Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Franchise Investment Overview
We started Novak Lock & Security in 2002 with one rule: the dispatcher quotes a firm price on the phone, and the technician is not permitted to change it on the doorstep. That rule became the foundation Haven adopted across all ten of its home-service brands, and it’s the first thing a franchisee inherits. The numbers below are honest ballpark ranges for getting a locksmith operation running under the Novak standard. They’re not a legal offering, not a guarantee, and not the final word. They’re what we’d tell someone across a kitchen table before they ask the next question.
Estimated Startup Investment
The table below reflects what we’ve seen it take to launch a residential and commercial locksmith territory. Ranges vary by market size, vehicle choice, and how much inventory you carry on day one. A dense metro core costs more than a mid-sized suburb. These figures assume you’re starting fresh, not converting an existing shop.
| Item | Estimated Range |
|---|---|
| Franchise Fee | $45,000 - $65,000 |
| Equipment, Tools & Initial Inventory | $35,000 - $60,000 |
| Vehicle & Outfitting | $40,000 - $70,000 |
| Initial Marketing & Launch | $15,000 - $30,000 |
| Working Capital (first 6 months) | $50,000 - $90,000 |
| Total Estimated Investment | $185,000 - $315,000 |
Those ranges include the things that actually matter in this trade: a van stocked with pin kits, key blanks, cylinders, and programming tools for the common vehicle makes in your market. They include a real marketing launch, not a Facebook page and a prayer. And they include enough working capital to pay yourself and one technician while the phone starts ringing. What they don’t include is hidden. We’d rather show you the high end up front than surprise you with it later.
What’s Included
The franchise fee is not a donation. It buys you the operating system that made Novak the brand Haven built its standard around. Here’s what’s in it:
- Brand license and territory rights - a defined service area you operate as an independently owned and operated business, with your license, your trucks, your neighbors.
- Initial training - a full curriculum covering lock installation, rekeying, automotive entry, master keying, and the pricing discipline that Clause 1 of The Haven Standard requires.
- The Haven Standard operating system - the documented quality framework used across all ten Haven brands, including the written-price-before-work protocol that has been in place since 2002.
- Pricing and dispatch software - the same system that lets our dispatchers quote a firm price on the phone and prevents a technician from changing it on the doorstep.
- Launch marketing package - initial website, local listings setup, and the brand assets needed to present as a credible locksmith from day one.
- Ongoing support and documentation systems - the photo-record procedure, job documentation templates, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise framework that backs every job.
What we don’t include is a scripted sales pitch or a guy in a suit telling you how to talk to customers. You’ll learn the trade’s real vocabulary because you’ll use it every day: shear line, bible, keyway, cylinder, tailpiece. And you’ll learn to explain each one in a single clause, because that’s how Daniel has talked to customers since the first van rolled out.
Financing & Next Steps
Most franchisees don’t write a single check for the full amount. Equipment financing and third-party small business loans are common for the vehicle, tools, and initial inventory. Some candidates qualify for SBA-backed lending, which typically covers a portion of the franchise fee and startup costs. We don’t provide financing ourselves, and we don’t take a referral fee from anyone who does. We’ll point you toward options, and you decide what works.
The next step is a conversation. You call the number below, talk to a real person, and tell them what market you’re considering. We’ll send you the info kit, which includes the detailed investment breakdown specific to your territory size. After that, if you want to proceed, you’ll receive the official documents with the exact figures. No pressure, no countdown, no “limited territories remaining.” The price on the phone is the price on the invoice. That rule applies to franchise conversations too.
Call (331) 310-8471 or request the info kit below. It takes about ten minutes to go through, and you’ll know exactly where you stand.
Figures on this page are non-binding estimates for marketing purposes only; actual investment amounts vary by market and are provided in official documents during the qualification process.