Business Questions? Ask a Locksmith.

[billdeserthills]

Here in Arizona I only pay $400 a year for a million dollar liability insurance policy. If you plan to be successful You need insurance. Many companies out my way won't even hire you if you aren't insured & it doesn't hafta cost a lot. Try to add insurance for your truck & tools, as much as they'll cover usually about $5-$10,000 for tools. Throw this receipt into a box, with every other business receipt you get, include office expenses, like stamps & paperclips, gas oil & grease, rent & utilities. If you have an office in your home where you do your taxes you may even write off a portion of your rent/mtg. Want to know about more fun? Every month you'll likely be expected to fill out a sales tax return. All the things required of a business could make you crazy, if you think of them all at once. It helps me to know that other folks own businesses and they do all this stuff, so it is possible. It's entirely worthwhile too, plus You can pretend to be The master of Your destiny

[phyortek]

New here, but yeah i also dont ask for id most the time.
Asking how did this happen, then gauging their response gives me a very good idea if they live there.
Nervous, or hesitant responses make me ask for proof (mail with name and address, and/or drivers license)

Dont use pick guns, iv let mine collect dust...
Bumping is the way to go.
Too much pick gunning and you'll lose your skill a bit.

Tools?
Hammer, vice grips,drill,airbags,screw drivers,a1 or hpc picks, bump keys, chisles,some files, uhhhhh..some pointy tools, a pin kit, a duplicator(speedex by hpc), (universal ii by hpc)code machine, inverter (3000 watt is best) t300 and ck100 programming machines, lots of transponders, standard key blanks(auto and standard -kw1 sc1 sc4 etc...)cutters, a grinder, and a scooby doo van to work in.
I recommend Makita for your drill and disk.
That's all i can think of for now.
The 3d pro is good for high security auto keys.

Feel free to ask questions

[ShadowSteel]

For installation of new locks, do you typically have sets keyed alike ready to go, or do you have the housing and cores and key them per job? Also how/why do you select and or recommend a particular lock. I assume you have a selection of high quality lock (grade 1 and 2) and want to fit the best lock for the particular application. Also do you offer and or recommend door reinforcement kits to prevent kick ins to customers, and how common are they becoming.

[Hachronn]

I had the opportunity to attend an Advanced Diagnostics demo last night. Unfortunately, due to the the sort of obligations that put food on my table, I didn't get there until they had already covered a lot of the information I needed to know, so I'm asking here.

Regarding the MVP Pro, did I understand correctly that even if one does everything right, it's still possible to burn through multiple tokens programming a single key?

[2octops]

We buy most locks zero bitted or random bitted and rekey everything we install.

Lock choice depends on application. I would not put a Grade 1 lever on a mobile home door nor would I put a Kwikset on a hospital or bank.

Yes you have to burn multiple tokens when programming certain vehicle with a MVP. Just price it into the job and move along. If you don't want to burn tokens, buy a T-Code and pay $600 a year per mfg for updates.

[billdeserthills]

For installation of new locks, do you typically have sets keyed alike ready to go, or do you have the housing and cores and key them per job? Also how/why do you select and or recommend a particular lock. I assume you have a selection of high quality lock (grade 1 and 2) and want to fit the best lock for the particular application. Also do you offer and or recommend door reinforcement kits to prevent kick ins to customers, and how common are they becoming.

Some of inventory is keyed alike, but it doesn't matter, only takes a minute to rekey a standard cylinder. I like to match the hardware my client already owns, in model and color. If I can't provide
an exact match I will show them something close to what they have, if they don't like that I just order what they would like, no point in losing money. Sometimes I will tell them I hafta go back to
the shop and just run into the hardware store & get one, if I don't have it. I don't usually off door reinforcement unless I see some damage on the door already.

[south town ninja]

does one need a locksmith license to run a lockout business?

[Jburgett2nd]

does one need a locksmith license to run a lockout business?

The states of Alabama,California,Connecticut,Illinois,Louisiana,Maryland,Nebraska,Nevada,New Jersey,North Carolina,Oklahoma,Oregon,Tennessee,Texas, and Virginia require a license. I would recommend that you get an ALOA certification, it is assurance to the costumers that you do indeed know what you are doing, an inexperienced person can damage locks and other parts of cars fairly easily so having that piece of paper that says yeah I really know what I claim to know may give you an advantage over those that do not have one.

[billdeserthills]

does one need a locksmith license to run a lockout business?

The states of Alabama,California,Connecticut,Illinois,Louisiana,Maryland,Nebraska,Nevada,New Jersey,North Carolina,Oklahoma,Oregon,Tennessee,Texas, and Virginia require a license. I would recommend that you get an ALOA certification, it is assurance to the costumers that you do indeed know what you are doing, an inexperienced person can damage locks and other parts of cars fairly easily so having that piece of paper that says yeah I really know what I claim to know may give you an advantage over those that do not have one.

Only the super-paranoid give a d@mn about that piece of paper, nobody knows what it means, Most clients want You
there Now and for Cheap. I wouldn't want to run afoul of the licensing board without a license though, I'm sure they have
ways of making You very sorry

[globallockytoo]

Depending on the classification of the selected state and what they choose to call a locksmith, you might need some sort of accreditation that shows you are qualified, but essentially any business can be "managed" by a non-licensed technician.

So in answer to your question, if you run the business you, personally may not need to be licensed, but there might be a need for a business license and individual licenses for technicians.

[south town ninja]

Very informative. Thanks all

[countylocksmith]

Hello all, quite new here and I'm trying to learn as much as I can about these "franchise" Locksmith companies. I'm always a little wary about anything sold in a very "well packaged" box.

So does anyone have any experience working with some of these franchise locksmith companies. What was is your experience like? Is it really reliable leads and good business?

Does anyone know what software these big companies use to manage everything?

[d_Random]

Does the locksmith association that administers the test give accredited locksmiths
in each state issue some sort of identifying badge or patch to wear to indicate to the public that you
are certified?

[billdeserthills]

Does the locksmith association that administers the test give accredited locksmiths
in each state issue some sort of identifying badge or patch to wear to indicate to the public that you
are certified?

I think you get a goody basket

[Locksmith22]

I currently own a mobile locksmith operation that has been going strong for about 4 years. I am a second generation locksmith and I am interested in opening a shop. Our mobile operation is really taking a toll on us because the call volume is high but the closing ratio is horrible. We also mostly deal with residential customers and automotive. These customers are bottom of the barrel for the most part because they see these phony $15 smiths online and They don't want to pay. We have 1 or 2 decent realtor type accounts and have found it very difficult to get any commercial work or better accounts. I feel that in order for us to get any kind of serious repeat accounts we must get a shop.

We have been searching for a good location and just found one in a city nearby with 100k people. The location is downtown cheap rent and has heavy traffic. The only problem is there are already 2 shops in town. 1 is a small 1 man shop and the other is a 4-5 truck outfit. My uncle seems to think this doesn't matter and that accounts will just walk in the door because they are sick of the existing locksmith shops. We also have strong automotive that the 4-5 truck shop doesn't do auto so I think that's a plus.

I heard that for a shop to survive you need at least 30k population per smith. I am concerned it is oversaturated especially with that big outfit 4-5 trucks.

Any advice or help in this matter from shop owners especially any one who transitioned from mobile to a shop would be great. Thanks ahead of time.