Every business owner knows that organization is paramount for success — and sometimes, even a 63-year-old locksmith business needs some extra help staying on track.
Established in 1961, Mr. Keys is a family-run business owned and operated by Matt and Candice Skoogs. The New Jersey-based locksmith has been serving customers throughout the Brick Township area for generations — but in 2023, Mr. Keys was feeling the heat.
“I just felt like [the business] was starting to get away from us,” says Matt. “It felt like we were that gerbil on the wheel, just running and running and running and not getting anywhere. We weren’t having issues with the clients, but rather, everybody inside the company. It was getting to a boiling point.”
Candice echoes his sentiment. “There was a lack of organization and a lack of process,” she says. ”It was a family-run company for a long time, and we were ready to move to the next level.”
The enlightenment
Matt and Candice thoroughly assessed their business after becoming CEO Warrior members. Through 1:1 sessions with their dedicated Master Advisors, they uncovered the root causes of their organizational challenges. Matt reflects on this process, acknowledging, “It was overwhelming at some points, just realizing you’re doing a lot of things wrong and that there’s a lot of things that you should be changing.”
Communication was an especially important part of Mr. Key’s transformation. Candice emphasized the importance of having conversations about necessary changes within the organization. She noticed that job descriptions were unclear, and several people were taking on multiple jobs.
“We should have had descriptions of what our employees were doing instead of having everybody go all over the place,” she says. This shift towards clear job descriptions and defined roles laid the groundwork for more organizational clarity.
The implementation
For Matt and Candice, trust played a crucial role in embracing change for Mr. Keys.
“You have to start somewhere,” says Matt. “You have to trust yourself and trust the people that you’re going to team up with. Trust is a big thing.” This trust extended to their partnership with CEO Warrior, where they found confidence in their advisors’ expertise and guidance.
With CEO Warrior’s support, Matt and Candice embarked on a journey of learning and implementation. They took advantage of CEO Warrior’s many resources — including in-person training and virtual boot camps — to further improve their business acumen. Today, Matt encourages other service business owners to sign up for CEO Warrior and “learn and implement from everybody in the organization.”
The results
Through their collaboration with CEO Warrior, Matt and Candice witnessed a major transformation within Mr. Keys. Before CEO Warrior, disorder gave way to organization, and ambiguity was replaced with clarity. They successfully implemented changes to streamline operations, fostered a culture of accountability, and positioned their business for long-term success.
Matt and Candice’s journey with CEO Warrior exemplifies the transformative power of strategic guidance and unwavering support. By identifying pain points, implementing changes, building trust, and embracing continuous improvement, they successfully organized Mr. Keys for sustained growth. Their experience serves as a testament to CEO Warrior’s commitment to empowering service business owners to thrive in today’s competitive landscape.
