🌹 Women: 20% off forever β€” code SHEBUILDS Β· Single mothers: 50% off Β· see all women benefits β†’
πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Veterans: 20% off forever β€” code HONOR20 Β· Service-disabled 50% off Β· see all veteran benefits β†’
πŸ”₯ ONE pushup. ONE less soda. Compound. β†’ Pick today's micro-action
  • $50K median pay
  • 24/7 emergency demand
  • No college required

For the relentless.

Become a relentless
locksmith.

Elite athletes train differently. Lock School trains the next generation of locksmith business owners. We don't teach you to pick locks. We teach you to run the business β€” and we give you the website, the tracked number, and the playbook on day one.

  • Stripe-secured payment
  • 30-day cohort cap
  • Elite-coach-style coaching

Free tier includes a real 1-page locksmith site in your city. No card. No spam.

The numbers nobody tells you.

~28,000
Locksmiths working in the US
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment 2024
$50K+
Median annual pay β€” top 10% over $75K
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024
$3.5B
US locksmith services market
Source: IBISWorld Industry Report 56162, 2024
3–4%
Annual industry growth β€” faster than skilled-trade average
Source: IBISWorld + BLS projections, 2024

Why locksmithing β€” now.

$3.5B market growing 3–4% annually. The trade is bigger today than 2018 β€” smart locks expanded it, didn't kill it.

Growth, not stagnation.

The locksmith services market has grown every year since 2018. Smart locks didn't kill the trade β€” they expanded it. New tech, new calls, same demand for someone who shows up at 2am.

'18 '19 '20 '21 '22 '23 '24 $3.5B $3.2B $2.9B $2.6B

Source: IBISWorld 56162 + BLS, US locksmith services market size, 2018–2024.

Low barrier, high ceiling.

Basic kit under $1,000. No college required in 37 of 50 states. But the top earners run $300K+ shops β€” because they treat it like a business, not a hobby. We close that gap.

  • Start solo from your truck
  • Scale to multi-tech crew
  • Automotive niche pays $200–$500 per call

24/7 demand.

Emergency lockouts don't pause for weekends. Smart-lock failures spike at 11pm. The locksmith who answers the call wins the customer β€” usually for life. We help you answer every call, even when you're asleep.

  • After-hours = premium pricing
  • AI Answering (add-on) (add-on) on Pro tier
  • Recurring commercial accounts

Eleven tiers. One ladder.

Start free. Climb when you're ready. Jump tiers and unlock rewards.

Start here

Free

$0
  • Real 1-page locksmith site in your city
  • Tracked phone number, forwards to you
  • Industry newsletter
  • Provisioned in 10 minutes
Start free
Founding rate β€” 30 days
Subscription

Newsletter Pro

$9.99/mo
  • Deep-dive industry newsletter
  • Full archive access
  • Monthly security industry report
Subscribe
Founding rate β€” 30 days
Subscription

WhatsApp Support

$29.99/mo
  • Peer WhatsApp support group
  • Weekly Q&A drop
  • Invite-only, vetted operators

πŸ“ Course includes your state's licensing roadmap β€” we walk you through EXACTLY what your state requires.

Join the group
Biggest win
Best value

Pro Course + Coach

$79.99/mo
  • Full online locksmith training
  • 1-on-1 coach access (we call you)
  • AI Answering (add-on) (add-on) setup
  • Founding rate locked in for life

πŸ“ Course includes your state's licensing roadmap β€” we walk you through EXACTLY what your state requires.

Become a Pro
Most popular
The moat

Students App

$125/mo
  • Full student platform access
  • Live community + cohort calls
  • Unlocks the 4 hacks instantly
  • Founding rate locked in for life

πŸ“ Course includes your state's licensing roadmap β€” we walk you through EXACTLY what your state requires.

Join the app
One-time

30-min Coach Call

$125
  • One 30-min call with a working coach
  • Industry intro + your situation
  • Unlock the 4 hacks (see below)
Book the call
Toolkit

Auto Lockout Toolkit

$250
  • Professional auto-lockout tool kit
  • Ships within business days
  • Toolkit contents shared post-purchase

πŸ“ Course includes your state's licensing roadmap β€” we walk you through EXACTLY what your state requires.

Order toolkit
Verification

Background Check + ID

$250
  • Real third-party background check
  • How To Be A Locksmith Shop ID card issuance
  • Credential customers actually trust
Get verified
Starter kit

Residential + Commercial Setup

starting at $2,500
  • Basic kit for residential + commercial work
  • Rekey, deadbolts, smart-lock install
  • Physical fulfillment

πŸ“ Course includes your state's licensing roadmap β€” we walk you through EXACTLY what your state requires.

Get the kit
Starter kit

Automotive Setup

starting at $5,500
  • Basic automotive locksmith kit
  • Key programming, transponders, fobs
  • Highest-pay sub-vertical in the trade

πŸ“ Course includes your state's licensing roadmap β€” we walk you through EXACTLY what your state requires.

Get the kit
Premium

Ride-Along Day

starting at $7,500
  • Full day shadowing a working locksmith
  • Real calls, real customers, real prices
  • Travel not included

πŸ“ Course includes your state's licensing roadmap β€” we walk you through EXACTLY what your state requires.

Reserve the day
Universal Upgrade

Mastermind Lite

$24.99/mo Β· add to anything
  • Monthly group Zoom (60 min, recorded)
  • Private cohort chat β€” peer field-help
  • Member directory + lead-share board
  • Cancel anytime Β· founding rate locks for life
Mindset Cert

The Operator Index

$97one-time
  • 50-question mindset assessment
  • Score yourself: HUNGER Β· DISCIPLINE Β· RESILIENCE Β· CUSTOMER-IQ Β· PROBLEM-SOLVING Β· SALES
  • Pass = certified Β· Fail = 30-day custom rebuild plan
  • Know exactly where you stand β€” quantified
Take the Operator Index
Mindset Drill

Operator Track

$29/mo
  • Weekly 10-min mindset drill (Mondays 5am CT)
  • Quarterly Operator Index re-test included
  • Track your score climbing dimension-by-dimension
  • The mental side of the trade β€” nobody else teaches this
Start the Operator Track
Universal Upgrade

Mastermind Lite

$24.99/mo Β· add to anything
  • Monthly group Zoom (60 min, recorded)
  • Private cohort chat β€” peer field-help
  • Member directory + lead-share board
  • Cancel anytime Β· founding rate locks for life
Add Mastermind Lite
Add-on

AI Answering Service

$49.99/mo
  • AI answers your phone β€” never miss a call
  • First 100 min/month FREE
  • $0.17/min after β€” pay only for what you use
  • Stand-alone β€” no course required
Turn on AI Answering
Merch

Lock School Tee

$29.99
  • Heavyweight black cotton, amber chest mark
  • Trade pride = referrals walking your way
  • Ships within 7 business days
Grab the tee
Merch

Lock School Hat

$24.99
  • Black snapback, amber chest mark
  • Adjustable β€” fits every head
  • The trade-flex move on every job site
Grab the hat
Merch

Lock School Hoodie

$54.99
  • Heavyweight black pullover
  • Amber Lock School mark, front + back
  • Built for cold-morning lockout calls
Grab the hoodie
Merch

Sticker Pack (4)

$9.99
  • 4-pack vinyl stickers
  • Wordmark, pin-tumbler, amber accent
  • Toolbox-ready β€” slap them everywhere
Grab the stickers
Pro Gear

Lock School Tool Sleeve

$39.99
  • Waxed-canvas pick + tension wrench roll
  • 8-tool capacity, snap closure
  • Pro-grade locksmith carry β€” looks the part
Grab the sleeve
Hosting

Locksmith Website Hosting

$34.99/mo Β· domain incl.
  • We host your locksmith site on Cloudflare's network
  • SSL + unlimited bandwidth + 99.9% uptime
  • Custom domain included (we register + manage)
  • Domain renewal yr 2+: at-cost +$15/yr
Start hosting
Add-on

Monthly Page Build-Out

$27.99/mo
  • 1 new local-SEO landing page per month
  • Rank one more keyword every 30 days
  • We write the copy, design, deploy β€” turnkey
Stack pages monthly
Print

Carbon-Copy Invoices (100)

starting at $99.99
  • 100 custom 3-part NCR invoices
  • Your name, logo, license #, terms
  • Yellow customer / pink shop / white file
  • Ships within 5 biz days
Order 100 invoices
Print

Carbon-Copy Invoices (500)

$349.99
  • 500 invoices β€” drops to $0.70/unit
  • Most working locksmiths use ~50/month
  • Same custom spec as the 100-pack
  • Bulk savings: $150 vs 5Γ— 100-pack
Order 500 invoices
Marketing

Direct-Mail Postcard Drop (500)

starting at $249
  • 500 custom locksmith postcards
  • EDDM-mailed to 1 target ZIP code
  • We design, you approve, USPS delivers
  • Average 1-3% response = 5-15 calls
Run a mailer
Done-For-You

Marketing on Autopilot

starting at $499/mo Β· scales w/ scope
  • Full-stack monthly marketing β€” we run it
  • SEO writing + Google Business Profile mgmt
  • Review-request automation + monthly mailer
  • Paid ads managed (you bring the ad spend)
  • The "I just want to do the locksmithing" tier
Hand it off
🎁 Gift

Gift Pro Course (12 mo)

$799save $160 vs monthly
  • Gift 12 months of Pro Course + Coach
  • Recipient gets full curriculum + 1:1 coach
  • Perfect for veterans, spouses, career-changers
Send the gift
🎁 Gift

Gift Students App (12 mo)

$1,249save $251 vs monthly
  • 12 months of AI field-help for someone in the trade
  • Real working-locksmith $ saver
  • Recipient activates with their email
Send the gift

The 4 hacks.

The actual machinery of getting into locksmithing without lighting $5K on fire. Three are locked. One is free β€” to show you we're not bluffing.

01

Start before you're licensed.

In 37 of 50 states, you can take rekey and deadbolt-install calls on day one β€” no state license required. We tell you exactly which calls are safe, which require licensing, and how to graduate without losing momentum.

Free preview
02

The pricing floor that keeps you alive.

New locksmiths bid against $39 lockout scammers and starve. There is a specific pricing structure β€” minimum trip fee + skill-based add-ons β€” that filters those calls out and keeps you on the high-margin work…

Locked β€” coach call required
03

The phone trick that 3Γ— your closes.

Most locksmiths lose 60% of inbound calls β€” voicemail, missed rings, hostage to dispatch services that take 50%. There is a setup β€” AI Answering (add-on) + tracked numbers + 24h callback β€” that captures the calls you're already losing…

Locked β€” coach call required
04

The automotive ramp that pays for the kit.

The $5,500 automotive kit looks expensive until you understand the specific 3-step ramp that pays for it in 8 weeks. Hint: it's not about more calls. It's about which calls you take first…

Locked β€” coach call required
Talk to a coach β€” $125 β†’ unlock all 4

One 30-min call. Real working coach. You leave with the playbook or you don't pay (refund on request).

Operators in the cohort.

Took my first paid rekey in week three. The coach call alone saved me $5K of wasted kit.
Marcus T. Tampa, FL Β· Cohort 2026-Q2
I had the truck and the tools. Lock School gave me the business. Three commercial accounts in 60 days.
Devon R. Austin, TX Β· Cohort 2026-Q2
The pricing-floor lesson is the only one I needed. Stopped underbidding scammers, doubled my margin.
Jordan K. Charlotte, NC Β· Cohort 2026-Q2

Source data on this page from: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Β· IBISWorld Industry Report 56162 Β· U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook. Testimonials are early-cohort operator feedback; outcomes vary.

Questions, answered straight.

Do I need a license to be a locksmith?

14 states require statewide locksmith licensing β€” Alabama, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia. Plus city-level requirements in NYC, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough FL, and others. How To Be A Locksmith Shop verifies your eligibility before processing any tier that touches regulated work.

What does the free tier actually include?

A real 1-page locksmith website in your city, hosted on our infrastructure, with a tracked phone number that forwards to your personal line. Plus the newsletter. Provisioned within 10 minutes of signup.

How is this different from other locksmith courses?

Other courses teach you to pick locks. We teach you to run a business β€” marketing, pricing, lead-gen, AI Answering (add-on) (add-on), the actual machinery of cash flow. Skills are commodities. The business is the moat.

Is locksmithing a real career?

~28,000 working locksmiths in the US (BLS 2024). Median pay ~$50,000, top 10% over $75,000. Industry is ~$3.5B/year, growing 3–4% annually. No college required in 37 of 50 states.

What happens if I cancel?

Free tier stays free. Paid tiers cancel anytime, end-of-period. The free site stays live as long as you stay on the free tier. If you cancel entirely, the tracked number reclaims.

Stop researching. Start earning.

Start free in 60 seconds

No credit card. Your free 1-page locksmith site auto-deploys after signup.

Why howtobealocksmith.shop is your starting point

Most people enter this industry by watching a few YouTube videos and buying a cheap practice set on Amazon. That is the fast track to frustration and broken tools. At howtobealocksmith.shop, we bypass the noise and focus entirely on the mechanical proficiency required to open locks without damage. This isn't a site about vague business theories; it is a technical resource for specific lock mechanisms.

The biggest obstacle for new locksmiths is the gap between knowing how a lock works and actually manipulating one in the field. We bridge that gap by teaching standard operating procedures for the specific cylinders you will encounter 90% of the timeβ€”Kwikset, Schlage, and Wafer locks. If you cannot consistently pick a five-pin cylinder in under two minutes, you are not ready to charge for service. This platform ensures you reach that baseline competency before you ever invest in a service van.

The 90-day curriculum here

We do not drag out the training process. The trade is learned through repetition and hands-on failure, not years of lectures. Our 90-day roadmap is aggressive and requires you to put in the work at your workbench.

Real income math

Let’s look at the numbers. The average service call for a lockout in a mid-sized market is between $75 and $95. A competent technician takes 10 to 15 minutes to gain non-destructive entry. If you complete three calls in an evening, you generate roughly $250. However, the real money is in re-keying.

A standard residential re-key job involves 5 to 6 locks. The labor charge is typically $15 to $20 per lock plus the service fee. A single job like this nets $150 to $200 for roughly an hour of work. If you treat this as a side hustle working 15 hours a week, targeting just four lockouts and one re-key job, you are looking at an additional $2,000 to $2,500 a month. Your overhead consists of gas and tool maintenance, keeping margins high compared to other trades.

Who this is for

This curriculum is designed for the mechanically inclined who are tired of low-wage labor. It is not for those looking for a passive income stream. You will work nights, weekends, and holidays. You will have to explain to customers why they cannot simply "jiggle" the key harder. You need the dexterity to feel tiny spring-loaded components moving inside a metal shell.

If you have patience, steady hands, and a problem-solving mindset, this trade will serve you well. It is specifically ideal for former mechanics, IT technicians, and veterans who understand the value of procedure and precision. If you are looking for a "get rich quick" scheme, this is not it. If you are willing to grind for the first six months to build a client base, the stability is unmatched.

How to get started

You do not need to enroll in a $2,000 vocational college course. You need the right blueprints and the grit to practice. You can access our full training platform immediately. We offer a flexible subscription model for those who want to test their aptitude. Access the coursework for $79.99/mo. Cancel anytime if you realize the fine motor work