sudden quiet spells for no explained reason?

[Poolsharks1]

Hi all
I was wondering if other locksmith companies suddely go dead workwise for a couple of weeks, and what they think the reason for this is?

Luckily this week ive still had a few jobs from letting agents and landlords i do work for. As for google ive only had a handful of jobs in the past week - i usually do well from google as i am ranked high in my area

Cheers

[Squelchtone]

Hi,

You posted this in the General Chatter area of the hobby lock picking forum. For locksmith business specific topics please post in the Locksmith Business Info forum.

I will move your post to the Locksmith Lounge sub forum, a corner of the picking forum dedicated just for our locksmith members.

Squelchtone

[Poolsharks1]

Ok sorry. First post

[billdeserthills]

It's called 'feast or famine' yeah, that's why you hafta be careful to always save a good amount of money.
Been that way for me since 1994, so I'll assume it is normal. First week in the month it's busy, then nothing
much to do for ten days, then busy again...

[Poolsharks1]

Yea your probably right bill. Ive probably been spoilt for too long. Normally do not too bad most weeks for work. Just the past couple of weeks ive been quiet. Website rankings and reviews are just the same etc. Probably a mix of ever increasing competition? Or maybe people saving their $$$ for xmas?

[billdeserthills]

Yea your probably right bill. Ive probably been spoilt for too long. Normally do not too bad most weeks for work. Just the past couple of weeks ive been quiet. Website rankings and reviews are just the same etc. Probably a mix of ever increasing competition? Or maybe people saving their $$$ for xmas?

I see lots of folks saving money by sacrificing their security every year. In fact if you take a look around America you swill find that at least 95%
of all locks on homes & businesses can be easily picked or bumped open & yet nobody seems to care

[cledry]

What is this slow down you talk about? We have to turn jobs away constantly. Our problem is hiring anyone that can do the job. It seems as though any locksmiths worth hiring are already working and staying busy too.

I think the week of Christmas is a bit slow, but that is due to people being out of town and businesses closed up.

[kwoswalt99-]

What is this slow down you talk about? We have to turn jobs away constantly. Our problem is hiring anyone that can do the job. It seems as though any locksmiths worth hiring are already working and staying busy too.

I think the week of Christmas is a bit slow, but that is due to people being out of town and businesses closed up.

Maybe Bill lives in a much more sparsely populated area.

[billdeserthills]

What is this slow down you talk about? We have to turn jobs away constantly. Our problem is hiring anyone that can do the job. It seems as though any locksmiths worth hiring are already working and staying busy too.

I think the week of Christmas is a bit slow, but that is due to people being out of town and businesses closed up.

Maybe Bill lives in a much more sparsely populated area.

Yep, I live in a small town, I been watching other businesses go under since 1970

[GWiens2001]

What is this slow down you talk about? We have to turn jobs away constantly. Our problem is hiring anyone that can do the job. It seems as though any locksmiths worth hiring are already working and staying busy too.

I think the week of Christmas is a bit slow, but that is due to people being out of town and businesses closed up.

Maybe Bill lives in a much more sparsely populated area.

Yep, I live in a small town, I been watching other businesses go under since 1970

The businesses have taken 45 years to go under? Yeah, sure some businesses always seem to have a "Going out of business" sign up for years on end, but 45 years is a long time to actually do so.



Gordon

[cledry]

Some people are happy to not be too busy. I say more power to them. I'm sure it is better for their health.

[billdeserthills]

What is this slow down you talk about? We have to turn jobs away constantly. Our problem is hiring anyone that can do the job. It seems as though any locksmiths worth hiring are already working and staying busy too.

I think the week of Christmas is a bit slow, but that is due to people being out of town and businesses closed up.

Maybe Bill lives in a much more sparsely populated area.

Yep, I live in a small town, I been watching other businesses go under since 1970

The businesses have taken 45 years to go under? Yeah, sure some businesses always seem to have a "Going out of business" sign up for years on end, but 45 years is a long time to actually do so.



Gordon[/quote]


Oh Gordon, you are such a fooler,
I have spent a lot of time rekeying the same business 3 times (or more) per year, here in my little town.
People forget that there are seasons out here and when it gets too hot, or too cold, all those rich folks pack
up and take all the money away with them. I love to see a positive attitude, like when a new biz opens, but
many times it is followed by a long period of going broke.

In fact the Albertsons market down the street just sold their store to Haggen. Albertson's market has been open since
almost 1990, but 6 weeks after Haggen bought the store it has already gone broke. They have loads of signs up right now
'Store Closing, 50% off' Funny cause Albertson's had a thriving biz there for many years. Haggen came in & raised all the
prices to what Californy charges & within 6 weeks, they were just about gone. Of course I have been telling them this would
happen, for the last 6 weeks, but they were unconcerned. Now I have to find a new pharmacy

[Sinifar]

IT IS the business cycle. things go up and down all the time. This year we have been door busting busy at times and other times it is like the mummy's tomb. It depends on the time of year, the holidays, things like hunting seasons, and major (usual) vacation times, and the school year.

Right now, we are slow. everything around here is dead. It is gun deer season in this area and that is a state religion as it was. They put 645,000 hunters into the woods starting Saturday thru the following Sunday (7 days). That number is from the DNR, not my made up number based on the number of licenses that are sold. Having said that the lead up to gun deer is busy if you are a sporting goods, ammo dealer, or in the hospitality business. For us the grunts of the lock trade it gets slow. So take the time, organize your inventory, load pin kits, and clean out the work truck.

For us slow times are right around the corner with Thanksgiving, then it picks up a bit, then the two weeks of dead for Christmas and New Years, then it sort of picks up again until tax time, then it goes dead until the end of school year. Just wait for it ... The rush begins after school closes and districts are working towards next year, building internally and putting up new buildings. It slows thru Memorial day, then picks up again until the 4th of July holidays, then picks up again until Labor day, then another upswing until gun deer and the cycle repeats.

This is the business cycle around here and the pattern which I have seen for 43 years. SO I don't worry when it gets slow, just find things to do to fill dead time, plan ahead, try to get projects which I can do during the slows and then I can give those projects full attention and get them done super well ....

During this time, you can make up key sets for rekeying locks, so you don't have to stop and make keys on every job. Take the two most common keyways and make up key sets of 6 or 8 keys for each set. For giggles, make up a set or so for the ones you see every so often. It saves time on the job, and when you are busy it moves jobs down the road, paid and onto the next one.

I don't know where you live, but a good part of my inventory is out on the work truck. You can't sell off an empty wagon, and running for stuff is the pits when you consider the time and gas lost in two calls to get one job done. Around here January is freezing cold, and I don't like to sit out in the work truck and count boxes and everything else to make uncle happy. So I make point to make our "inventory year" run from about September 1 to September 1 every year. This takes care of the slows around Labor Day and gets some tax work done when it is comfortable out there to do so. Our fiscal year runs from January 1 thru December 31.

When it is slow like this another tax time thing to do is go over your credit card expenses - that is the stuff you bought for the firm on CC's and sort those on a sheet to work into what is on your Quickbooks. When it is tax time everything will be in order, and you can load from your income statement right into the tax forms. just more stuff you can do while it is slow, fills time, and gets ready for another season - TAX SEASON ... which will be coming up shortly.

When it gets slow have hobbies. Growing your mind thru hobbies can be fun and have long term beneficial to your mental health, as you can get away from the tension and strain of always "being on" with the business. It is relaxing and gives you the break you need to recharge your batteries.

You only have so much time in life. Don't waste it just doing business stuff which puts money in your pocket. Nobody ever said on their death bed -- I wish I had spent more time at the office! So sit and complain or just get out and do something. ANYTHING except sit and worry about if the biz is going to come back. It will - it is the business cycle and you have to get in rhythm with it.

Sinifar