Questions and Comments on UK Lockie Business

[EvoRed]

As someone who's recently started up in the trade, you've pretty much got everything there. It really does amass to a lot of money to start up.

I first started training six months ago and, in this period, I've spent £15k. £5k on a van and £10k on training, tools, a bit of stock and advertising. And I've not got a great deal of stock by any means, quite a few tools including curtain picks and BS picks, etc, which aren't cheap.

I've been doing another job too during this time otherwise I don't know how I would have survived, but there again I haven't done any sub-contracting as yet but will probably give it a go very soon. To be honest, I will be doing it for the experience every bit as much as the money, if not more.

Anyone who thinks they can spend a few hundred pounds on a 2 day course and be a competent and confident locksmith (which is what I was told when I signed up for my initial course) needs to find this site, look at this thread and seriously think again!

[pinky]

yes its very nieve to think after 2 days you are a competent locksmith, you can start up from here and learn as you go, but its a very basic start point only.
define competent locksmith, i think the industry is broken down into sectors, for instance;

1 ) Cowboys ( driller killers, have drill will travel )

unfortunately until licencing and registration we are stuck with them.

2 ) begginers with training and tools
3 ) competent lock openers
4 ) competent lock fitters
5 ) competent at building master key systems
6 ) competent key cutters
7 ) competent panic hardware fitters and techs
8 ) competent electronic lock fitters and techs
9 ) competent with safes and safe locks
10 ) competent at planning and pinning lock suites
11 ) competent at upvc repair and adjustment
12 ) competent in auto locksmithing

this list goes on and on, at what point do you think that you are a locksmith
i think the industry is broken down into sections as follows;

locksmith ( offering the complete service )
safe engineer ( specialist )
auto locksmith ( specialist )
competent lock opener ( fully non destructive )
begginer ( not yet fully non destructive )
handy man with drill and crowbar.

this is not a proffession that one can ever be fully qualified in, and the expense on tools, training and advertising never ends, it takes a lifetime to perfect ,so its nieve for anybody to believe that they are a competent locksmith following 2 years let alone 2 days training.
we all strive to be the best we can be , we must all start from somewhere and a good non destructive locksmith course is a good start, but without commitment to practice, and dedication and continued learning is a waste of time.
all courses should be advertised as a way into the trade, and seen as a stepping stone to the next level, and it should be made clear that its a lock opening course, not as some advertise , a fully qualified city and guilds locksmith in just 3 days.

if it looks too good to be true, then it is, i tell anyone entering the proffession expect to lay out initialy at least ;

£5000 for domestic/commercial lock opening
£40,000 for auto locksmithing
£70,000 for safe opening

these are minimums to start, expect to spend in excess of 5 times this as you progress.

god look at the length of this, im catching the long post bug from romstar.

[toomush2drink]

Good points from the above company image in the way of uniform etc is a very good point. I wanted to stay out of the politics of which association to join etc but yes join one and get as much training as you can.

Forgot about the office too, mine has taken a room away from the house effectively and like chris points out pc maintainence and all the things going onto it take some looking after. Backups galore which is time consuming sometimes, but a total requirement. Then you need somewhere to store the back ups.... it goes on and on.

As pinky points out the costs can be horrendus but dont let it put you off, all those years of credit cards offering me money have come in handy.Use them wisely and you can get a 9 months interest free loan.

The list pinky pointed out is what attracts me the most, so many directions to go in,it can only stimulate the brain into learning more and more which for me is the thing thats keeps it an interesting trade to get into.

[pinky]

its a terrific industry, as you always face new tests, new problems and constant challenges, no 2 days are ever the same, and you are always learning.

too many believe they are superior, its surprising where you can learn and who from, and as chris states , it takes years, but you can earn well while you learn, for my part you must do it right, we need good honest locksmiths in the uk , we dont need more have drill will open merchants.

i for one believe locksmith registration and licenceing is a must, there should be a code of practice to follow for all, my opinion for what its worth.

[toomush2drink]

I have to agree about the licencing it had to be the biggest surprise i found upon entering the industry. Even now when people ask about how did i get my licence i tell them the truth and they are shocked. Everybody assumes you have to be licenced to do this trade.

Another thing to look out for when starting out you are bound to come across a lot of people who would love to see you fail, ive had my share. Dont let them get to you, sure they will plant the seeds of doubt into your mind but dont let those seeds grow. Ive been put down a few times due to my lack of experience etc but i have to shrug it off and get on with it, in fact i find it drives me to succeed even more.
Get used to people asking "are you busy ?" i always get that one a lot.

[pinky]

the good thing about this industry is that you can go as far as you want to, you are limited by what you can afford and how dedicated to practice and how much you put in.
you can start up on a shoestring and build bit by bit , if need be part time at first, build your tools and stock monthly, the only advice i can give is to strive to be amongst the best, practice alot and become good at what you do.
the best advice i can give is to work bloody hard, be honest and keep an open mind, be a picker , dont get sucked into the tribe of drill it change it and make more profit, these will be short term profits only, as i doubt they will use nor reccomend you again, better to make a little less per job but build a posotive reputation and yield the long term rewards.
i see on average 12 start ups in my area a year, lucky if even 1 readvertises 2nd year.
treat all customers with honesty, do the best job you can, if you mess up and trash a lock, replace it at cost , i offer a free like for like lock if i have to drill or destroy the lock, this has got me heaps of work. if i quote £70 to open a door, then thats all they pay, if i trash the lock i replace it at my cost, no one else in my area can match this yet, someone will, but not yet, my customers trust me so reccomend me, destructive entry is on the way out, largely due to rogue traders programs.

its an industry where the incomes can be huge, but its a long haul, to most of us its also a passion , i help and have alot of time for the locky who tries to pick, i dont give the time of day to the drill it and kill it brigade, but thats me.

[Slam]

Hi. I'm a complete newbie at the moment, but have intentions of starting up part-time (my day job allows me plenty of flexibility) sometime in the future and I was hoping you guys could help with a couple of questions.

1. I live in a town of approx 100,000 people. What's an average number of callouts I should expect through simple advertising sources ie. Yellow Pages, Free local paper classified ?

2. I'd guess that you get some call-outs late a night when people are returning home from the pub and find they've lost their keys/locked them in the house. How common is it for you to have let them in and then they've turned around and told you to f*** off without paying ? and how would you deal with that ?

3. I understand that, at present, there are no laws about checking the ID of people who have asked you to open a door (although it's prudent to ask for a form of ID or questions relating to their property). What do you think to the idea of carrying a digital camera on jobs and asking the client for a photo before you do any work ? At least then, if anything happens at that address you could give the police a photo for them to verify.

4. As a UK locksmith, are you expected to carry out vehicle entry or can you start out without this skill?

5. ***Stupid question alert*** sorry, but I haven't been able to clarify this using search.......Is a mortice lock the same as a lever lock?

Many thanks for your time.

[pinky]

to your list of questions il answer below, but before you even consider setting up, you need to consider the following points;
do extensive market research, how many locksmiths in your area, etc, ring talking pages and yellow pages and ask for calls details and number of lockeys on system.
get yourself proper training on lock opening.
and unless you have at least £4000 to invest , i promise you that you are wasting your time, thats a minimum start up investment these days and i mean bare minimum.

to your questions;

1 ) how many callouts depends upon area, how many locksmiths covering area etc, some weeks you wont get any calls, as people dont lock themself out to order, but on the whole you cannot expect many call outs at all from your yp ads, very little in fact and not enough to live on, this only happens when you are known and get word of mouth and contract work. so you cannot rely on this work for a living.

2 ) ive never not been paid, if in doubt take card details before you go, or payment up front.

3 ) i wouldnt bother with photos, do job in good faith.

4 ) auto opening is a specialised field that requires alot of investment and training, start with domestic and commercial then look at autos in future.

5 ) yes lever locks are mortice locks, some are simple alot are not.

i hope this answers your querie, to start up in domestic and commercial you will need a minimum of £4k, most spend 3 times this figure, to get into cars properly you will need £25k minimum, and safes £50k , so start at begining with homes and business premises.
do your research, and find suitable training, and dont be a cowboy driller, when you research your business plan then you can decide if its viable for you to enter the industry.

[Slam]

Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions pinky

I think I'll aim to start out small with basic domestic and commercial lockouts. Luckily, I'm in a position where I don't have to rely on it as an income, but it'd be nice to incorporate a hobby into something where people are willing to pay for your skill and also have the satisfaction of picking someone elses lock.

[MOE]

Good questions Slam, and sobering answers Pinky! I'm new to this also, but am keen to get started. I've got plans on doing a 3 week course, which is mentioned in the forum somewhere else, and hope to make a living from it within 6 months or so (so middle of next year/late summer).

So from knowing very little (other than how to break into my '88 vauxhall astra-which isnt hard!), to hopefully being a locksmith that can hold his own in 6 months......Attainable, or wishiful thinking???

(I'd like to specialise in Auto-locks, but appreciate that you have to have an understanding of basic locks first - so 6 months to get this basic knowledge?)

[pinky]

i would say wishfull thinking, you cannot learn an industry in 6 months, a year to get to grips with domestic and commercial opening, another 1 years for cars, and 5 more for safes, you wont have mastered it but you will be holding your own.

how good you get depends on you and your tools.

[MOE]

Cheers for the speedy reply pinky. I'm just trying to factor this into a business plan. Ultimately, if I can see some money coming in, then it would inspire me to get better trained/specialise/advertise more - you know the dilemma i'm sure.

[toomush2drink]

Im looking at a good 2 years to be really established, there is a stack of competition out there so much sure you have other income to begin with. Cars are getting harder and also more closed shop so its hard to learn the stuff. Sure you can do a basic course but the real meat and veg is kept away from newcomers.

[BUNGYSTRAP]

I am new to this trade also but i have been working with precision tools for some time now. One thing I have learnt is that there is always something else to learn and sometimes from the strangest of sources. Different people have different ways of approaching the same problem and so a diverse range of solutions evolve. This forum should help to equalise the knowledge and help us all to build on our skills. I just read that back to myself and it sounds really cheesey...Good stuff though!

[Vincent-XXI]

some weeks you wont get any calls, as people dont lock themself out to order

<.< >.> You could always wriite an article for a local or national newspaper. Claim to be a happily married young successful female who one night locked herself out and had to call a locksmith, begining a magical relationship. Ending the article with, if your looking for that hardworking blah blah blah man, try locking yourself out and calling your local locksmith