Once in the army I found that the routine and discipline of military life suited me. Initially there was basic training – common to all new recruits and then because I was joining the Household Cavalry there was 6 months in riding school. Finally I joined the Blues and Royals – I was a percussionist and regularly rode the famous Drum horses as well as playing base or side drum in the marching band.

When I look back. its evident that the regular routines of music and choir practice, rehearsals and drill have given me breadth and depth of experience to excel in my chosen fields. 10,000 hours of practice is often quoted as the requirement to achieve excellence and I can’t be far short of that!

The added bonus was the opportunity to experience the pomp and spectacle of grand events all around the UK and abroad.

In my 26 years of Army service I rose through the ranks as my superiors recognised my natural organisational skills, attention to detail and ability to work hard and develop new skills and knowledge. I became the Band secretary with responsibility for organising engagements for all the different groups within the band (eg mounted band, marching band, chamber groups, quartets, state trumpeters). My communication skills were key in liaising with event organisers and other Military bands for rehearsals and joint events.

I was asked to move across to the Life Guards to become their Band Corporal Major (the first time the post was appointed from outside the Life Guards). The band and I knew each other already so I accepted and became responsible for the day to day running and discipline of the band.

Memorable occasions were riding the Drum Horse at the Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, The Queens 50^th Jubilee, Trooping the Colour on many occasions, the Royal Tournament. I was fortunate enough to be part of tours of New Zealand and Finland.

I left the Army in 2004 having chosen to retrain as a locksmith – I wanted to work for myself and knew that I would do well with a practical trade which interacted with the public.

I used my Army resettlement fund to study for a City and Guilds qualification in Locksmithing and started out with a few tools and locks in boxes in the back of the family car. I soon realised that I wasn’t happy to not be able to complete a job in one visit and have steadily built up my stock and equipment, to the point where I can now complete most jobs on a single visit meaning that my customers are secure straight away ie no waiting for parts to arrive and for me – keeping transport costs down by avoiding follow up visits – along the way I‘ve lost track of whether its been 5 or 6 vans which have carried me and my ever growing stock of locks and equipment

When I left the army I had a young family to support and so was determined to make a success of my fledgling business. I knew I had to get experience fast to build up my skillset so I signed up as a subcontractor for several national companies to take advantage of their bigger advertising. I quickly learned this wasn’t how I wanted to do business, but it did help me find my feet until my advertising took effect and I was able to go it alone.

Flexible working was also helpful in allowing me to see school plays and take my children to appointments even if it meant working in the evening.

In the early days I approached an established local locksmith and asked if they would mentor me – 20 years later whilst we are competitors we have a good friendship and perhaps more importantly we have a symbiotic working relationship where we occasionally help each other out as needed.

Unfortunately the locksmith industry is not regulated so there are many rogues out there without proper training. Is see them on a daily basis as I frequently have to make good their shoddy workmanship. I realised the best way to differentiate Millennium Locksmiths from the cowboys was to develop my reputation – initially this was through trade memberships – some of which are better than others – some simply take a fee and publish your details, whilst others check out each tradesman before endorsing them. As time passed I was able to build up a huge collection of reviews and these days customers often tell me that they chose my business because of those recommendations.

Communication skills is another key factor – interacting with the people whether it be performing in a choir, participating in a parade, organising a concert or pageant or explaining to someone what changes they should make to ensure their property is secure is something that I enjoy and which I’m good at. My days would be very dull without human interaction

As I approach 20 years of practicing as a locksmith I am reminded that its hard work and experience that have brought me here. There has been luck along the way – finding the right connections definitely helps to grow a business – thank you! You know who you are!