Looking for advice from UK locksmiths.

[pinpusher]

You also need one very important tool that I have not seen mentioned here. This is a very understanding wife or partner who recognises that this is not a 9-5 job and is very tolerant when the phone rings at 4 o'clock in the morning and you have to get up to get someone in! It messes up shopping trips, meals out and socialising in general, because you are on call.
We have been trading for 18 years but it is really so important that you both appreciate what hard work it is and what a total commitment it is if you want to make a success of it. We have, and are glad that we did it, and reccommend it to anyone, but you need to go into it with your eyes open!
Hope all goes well for you.

[jason]

Take the advice from this forum and consider it carefully - you are a father of a child, you CANNOT afford to f**k up.

The advice I will give you is the same as I give to anyone who wants to be a locky, do the locksmithing on the side this way you get the experience with the security of income from your regular job.

ALL of the lockies on this forum know that it takes time and money to build up a business (and reputation) and the first few years are the hardest. Anyone who tells you otherwise is talking out of the incorrect orifice.

I still work full time for my employer, am a 24hr locksmith and carry out private consultancy work.

Out of all of them the consultancy is the most profitable, but also the most financially risky (£1500 p/a for professional indemnity insurance up to £250k and I have just found out that this is going to have to be increased to £750k of cover).

The locksmithing the most enjoyable but with two kids and a mortgage the full time work is essential.

Very few on this forum will discourage you out of jealousy but we have all (without fail) encountered repairs/disgruntled customers who have previously dealt with the cowboys who are out to make as much money for as little work as the public can stand. Just be prepared for a shedload of practice and Pinpusher is spot on with the need for an understanding wife.

This forum doesn't exist to make money (otherwise Varjeal could retire) but to pass information on lockpicking to hobbyists and other lockies

Good luck if you take the course

(I've just seen Rogue Traders on BBC1 - Aaron Locksmiths have now changed their name to Phoenix and just charged the hidden camera house for £265.65 for a euro cylinder )

[Hyperion]

Hello again guys and Girls even if appropriate

Wonder if there are any women locksmiths within these walls? or many even in the industry?

Any ways to the point...

Were are the best places to order tools from within the UK?

Are places like, http://www.locksmith-tools.co.uk reputable places to order form.

Do any of the forums UK residents no of any other UK tool distributes that one could order from?

Thanks again...
Regards Hyperion

[Hyperion]

By the way, just thought I would add a quick, "Thank You" to everyone so far for the advice and info...

I understand it's a long road, but I am committed to it, and very enthusiastic about the trade...

Well that's it for now on that one...

My Regards... Hyperion

[79commando]

Stick in there Hyperion if you want to make a go of it. I like you am pretty new to the business and can only hope to get as good as some of the lads on this site. You appear to have the gumption to go for it so stick in. The experienced lads on this site are excellent for their advice and also very realistic.

I trained for a while before biting the bullet and started up in January full time. The things you will find out in the first month will open your eyes and test your commitment. In short you will find out that the majority of decent contracts (Bailiff work, housing associations, council work) have already been taken. Major call centres advertise in your area and snap up 90% of the public work by placing large multiple adds in your Yellow pages (look up locksmiths, page one and two will have about ten adds, they look different but if you read the small address they are from about three companies). The remainder of the work you compete with everyone else and if you are not in the Yellow pages get to the back of the queue.

About fifty companies will contact you to sell you advertisement space, phone lines, gas electricity and to buy charity poster which will have your company name on it next to 99 others. You will turn up at every job and find that the lock the customer described is nothing like the one that is actually on the door when you get there and the one tool you need will break.

The good news is you get a break from the wife, most people are pleased to see you and you are your own boss, you can make about £400 in one day (then no work for a week) and if you are good, word soon spreads.

With a bit of training and if you are a natural you can get pretty good in a short time. I am already picking various British Standard locks and have learned alternative bypassing methods that don't even touch the locks. I have also been able to knock a few cowboys (driller killers) out of contracts just by being better than them so don't be put off. If it is any consolation one of my mates only uses the drill and he has been earning over £70,000 each year for the last 5 years; but he knows I am on his case. If I don't beat him I will attleast make him a better locksmith as he will have to work to my standards soon. I am lucky in that he sees competition as healthy.

Stick in and don't dream of success, wake up and go get it. Good luck and if I can help let me know.

[acl]

Stick in there Hyperion if you want to make a go of it. I like you am pretty new to the business and can only hope to get as good as some of the lads on this site. You appear to have the gumption to go for it so stick in. The experienced lads on this site are excellent for their advice and also very realistic.

I trained for a while before biting the bullet and started up in January full time. The things you will find out in the first month will open your eyes and test your commitment. In short you will find out that the majority of decent contracts (Bailiff work, housing associations, council work) have already been taken. Major call centres advertise in your area and snap up 90% of the public work by placing large multiple adds in your Yellow pages (look up locksmiths, page one and two will have about ten adds, they look different but if you read the small address they are from about three companies). The remainder of the work you compete with everyone else and if you are not in the Yellow pages get to the back of the queue.

About fifty companies will contact you to sell you advertisement space, phone lines, gas electricity and to buy charity poster which will have your company name on it next to 99 others. You will turn up at every job and find that the lock the customer described is nothing like the one that is actually on the door when you get there and the one tool you need will break.

The good news is you get a break from the wife, most people are pleased to see you and you are your own boss, you can make about £400 in one day (then no work for a week) and if you are good, word soon spreads.

With a bit of training and if you are a natural you can get pretty good in a short time. I am already picking various British Standard locks and have learned alternative bypassing methods that don't even touch the locks. I have also been able to knock a few cowboys (driller killers) out of contracts just by being better than them so don't be put off. If it is any consolation one of my mates only uses the drill and he has been earning over £70,000 each year for the last 5 years; but he knows I am on his case. If I don't beat him I will attleast make him a better locksmith as he will have to work to my standards soon. I am lucky in that he sees competition as healthy.

Stick in and don't dream of success, wake up and go get it. Good luck and if I can help let me know.

[acl]

Sorry that reallly didnt work, 79 if your mate is earning 70k a yr im sure he isnt going to give a flying f**k what you ,i or anyone else says about his entry methods .i can assure you most guys on here would take 70k a year drilling everthing in sight as a pose to picking and earning 20k,i dont think this is the case but come on which road do you take?
Andy

[79commando]

As I was saying I am slowly taking away contracts. One of his contracts had been paying him for entry to properties where he drilled, replaced the lock, billed the association and took the money. Unfortunately I was called out to one of the properties as he was away on another job and when I picked the lock and billed them just for entry they queried why my mate never picked. They are now demanding the locks to be picked in future and my mate is busy trying to brush up his skills. I am soft enough to help him out with the training as to be fair to him he pushes a lot of work my way. He is now telling me that more of his contracts are looking for non destructive entry. The directors of the companies must play golf together and have been talking. Soon in my neck of the woods there will only be room for locksmiths and the driller killers can be left with the scraps. Hopefully he will remain earning £70,000 plus as with his new found skills he will be just as sought after and even more contracts will come to the real locksmiths.

[Rick-the-Pick]

Hyperion,
Let's sum it all up for you bud!
If it's a career change you're after in the next few month's, i'd forget locksmithing!
However, if you're planning a career change approx 3 to 4 year's down the line, go for one of the recommended course's!
As for the expense of tool's, where do you stop? £5k will go quite quickly and as the other's say, £20k is not an uncommon amount to spend to set up!
By all means take a course, pratice like hell, hopefully in three to four year's you'll be confident in hitting the street's with your newly found business!
Until then Buddy, i'd treat it like an expensive hobby!

[Hyperion]

Hi all

Yeah that's precisely what I am doing at the moment..

Reading up and teaching myself all that I can get ahold of, while practicing like crazy....

I have been buying every type of lock I can and attacking them with a passion hehe...

But I am realistic enough to know that I won't be setting out as a business anytime soon... at the moment I am just happy learning the trade/skillz...

I wouldn't mind being bale to go out on some jobs with a lockie though, and just watch and learn.... and hem them for free during the day..

Regards Hyperion

[toomush2drink]

Any chance of filling out your profile hyperion that way if any lockies are near you then they know, whos going to invite you out if they dont know where you live ?