Diary of a North London Locksmith – In the Beginning

This post was updated on 15th January 2021. Links to the Diary of a locksmith series have been added. I hope this is helpful for anyone thinking of starting out as a locksmith or a career change. A number of people have asked me about how easy it is to set up as a locksmith since the Coronavirus pandemic started in March 2020.

Links to the Diary of a Locksmith Series

These are links to the 8 posts in the Diary of a Locksmith series about how I started out as a locksmith.

1. In the Beginning – this post explains how I decided to become a locksmith. You can read about this below.
2. Starting Out as a Locksmith: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – My introduction to the locksmith world and my first jobs as an apprentice.
3. How I Became a Qualified Master Locksmith – my experience becoming qualified by the Master Locksmiths Association.
4. Taking the Plunge to Become a Self Employed Locksmith – covers how and why I set up my own locksmith business.
5. Building a Brand: The IKS Locksmiths Brand – having a customer base and securing work as a locksmith in London is a challenge in this competitive industry.
6. Developing the IKS Locksmiths Website – a website is getting the phone
7. A Family Locksmith Business – Team Slane! – How we work together as a family run locksmith business.
8. Work Life Balance – Managing a Business and Family Life – This is always a work in progress.

Read the first post here.

In the Beginning

Behind the Locksmith is a person and this Locksmith is me, Martin. This series of posts “My Life Unlocked – Diary of a North London Locksmith.” will give an insight into my life as a London Locksmith and how I set up my company providing locksmith services in Barnet EN4, EN5 (where I grew up) and the surrounding areas of London and Herstfordshire. It’s an honest account of my life as a North London Locksmith. No holds barred! There are highs and lows and in between there is hum drum.

Why am I doing this?

• For those who assume they know what’s involved there may be some revelations.
• For those considering a career as a Locksmith I hope this series of posts will give you insight the locksmith course adverts won’t.

So for whom it may concern, here is my life as a locksmith unlocked.

I am a North London Locksmith and have been for the last 10 years. If you’d like to know where my journey as a locksmith started here it is.

How and Why Did I Become a Locksmith?

It certainly wasn’t the case that I decided to become a Locksmith from a young age in fact I had aspirations to be an actor and had some legendary roles in Chicken Shed productions including an appearance on Blue Peter. Needless to say my acting career didn’t take off!

At school I enjoyed Maths particularly of the more complex variety. It was the basic Maths that threw me. I have always had a talent for remembering years and certain facts mostly relating to key football related events. Written exams were never my friend and I was always more drawn to the social and practical side of life. Despite this I completed my GCSEs after a stint at Finchley Catholic High and went on to study Business at Woodside College in North Finchley.

This led me to a series of pursuits from Estate agency to sales of various products. I always enjoyed interacting with other people but there was something missing. The passion and enthusiasm about the products I was selling was lacking. I wanted my work to have a positive impact on people. After a year travelling in Australia I returned feeling that I could embark on a new direction.

Locksmith Training

I saw an advert in the Evening Standard for a Locksmith Course which told me I could train to be a locksmith in just 5 days and then have a lucrative career. Locksmith training seemed like an easy option at the time

I called my girlfriend, she was driving up to Scotland for work, and I told her that I was thinking of becoming a locksmith. She was very encouraging and supportive at the time, however a few years after setting up the business she revealed that she wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about the idea as she was letting on! She is now my wife and we have two children together a girl 12 and boy 8.

So that’s where my career as a locksmith started. Little did I know at the time what a journey I would be embarking on! In retrospect I would advise anyone who wants to know how to become a locksmith to refer to the Master Locksmith Association Guide to Becoming a Locksmith. This will tell you the reality of what’s involved in becoming a locksmith and how to become a certified locksmith.

So the seed of my new venture as a locksmith was planted! In my next post I share my attempts to kick start my career as a Locksmith. The saying, “Ignorance is bliss” springs to mind.

Stay Safe

Martin (The North London Locksmith)