Starting out and putting it all together.

[WolfSpring]

First. It would be cool if someone did up a guide for either starting out working for a locksmith or making your own company and make it a sticky. I know there are probably some places out there that have them, but I am trying to focus more here and the people I've come to know, like and trust thus far.

So I've decided to push forward with my endevour to become a professional locksmith. I realize ther is a lot more than just getting certified and having a buisness to it, a lot of learning and I am taking it slowly. But I realize something I can have a full fledged buisness, without doing buisness for now, or by doing simple stuff, but establishing the buisness first. I have been reading and researching and trying to learn and now I'm only a five months left in Iraq and would like to at least have my stuff established that when I hit the ground this summer I am ready to do it, just put the money out there register what I need to register and what not. So here is my list of what I threw together in about five minutes of what I'm looking at doing in the short term before I'm up and operational. These are not all incompassing and not in order either.


1. LLC licenseing(Legal Zoom I'm not dead set on this but looks like a good deal)
2. Tax Licence(I can get that from Legal Zoom package)
3. Register with the state for a buisness name(also Legal zoom Package)
4. Website(not a huge necisitty yet, but doable)
5. Cell Phone(can totally wait untill full tile)
6. Email(easy)
7. Bank Account(will have to learn the legal aspect of this first)
8. Bonding(The national locksmith, just the basic stuff for now)
9. Contact list(other locksmiths to refer to, wholesalers, etc...)
10. Price list(both how much I will charge and how much items that I will be buying down the road cost and stock items/keys)

I know there is a lot more than this and welcome all input on this. I understand the benifits of apprentiship and will try to work with the local locksmith in my free time and see what I can do from there.

This is my current situation. I am Active duty military, with a very steady income, I have 6 years left until retirement so I don't have to make very much at all over the next years as a locksmith, I'm more interested in experience, knowledge and getting it all set up for an easy transition when the time comes. Until then I will do some key copying at the flea market, see if I can work weekend lockouts for some of the lockies in town and advertise residential rekey/installs from the flea market.

I know I have a long path ahead of me, and a whole lot of learning as well as success and failure, I'm not looking to make 6 figures at all, I'm looking at turning an intersting hobby into a job, after I retire I will make enough to pay the rent and utilities on the house, everything else can be made either from locksmithing and even if I fail I always have sateliite communications to fall back on...

[jailersmith]

I started out by taking a correspondence course while still in the air force. The basics are simple. Learn to disassemble locks then reassemble correctly(that means they have to function) and fit keys to locks without keys. Just about every skill you learn will connect to these primary goals. IMHO

[bouncer965]

This might help someone.

14Working-As-A-Professional-Locksmith.pdf

[WolfSpring]

Thanks guys, I am taking the Foley-Belsaw class and am almost done, I've also watched many many YouTube vids and read everything I can get my hands on. I"m good at picking, rekeying, assembly, installation, really good, (IMO) at impressioning. Everything else is just experience and learning short cuts(well not short cuts but what works best). I know I will not step out there knowing it all or even enough to do everything I intend, but I'm willing to take a chance, worst thing that happens I fall flat on my ass and start over. But you guys have given me so much advice and so much direction that another site just kept trying to put me down saying it won't work blah blah, it might not, but everything else I've put my mind to worked. I watched a video by Kokomolock on impressioning a ford ignition and 2 hours later on my first try impressioned an american 5200 lock and can now do them in under 20 mins, have also impressioned kwikset, Master DG padlocks, schlage and some other random stuff I get my hands on. And I've done all of this learning with limited resources in Iraq none the less. Now it's just down to the structure of it and I'm looking forward to it that's for sure.

[pin_pusher]

i'm definitely with you on all of this, and thanks for your outline--those help to share quite a bit. my plan is to have my llc., some recommendations from friend who own businesses, and very soon my registered locksmith certificate. then it's on to finding a good tax man...i'm starting out of a van, but as soon as me and the lil' lady get out stuff together, that's when i'll rent a storefront. anything i've got wrong, lemme know?

[bouncer965]

For me personally im going to be working from a van. Its less overheads and im mainly looking for lockout work 24 hr service offered. I will also be going down the line of repairs and security surveys for properties. Luckily here in Ireland the locksmithing industry isnt licensed like alarm installers so less hassle in respect of certs. The big killer will be the liability insurance ...ireland isnt cheap in that respect.

With the lack of courses over here too, its hard to get any solid training. As most of you know im self taught in everything and know im a long way off being a top notch picker but i have the confidence to put things into practise to get a good result. My problem is the lack of funding .......ireland doesnt have government funding for start up business's and the only place to offer this is the banks and there not lending money to hardly anyone which defeats the object of them re-couping all the billions theyve spunked.

So my approach at the moment is to get the essentials for lockouts and then build it from there. i have all my picks for pin tumblers and curtain picks, just need the auto reach tools and a few more lever stuff and an understanding missus wouldnt go a miss neither lol