All businesses / Locksmith

Fingerprint: capital · hours · speed to income · margin · ceiling. The dashed line is mid-scale.

Start a locksmith: the real numbers

Emergency entry, locks, security. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives, and the part most guides leave out.

Startup capital

€5,000–€18,000

Hours / week

25–50

First income

~6 wks

Net margin

70%

Saturation

low

Realistic ceiling

€1,300–€4,000

What nobody usually tells you

Urgency pricing at its purest: a locked-out customer at 11pm does not compare quotes. The trade-off is the hours — the profitable calls come at night and at weekends, and you are on the phone constantly.

The route, in five steps

  1. Do the training course — this is a skill, not a YouTube job
  2. Get on the emergency lists of insurers and letting agents
  3. Charge a callout that reflects the hour of the night
  4. Carry the ten locks that cover most doors
  5. Add safes and access control for daytime margin

What you'll need to buy

These are the categories every locksmith pays for in the first month. We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the tools page.

training coursetools and picksvanstockinsurance

Does it hold up for you?

These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.

Run my numbers → See the tool stack