Austin O’Harra, the married father of one with another on the way, works full time, takes on-line general studies via Brigham Young University-Idaho and also runs his own locksmith company called Lock of the Irish.
“My wife, Kaylie, came up with that. She’s the brains of the operation,” he said.
While Austin O’Harra lives in Idaho Falls, he travels throughout East Idaho as well as parts of Montana and Wyoming unlocking cars.
“The farthest I’ve gone for a job has been Jackson Hole. For the Montana side, it’s just up past Yellowstone,” he said.
O’Harra’s schedule keeps him incredibly busy, but he says it's worth it.
“It definitely pays the bills and keeps the wolves away,” he said.
The best thing about Lock of the Irish is the chance to meet so many Upper Valley residents, O'Harra said.
“I like that I get to work with different people every day," he said. "I like that I can help people when they’re in a stressful situation. I like that my office is mostly outdoors or in my vehicle."
He added, “I like the windshield therapy. Nothing is ever the same day to day. There are all kinds of different cars that require different keys and different labor. No two jobs are ever the same. I like the variety.”
O’Harra finds he’s busy year-round unlocking cars. During the winter months, he’s noticed that people lock themselves out of their car while their vehicles warm up. During the summer months, drivers lose their keys while recreating in rivers and lakes
“I deal with a lot of people dropping their keys in bodies of water and recreating on the Snake River," O'Harra said. "They fail to put their keys in a safe location, and they end up dropping them in 40 feet of water."
A lot of O’Harra’s customers call for help in the afternoon, he said.
“If we’re talking day-to-day, my busiest time is generally in the afternoon at 1 p.m. and on," he said. "It can kind of go in waves. Some calls come in earlier, and some days calls come in later."
O’Harra always advises his clients to check their pockets before calling him.
“There have been quite a few times that I’ll go to unlock a car, and they’ll realize their keys have been in their pocket the entire time," he said. "That always gives me a little bit of a chuckle."
Many of O’Harra’s customers come via word of mouth. He also has a Google listing that customers find him on.
“I get a lot of referrals from my competitors, believe it or not,” he said.
That resulted from O’Harra introducing himself to his fellow locksmiths. The hope was to establish a good relationship with them.
“I work on specialized cars and keys that a lot of my competitors do not," he said. "When they have someone call them about one of those cars that they don’t work on, they send me."
O’Harra also advertises on social media, including Facebook and Instagram.
“I always say the best way to advertise and to have people call me is by word of mouth," he said. "I ask customers to refer us. I go around town to businesses, leave business cards and shake hands."
O’Harra was between agricultural jobs when his father-in-law, David Fairchild, taught him how to be a locksmith.
“He was looking to hire another locksmith at his company," O'Harra said. "I hadn’t really looked into getting into his business before, but I decided to give it a trial run. That was three or four years ago, and I haven’t stopped doing it."
O’Harra spent three months learning the trade during which he was working 60 to 80 hours a week locksmithing.
“When you’re doing it consistently that many days in a row with no stopping, you tend to pick things up pretty fast. It took about three months,” he said.
Eventually, the O’Harras decided to start their own locksmith business. To ensure that there’s a steady paycheck, Austin went to work at an Idaho Falls rehabilitation center where he works the graveyard shift. Doing so allows him to study for his BYU-Idaho classes.
“Most of the patients are normally asleep while I’m there at work. (My employer) allows me to do some school work,” he said.
O’Harra gets in a few hours of sleep before his phone starts ringing with customers asking for his help.
For anyone starting their own business, O’Harra urges them not to go into debt and to keep their overhead low. It also helps to have another job providing a steady stream of money, he said.
Yes, O’Harra does get a bit tired at times, but he says the added income helps provide for his growing family.
“I don’t regret a single day of what I do," he said. "I don’t ever feel any resentment. I feel tired a lot, but I would do this over and over because it provides my family with a better future."
For more information on Lock of the Irish, call 208-557-8594.