 'locksmith' has turned up with a small selection of locks and basically been told to get on his bike and bugger off...

It will pass eventually, im just glad its not my only source of income.