This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dakota Crownover, a 21-year-old locksmith based in Kansas City, Kansas. Insider has verified his income with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I'm an independent locksmith who works on the Jobox app, a marketplace for vetted home-service professionals around the US. I earn 60% of the cost of every job I complete — Jobox takes a 20% cut, and a third-party store like Home Depot or Lowe's which connects us with a customer gets the remaining 20%.
I did a month-long apprenticeship after high school to learn the trade of locksmithing. Following that, I became a subcontractor for a locksmith company and continued to master my trade by training with another mentor.
Being only 21, my job history is a bit limited. I bagged groceries in high school and worked at a warehouse as a forklift operator and unloader from 2018 to 2021, where I started at around $16 an hour and left at $23 an hour. I became an emergency (24/7) locksmith at the start of 2021.
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On average, I make $10,000 a month solely using the Jobox app. This summer had increased demand and a rise in heat-related emergencies — I made $14,000 in July. My highest month ever was August 2021, when I made $15,000.
The amount of money you can make locksmithing really depends on the amount of time you're willing to put in. Stats say locksmiths make around $50,000 a year, but that's usually part-time work. In 2021, I made more than $125,000.
Forgoing college was an easy decision because I've always wanted to be an independent business owner
I chose to become a locksmith because it's not a job that comes to mind right away when you think of a skill or a trade, and I wanted to master a very specific skill that people need. It also helped that a good friend of mine, Jacob, had been a locksmith for years. I was able to learn from him and get hands-on experience.
After high school, I wanted my independence. Becoming a locksmith takes a relatively short amount of time to master, and as long as you have the right teacher and guidance, it's a great return on investment for a career. It took less than six months of shadowing my mentor and on the job training with him for me master the skill, but I'm continually learning as I encounter new scenarios and buy new tools to make the jobs easier and faster to complete.
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States have different laws and mandates when it comes to trades
Kansas doesn't mandate vocational education for locksmithing, but you must be 18, take an educational course approved by the Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA), and complete an apprenticeship.
When I started to learn the craft of doing home lockouts, I learned if you don't get it open, you don't get paid. That's motivation right there to master your craft. I found that the best way to learn is directly from real-world and emergency situations. The pressure pushes you to learn faster.
I learned about the Jobox app from my mentor
Jobox is an app I use to receive and accept jobs sent directly to me based on my expertise and location to the job. Jobox is an all-in-one app, or what I like to call a digital toolbox for home-service technicians. When a customer comes into a big box store like Home Depot or a local hardware store and requests a skilled pro to install or do a specific job, the store submits the request through the Jobox app and then the app sends it out to skilled professionals who are nearby. It also does all the accounting (gets me paid and provides receipts), scheduling, and connecting me to customers.
The company my friend and mentor owned and operated uses it. It helps him manage his team of more than 20 locksmiths and the jobs they accept. It was the primary way they were securing new jobs on a consistent basis. I saw firsthand how the app was driving business and simplifying the entire backend process.
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The sign-up process is as easy as can be. I simply had to create an account and connect the services I offer. It's a pretty quick process. Every person who applies goes through a Know Your Customer information, or KYC, process by providing their ID and social security number to verify identity. As soon as I was certified on the app, jobs began to roll in.
Because I'm an independent locksmith, I'm able to pick my hours and the days I work
On average, my day will consist of 10 to 18 jobs. I'm awake anytime between 6 and 8 a.m. and I'm at work by 9 or 10 a.m. at the latest. I work five to six days a week. There have been days where I'm working at night due to emergency calls. If I'm unavailable, the app will automatically connect the customer to the next-available locksmith.
The majority of the jobs are home and car lockouts and lock change-outs. Very rarely am I making new keys for locks, but that does account for some of the work.
Typically, my fee for a locked car is $80, however, being an emergency locksmith means that people will pay premium prices in dire situations. I set my own fees for each type of job. Variables that do come into play are distance to the job site and level of urgency. As an example, if it takes me an hour to get there, I'll have to charge more.
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Once on site, a car lockout usually takes two to five minutes. Most houses take five minutes. More time is needed when there are multiple locks on one door. The maximum time it takes to open a home is 30 minutes if drilling is necessary. I've had jobs that paid $300 since it was an emergency, which the customer ultimately determines depending on the situation.
Locksmithing fees are different all over the country. In New York City, for example, a lockout that isn't an emergency can cost hundreds of dollars, whereas in Kansas, that same job is anywhere between $80 and $100. I have no desire to move to a larger city because there's more competition. In my region, there are fewer locksmiths, which means more jobs.
I've learned a lot from using the Jobox app since it helps me manage my income and balance my finances. I haven't had to market myself because the app does it for me, and it tracks my jobs completed which helps my status as a reliable and successful locksmith.
Don't just do a trade if you only plan on doing it on the side
Make sure it's something you're willing to move up in. If you're going the route of doing a trade, you must plan to be a master in it. That way you know how to manage your own business and be around people.
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Make sure you're always planning ahead and thinking about when you'll retire. You have to know the risks, the reward, and the toll it's going to take on your body. Becoming a locksmith is not the same toll on your body physically as becoming a welder. This played a role in my decision to become a locksmith. I don't have any plans to retire any time soon.
With the money earned from locksmithing, I've gained stability, built a healthy savings account, and reinvested in myself by buying high-quality tools for work. I also bought a new van, pay for health insurance monthly, and enjoy my life by attending concerts and events and eating out.
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