Interview with a stranger:

I was recently contacted via E-mail by an elementary student who wrote“I would like to ask some questions about locksmithing. so may I”?

This got me thinking, there must be several more people who have similar questions so I thought I would share the Q&AZ with you.

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1. What is your main schedule for the day?

Every day is different.  Some days I do service calls (house calls) all day long, other days I stay at my home office and do paperwork.  Most days are a mix of the two.  It all depends on what calls come in, and what time the customers request for the jobs to be done.

2. Why did you pick this job, as a locksmith?

This job picked me.  I was on my way to apply for a job as a UPS delivery driver when I stopped off at a local locksmith shop and meet the owner.  We hit it off and he offered me a job as an apprentice locksmith.

3. Do you like this job? [If yes why?]

I like this job because I get to help people and make money at the same time.  I also like to work with my hands, tools and fix things.

4. What challenges you the most?

Being a locksmith is easy, running a business is hard.  Being a good company owner/manager is most challenging to me .

5. Are there any discouraging things about your job? [what are they?]

Yes, changing the locks on a home that a family has just lost to the banks, sheriff evictions on Wednesday morning and seeing people get kicked out onto the street, and changing the locks after a domestic dispute.  These are unpleasant and sometimes dangerous situations.

6. What’s the best part of your job?

Helping people.  Also, when someone looses car keys and I make a set, hearing the car start for the 1^st time, or opening a safe I have been working on cracking for a long time.

7. Why did you become a locksmith?

I welcomed the change from driving for a living.  Something I had done most all my life.

8. Who encourage you to do this job?

My former boss who gave me the job, and my wife who knew I would love doing it even before I did.

9.  Is your job fun? [How and who?]

I like puzzles, and many of the jobs I do, are like puzzles you have to figure out, like what combination of cuts on a key will turn a lock.  If you think doing a challenging puzzle is fun, you might like being a locksmith.

10. Do you have any partners?

It is only me, and my wife who helps me with the books (accounting) sometimes.

11. What’s the hardest thing in your job?

The hardest part of having a locksmith company is constantly trying to keep up with the changes in the automotive industry, and trying to keep up with computer software updates, new equipment needed, and reference materials needed.  Every year, make and model of every car being sold is changing every few years, not to mention motorcycles, scooters and heavy equipment (large trucks).  I have to try and stock every key, and every tool needed to service these vehicles in order to stay competitive in my industry.  If someone calls with a 2011 Chevy Truck, I need to know everything I possibly can about the vehicle so I can properly quote the job, not too high so I loose the bid, and not too low so I can still make a profit…, but it’s a fun challenge.

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I hope you enjoyed the read, and should you have any additional questions remember you can email us at AllAboutLocks@Gmail.com

Thank you,

Michael ~ Owner, All About Locks & Safes

www.AllAboutLocksAndSafes.com