Questions on starting a locksmith business.

[Guitar_J]

I'm broke, well.. not really.. more like... I have bills to pay (gah!) and people who depend on me, anywho...so I shop around... get the most bang for my buck.. try to findout if something is worth it..

so I am asking all you people who have been there.. what is the most cost effective way to get into locksmithing short of quitting school and my job and working with a locksmith (there isn't one nearby anyway.. which is why i want to get into it)

note: while I know it is important to have a nice set of tools, I'm not including them when I talk about cost, Tools will be required no matter which route I go.. I'm talking about learning the trade sufficiently enough so that I can have people pay me to do it.

Foley Belsaw looks nice.. but is out of my price range at the moment... :-/ does anyone know of any less expensive alternatives? even if someone could suggest a way to get into it via selfstudy.. that would be my most likely route if it is indeed possible...

I'd like to offer the basic services to start with, things like Lockouts (home and automotive, possibly commercial), Rekey, Masterkey...

Another reason I'm not into making a huge investment in this is I don't really know if there really is much of a market here in my area.. There isn't a locksmith here.. perhaps there is a reason.. maybe nobody gets locked out here... :-/

If you've read this far, thanks for reading my babble... if you reply.. thanks even more...

[Romstar]

Depending on where you live, possibly one of the best ways to get into the business is by going mobile. Your entire shop goes where you go. The drawback to this approach is if some low life scum steals your van. You better hope your insurance covers all of that.

Now, with that part out of the way, I would go with lockouts. Residential and automotive are good places to start. Mostly, and I'll be honest about this, because most homes have shitty easy to open locks, and if you buy the right tools cars are easy as well. Comercial locks are generally more complex. Like any other lock, they can be picked, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and drill the things.

Installs, cutting keys, and rekeying aren't that hard. Master keying is a different deal altogether. Especially if you start working with SFIC locks.
If you want to deal with safe and vault jobs, that is another thing as well.

For basic instructional you can't go wrong with Foley-Belsaw. For advanced, or even basic for that matter, HPC offers some of the best instructional books and videos available. They also have software that will be able to assist you in auto opening, master keying, and a variety of other services.

Now, as for the costs?
Tools expense, which you said not to worry about.
Licensing may be necessary in your area. Depending on requirements, you may need a business license as well as a special license to be a locksmith. Both of these would be yearly costs.
Stock is the next issue. What sort of locks, accessories, and hardware should you keep in your van and on hand. How close you are to a good dealer will determine a lot of your stocking needs.
Insurance for the business, the vehicle, and the vehicle contents are also required. Liability insurance is an absolute must just in case you either mess something up, or you get an a$$hole customer. Either way, no business should be without general liability.
Determine if bonding is legally required of you in order to run a locksmith shop. Even if it isn't required, I recommend that you have it. It looks very good to your customers.
Also, an aditional cost will be any stationary costs such as letterhead, and business cards. Stickers which are very useful, and forms.
Add in an advertising budget, if for nothing else than a yellow pages ad.

If you want to get in cheap, learn every bloody thing you can for lockouts. Plough every penny you can back into expanding your business and learning about other aspects such as master keying.
Buy a very good key machine. I recomend Ilco or HPC machines. I understand the Framon machines are also very popular. Failing that, get a basic machine so that you can do standards like Kwikset, Weiser, and others.
Now, you can do lock installs, lock replacement, key duplication or replacement if you have the code or if you know how to decode a lock. Lockouts for residential and automotive if you have the car tools.

There are so many things that are involved with running a business. Costs and expenses you didn't think of or anticipate. The best course of action is to consider what you know you can do, what you have the tools for, or can get the tools for and work from there.
Research all the necessary requirements for being in busines by talking to another business owner in YOUR area. This is a very important aspect. You need to know the laws and requirements for your location.

I'm half asleep at this stage so take what you can from this posting, and apply it to anything else that gets added.

Good luck,
Romstar

[HeadHunterCEO]

if you want to learn fast you gotta join a crew.

[Luke]

I know there is a locksmith video school it costs about 300 US

[Varjeal]

Romstar is right, the research before beginning is the big step. If you're in a relatively small market you most likely will not be able to afford to specialize, start collecting the basic tools and equipment. Safe work is kind of a speciality, and if you plan on doing anything more than combo changes and basic servicing, you're going to need pricey equipment that starts at a drill motor and a borescope and bits.

Make a business plan and force yourself to go through all the steps. This will help you decide if its worth it to start before you lay down a bunch of cash.

Good luck.