According to Mary Finch on Pinterest, this is Marty....the traveling locksmith for 30 years. Marty is everyday people, a guy just putting bread on his table and working within the best of his means. A soloprenuer, a one-man-band mobile locksmith. From the back of a van, "everyday people" provide needed services to millions of customers. They bring the shop to you and create their own employment. Marty and many others enjoy the freedom of being mobile and traveling around drumming up business. I can still remember the sounds of empty cans clanging from the sides of the junk man truck when I was a kid. These sounds were not only a warning sign to the all the kids in neighborhood playing stick-ball to clear the street, it was also the calling card to all those to bring out their junk and the scissor and knife sharpener was right behind him! These everyday people were and are good folk, who we all know. They come from all kinds of backgrounds and they are what makes the world tick. The mobile locksmith is on the move and on the rise. Many locksmiths who have had retail locations are now opting to hit the road and leave behind the burdens and costs of a store. In a recent conversation with one locksmith who runs a big operation he stated, "It's just not worth it!" Blame it on the economy, blame it on rent, blame it on the limited employment talent pool or blame it on locksmith licensing which has created many barriers to maintain or recruit a large staff. For years the mobile locksmith was the target of some (not all) larger retail shops as being trunk slammers, jack legs, hacks, and worse! At one time there was even some shop owners trying to say that if a locksmith didn't have a retail location of a certain square footage, they were not legitimate locksmiths! All because they chose to operate an efficient mobile business model. In today's marketplace more sophisticated mobile shops are running around with high tech equipment, computers and wireless Internet. When compared to Marty's humbled setup, it only makes you smile and appreciate what he and other everyday locksmith represents. Big or small, the locksmith comes to the customer in a variety of ways. Whether it is a milk crate strapped to a luggage cart on a subway, or in a Mecredes Benz (this has happened!), they are all everyday people. Good people just trying to earn a living and it appears that Marty's choice to travel is now a modern trend others are now rethinking and adopting. The man in the picture below is Marty Arnold of Arnold's Lock & Safe, who is NOT the subject of this blog entry or the person in the van above. But he sure looks like it could be him! Marty Arnold ran a successful retail location and groomed many young locksmiths to become masters of the craft. Mr. Arnold is now retired and provides some of the best advice and history lessons I have had the privileged of recording. As a proud member of the Greater Philadelphia Locksmith Association (GPLA) he shares his years of wisdom for all the everyday people like me and you, so listen to him! So to all the Marty's of the world......everyday is a good day with guys like you in it!
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©2013 Terrance Grace All Rights Reserved. There is a room inside an old tenement building in the Bronx. Inside the room is a doorway that leads to another dimension where past, present and future exist simultaneously. This gateway must remain protected – By The Locksmith. The problem is – Santiago, The Locksmith, has died. The power is unleashed. What was once dead, seeks life. And that is just the beginning… And possibly end of the world – And the universe. While investigating the sudden and inexplicable murder of his own brother, Detective Mick Fagan uncovers a strange series of events, all leading back to the Bronx apartment. He soon becomes convinced that he too is somehow part of this mystery, and joins forces with Santiago’s family in trying to contain what lurks beyond the doorway. A secret organization manages the hundreds of doorways around the world. But this one is different. What was once just the spirit of the undead seeking life, is now a power growing beyond what they have seen before. The room is now at the center of an ever-growing black hole of time, sweeping all that has ever existed, away. Fagan now knows that he alone holds the key to the doorway… And that key is something that happened to him as a child: His mother’s suicide. In an amazing journey back through a jungle of pre-history – Fagan is witness to his own death and rebirth within the evolution of the universe. He revisits the guilty demon inside, unlocking himself from the past… Saving the universe from certain destruction – And becoming the new Locksmith. You can help support the artist by donating (above). Every donor will be listed in the issue as one of the Master Locksmiths.
Starting a locksmith business is rewarding and for many the idea on how to "setup" the financial reporting seems to be one of the biggest concerns. There are commercially branded products like Quickbooks, Freshbooks, PeachTree and many others that pretty much offer the same things and come with a price that many starting out don't need to purchase. Small business owners, micro startup companies and soloprenuers don't need to dive in head first with over bloated software or even subscription based accounting programs when low cost or no cost alternatives are available. DOME Books provides a Monthly Bookkeeping Record which cost about $15 and can be purchased online or at most office supply stores like Staples. It provides a perfect record keeping system that provides monthly income and expense reporting anyone can follow. Another winning no cost resource is the Accountinator which was created using Google Docs. It is completely FREE and ideal for those who prefer a computer based recording system. Use the link provided to obtain a copy of the Accountinator and simply cut and paste it into your Google Docs. Wave is one of the most interesting no cost cloud based resources the locksmith can find. Using a simple registration process, the users can accomplish basic Invoicing, Accounting, Payroll, Payments and even Internet invoice payment processing. The only time a fee is applied is when a invoice is processed through an online credit card payment. the rate is 2.9% + .30 per transaction. Unlimited invoicing and recorded keeping that uses a clean and easy to navigate interface.
Wave also provides integration of your bank and credit card transaction history and Paypal activity so all your financials are posted in one place without you having to worry about it. While you are running around building your new business, WAVE is pulling it all together for you! you can even provide collaborators or your accountant access to review, input and obtain the reports needed. Imagine having a virtual terminal where a remote employee can take care of your bookkeeping. WAVE's secure integration system is a "read only" and your bank accounts and Paypal cannot be accessed, so your safe! All of the options mentioned are good for new and existing businesses. Locksmiths have nothing to fear and everything to gain by using any of them. They are FREE they are easy and they work! |
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