A 13-year-old entrepreneur orders packs of flower and garden seeds from the back of a comic book and sets out to sell them door-to-door down the path to his first business venture. This adventure literally planted the seed that led Ken Jennings, with his entrepreneurial mindset and boundless ideas, to revolutionize systems from every industry he has pursued.
Now he has turned his attention to a more standard industry, locksmithing. Jennings started Texas Rekey Locksmith Service from the trunk of his car in 1995. As time progressed, he single-handedly transformed the locksmith industry by applying a simple methodology to build his business – focus on niche markets within the greater locksmith industry.
The Birth of Mr Rekey
Ten years after launching this small start-up, the company began to expand into areas outside of Texas and it was then rebranded as Mr. Rekey Locksmith®. Having validated his successful model, Jennings confirmed in his mind that the saying was true: If you do what everyone else does, you’ll get what everyone else gets.
Seeking out an inventive approach, Jennings’ vision was both unassuming and brilliant: Provide reliable residential and commercial locksmith services at a straightforward all-inclusive price, and focus on rekeying rather than replacing locks, thereby saving the customer time and money. Rekeying is a system of changing the keys for locks without having to buy new hardware. With that approach, Jennings worked hard to develop a winning formula by using innovative methods in an industry that was previously known to have a great deal of inconsistencies.
Today, Jennings is a hands-on CEO, leading a unique culture of locksmith professionals who are easily recognizable by their clean, uniformed, and branded appearance. Mr Rekey delivers simple, reliable locksmith services with quick turnaround to property owners and managers in all sectors of the industry, while maintaining an almost 100 percent customer satisfaction rate.
Mr Rekey’s Expansion: The Addition of Franchise Territories Nationwide
In 2013, Mr. Rekey announced the addition of 50 franchise territories nationwide. The franchise territories now serve more than 500 cities and towns throughout Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, Nevada, Florida, California, Arizona, Virginia, Georgia and Washington. To date, Mr. Rekey Locksmith® has changed over three million residential locks and plans to continue the company’s momentum, while also ensuring the best service to franchisees and customers. The company is now considered one of the fastest growing franchises in America.
Mr. Rekey’s headquarters and operations center, located near Austin, Texas, provides full-service dispatching, invoicing, collections and scheduling services for its franchises, eliminating administrative constraints with streamlined back-office infrastructure and support. The company is an easy-to-manage mobile business, eliminating the pricing and logistical needs of a physical brick and mortar location.
Additionally, Mr. Rekey provides a growing, reputable and recognizable brand identity and multiple opportunities for market growth to its franchisees. The company provides the highest quality and most professional commercial and residential locksmith training, as well as prompt and professional service.
Currently, Jennings wears many hats, one of which is franchise owner and also franchisee to 24 Mr. Rekey territories. Based on his extensive, real-world operations and growth, Jennings and his team are able to provide franchisees a comprehensive business platform that includes everything from back-office operations, marketing methodology, company certified training, a proven support team, and industry specific tools and equipment.
“We wanted to flip the model in the locksmithing business altogether. It should no longer just be a service, we want to offer an experience,” Jennings explains. “Mr Rekey’s management team guides franchisees through our plan of strategic components to drive their growth, including proven sales systems. We are not just seeking locksmiths, but rather those individuals who want a business opportunity and can see themselves in this turnkey type of industry.”
It’s apparent that much of Mr. Rekey’s success stems from the acknowledgement that Jennings believes “success comes from my commitment to the entire team’s achievement.” Tracing back to his early days of grass-roots involvement, Jennings continues to keep feet on the pavement by sending his business development managers and other franchise representatives into the community. The culture of Mr. Rekey Locksmith® was built upon a shared vision, one which the management team, franchisees, sales teams, locksmith technicians and customer call center representatives proudly stand behind. The culture is clear, customer-centered and personal.
How does Mr. Rekey make locksmithing personal? It’s about how the company does business by these guiding principles:
– Is everything being reviewed from the customer’s point of view?
– Is everyone being treated like a five-star customer?
– Did the customer say, “Wow”?
Essentially, Mr. Rekey sells peace of mind. The professional recommendation to tenants and new homeowners is that they should rekey their locks before moving into their new home. Homeowners are a very large part of the business. The simple, state-of-the-art, mobile and quick turnaround locksmith services strive to serve families and businesses equally.
Since the decline of the Yellow Pages®, many businesses rely on online marketing to get the job done. Jennings knows that, although there is something to be said for digital marketing, Mr. Rekey actually focuses effort on direct, face-to-face, offline marketing.
To convince you further, here are the top reasons to choose Mr. Rekey:
-
-
Competitive pricing
-
-
-
Fast, quality services
-
-
-
Convenient ordering process
-
-
-
Guaranteed labor satisfaction
-
-
-
Expert customer support
-
-
-
Certified locksmith professionals
-
-
-
Impressive client feedback
-
-
-
Servicing 30 metropolitan areas across the country
-
During the last 35 years, Jennings has founded more than 40 businesses and spent time studying the success of other business leaders in thriving industries and applies them to his own business ventures. His other ventures include Mr. Garage Door, a multicity garage door service company, and Mr. Property Reports, which documents the condition of residential rental properties for landlords and properties. These are just two of the sister companies linked directly to the core division of Mr. Rekey Locksmith®.
Ken Jennings has over 35 years of business experience and mentors numerous entrepreneurs in his hometown of Austin, Texas. He has two children who both play an active role in his organizations. He enjoys traveling with his wife Vicki and playing tennis.
For more information about Mr Rekey and the services it offers, here:
Website: www.rekey.com.