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Life as a Locksmith in Miami:
Alcee Locksmiths
In the heart of sun-soaked Miami, Florida, Patrick Alcee is doing more than just unlocking doors, he’ s pursuing his passion of problemsolving and building his future as a selfemployed locksmith. Founder of Alcee & Bros Locksmith, Patrick found his trade through his obsession with puzzles and finding solutions.
» WHETHER HE’ S CRACKING OPEN A jammed panic bar in a fast-food chain or navigating the complexities of programming a European car key, Patrick’ s journey shows what it takes to build a business from the ground up and why free Burger King or Wendy’ s lunches aren’ t a bad perk either.
Getting Started I was 20 years old, broke, and I was trying to figure out where life would take me. I’ d always loved solving puzzles and breaking down problems. I didn’ t realise it then, but that mindset would be the foundation of everything I’ d go on to build as a locksmith.
At university I studied Business Studies, which helped me later when I started Alcee & Bros Locksmith, but at the time I was just trying to stay afloat. I sold headphones and repaired phones for extra cash. It took me about six months to save up enough to buy my first set of locksmith tools.
Locksmithing became my hobby before it was a career. I’ d get obsessed with figuring out how safes worked, how car keys were coded, and how to recognise the internal mechanics of different locks. I’ d go online and network, the ALOA was a huge help, with their resources and training schools. They helped me understand everything from access control to auto locksmithing. Eventually, I was doing locksmithing jobs on the side while holding down jobs in air conditioning and electrical work, which all became useful skills.
The Hustle It took me four years to really get established. People think you get tools and you’ re good to go. Nah. You’ ve got to hustle every single day. Leads don’ t
land in your lap. I was doing side work, 24 / 7 callouts, and handling all kinds of clients- good ones and the kind who’ ll run off with your car key without paying. True story. I filed a police report and never heard back.
The biggest challenge? Staying profitable. Between traffic in Miami( it’ s as bad as people say), competing locksmiths, and inconsistent call volumes, you’ ve got to be sharp. Marketing is key- I’ ve got an Instagram page, and my website has recently gone live. I am working with a marketing agency to develop Google Ads and improve SEO, but I appreciate it’ s a long game.
Fast-Food Clients = Free Lunches( No Joke)
A surprising perk of my job? Free lunch. I do a lot of commercial work for fast-food chains like Wendy’ s, Burger King, and Pollo Tropical. Fire doors, panic bars, access systems, when you’ re working on-site, they’ ll usually feed you. And yeah, Wendy’ s hits the spot, a nice spicy chicken sandwich and fries after installing door closers? Doesn’ t get better than that.
12
AUGUST 2025
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