Notice Board
Finding that Sweet Spot: The Coventry Locksmith
After 26 years on the frontlines of policing, and a prior stint in the Armed Forces, Coventry-born Darren Byrne traded tactical raids for locksmithing. Now running The Coventry Locksmith, he’ s building his third career as a self-employed locksmith, aiming to strike the perfect balance between semi-retirement and ambition.
Ticking the Box for Self-Employment
I’ ve always had a“ to-do” list in the back of my mind and self-employment was one of the few things left unticked. After over 30 years spent in service in the police and Armed Forces combined, I’ d earned my pension and had the chance to explore something new. A few of us in the police had training in lock entry for doing warrants, so when I retired, I thought, why not pick up locksmithing and see where it takes me? I trained with the Master Locksmiths Association in Rugby and decided to start something from scratch.
It’ s been just over a year now, and it’ s been a learning curve. Coming straight out of employment into running your own business, you quickly realise you’ re the marketing
team, the bookkeeper, the stock room manager, and the person answering the phone. But despite the steep learning curve, I’ ve enjoyed the process, though I’ m still deciding whether I prefer the locksmithing or the business-building side more, as both are great!
Semi-Retired, Still Ambitious
I don’ t want to be out five days a week. I’ m semi-retired, and I’ d be happy with three or four full days of work. I’ ve not quite hit that sweet spot yet, but I’ m building confidence and experience with every job. I’ m not interested in standing still. I’ m looking into training with the Fire Protection Association to become a fire door assessor; it’ s a skill that complements what I already do. Two of my best mates are ex-firefighters who’ ve made the move into fire door assessments themselves, so it feels like a natural progression and a good fit for my business.
I’ m also aiming to do my Master Locksmiths qualification in the next few years. I’ m a member of the MLA already, and although I don’ t promote my police background publicly, I carry an enhanced DBS and an MLA ID, which gives customers peace of mind, especially in an unregulated industry where someone could be an excriminal and leave jail on a Friday and set-up as a locksmith on the Monday, without any credentials or training.
12
JULY 2025
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