Joe Carreiro | Pop-a-Lock | Westerly
The pitch: Pop-a-Lock is a 24-hour mobile locksmith service offering assistance from unlocking vehicle doors to residential and commercial services. Carreiro’s service is offered statewide.
Years in business: Four and a half
Employees: One
Cost to obtain franchise: $62,000 for minimum service area of 500,000 population; $124,000 for 1 million in population; $150,000 total working capital; $215,000 total investment.
Before opening franchise: Carreiro worked for 35 years in the aerospace industry, the last eight years as a quality assurance manager in Groton, Conn.
Reason for opening: Carreiro felt it would be a “good fit” for him to change gears and go into franchising after gaining experience as a quality assurance manager.
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“Ninety percent of my work is automotive. It’s a lot of lost keys. Right now I’m busy here in Westerly because of the beach season down here. A lot of folks are losing their keys, either in the sand or in the surf. I’m able to program and cut the keys that they need to get going.”
“It looks glamorous and lucrative, but there’s so much work that needs to be done, and you need to understand not just the work itself but also the advertisements. You need to continually train all the time, so be prepared for that.”
“I look forward to the calls. You get to meet people, all sorts of life and circumstances and try to help them out as best as you can and offer advice. The reward is you’re out there helping folks.”
“Find somebody in the field you’re interested in and offer your time to shadow that person before jumping in [to franchising]. That way, you have a lot of questions to ask the franchisor when you’re going to jump into that contract.”
“You’re pretty much doing this 24/7, but you have the freedom to go out every day to plan your day. Every day is a new adventure, so to speak.”