We caught up with Kaj Darby of Lock Doc in Medway, Kent, who has built a strong reputation for excellent customer service and goes all out in marketing his business—both online and offline.
How did you get into Locksmithing?
I was an estate agent before, for eight years, so I’ve always had an interest in property and still do! When I was made redundant in 2006, I worked in security for a while and temporarily for a housing company as an anti-social behaviour officer.
My friend was a locksmith and told me the hours were flexible. I also realised that locksmithing wasn’t as widely recognised as more common trades like plumber or electrician, which made me see it as a great opportunity. I wanted to work in an old-fashioned trade but with a modern approach. I booked my first locksmithing course with Matrix whilst I was on honeymoon.
Marketing my Business
Checkatrade’s changes have been frustrating since it changed ownership (now owned by Brookfield who acquired it as part of the Homeserve takeover) – after three years at the top, my page position now changes daily due to the ‘Fairshare Algorithm’, one day I could be on page one (below the sponsored adverts) and the next day on page seven; it’s totally random. I used to spend £98 per month but now I spend around half of that amount because I’m not able to compete with the big companies that spend a fortune on advertising. I don’t pay the extra £10 per month for a website link, it’s not worth it as customers just what to find a number to call, I receive approx. one or two jobs a month from it, so it covers itself.
I find Which? Trusted Traders better nowadays, but it isn’t a huge lead generator. Becoming a Which? Trusted Trader is not easy, there’s a lot of hurdles to jump to proof yourself worthy: financial checks, Trading Standards checks and review of your business practices, hold relevant qualifications, affiliations and insurance. I like Which? Trusted Traders because it’s a non-profit organisation that helps reassure my customers that I’m legitimate.
Social media has been a game-changer for me. I use drone footage and ‘point of view’ Ray-Ban meta glasses to capture and share photos and videos of my work, and it gets a lot of engagement. Facebook is a great source of leads—whenever I post, I get tagged in recommendations. It’s all about catching people’s attention these days.
I like to stay ahead with marketing. I have just over 7,000 Instagram followers and 3,500 likes on Facebook. Social media has changed; it’s all about engagement, quick videos, and catching people’s attention. I get a lot of work from Facebook, especially from “Can anyone recommend?” posts where I’m frequently tagged.
The Power of Word of Mouth
Word of mouth is incredibly important for my business. Recommendations bring in a lot of work, and whenever I post on Facebook, I get plenty of tags from past customers. My Google listing performs well in my area, and my van—big, colourful, and standout—gets a lot of attention. People beep and wave, whether they’re customers or just recognise me. I’ve found creative ways to capture attention such as having a large vinyl of a helicopter on my van roof. It’s a great conversation starter—people notice it from an upstairs window, and they ask about it, and it helps them remember me.
I take pride in what I do; I offer non-destructive entry and every job I do I ensure that the customer is left happy. I achieve this through having high standards and attention to detail; it’s what keeps the work coming in. I enjoy meeting people, helping them when they’re in a tough spot, and making them feel at ease. I take pride in doing a good job, so customers can see and appreciate the value of what they’ve paid for.
Side Hustle
I recently bought and renovated a property for us as a family home. I really enjoyed it and found that a property development sideline works well beside locksmithing, so I’m planning to do it again! I find with locksmithing, I have a lot of flexibility between calls which enables me to manage builders, do little jobs, and spend time with my daughter who is now 10 months old. I plan to purchase a run-down property to renovate and “flip” and hope to turn it around in three to four months. My estate agent experience also comes in handy with valuing properties.
The Freedom & Frustrations
The freedom of working for myself is something I value, but what I dislike is the number of uncommitted people in the industry who come and go, often ripping-off customers. The ‘49’ers’ locksmiths are a prime example—charging ridiculous fees for unnecessary work.
Andy Perrin from Brighton & Hove Locksmiths runs a great YouTube channel and recently highlighted a case where someone was charged £500 for a simple lock change (drill & replace) that should have been done non-destructively. This kind of behaviour gives locksmiths a bad reputation.
Advice to New Locksmiths
For advice and staying ahead in the trade, I look to people like Seth Ryden from Fortress Locksmith Training, who is always innovating and active on the Locksmith Hub Facebook group. It’s a great forum with real locksmiths offering support—you must be an actual working locksmith to become a member. Andy Perrin from Brighton & Hove Locksmiths also shares insightful “day in the life” content.
Get yourself on to Facebook and Instagram because marketing on there is free! I receive a lot of leads from Facebook through recommendations on local residents pages when my customers tag me in.
Focus on what works for your business and don’t be afraid to try something new, or walkaway from something that’s not working. I used to own a locksmith shop, but after a business partnership broke down and business rates and rent went sky high, I decided that working from my van is much more efficient.
Real-life Locksmith Stories
I love reading TLJ and staying up to date with what’s going on in the industry and product-wise, however it’s the real-life locksmith stories that I also like to read. It’s great to find out something that you didn’t know about a locksmith you know and pass work to. For example: Stelios Papa of All City Locksmiths we pass work to each other all the time and I never knew that he used to be a barber!
www.checkatrade.com/trades/lockdocltd
07470 033055