Meet Shelly and Keith Bedrossian of Secure Lock and Alarm in Beverly

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelly and Keith Bedrossian.

Secure Lock and Alarm was founded in 1997 by Keith Bedrossian in Beverly.

Bedrossian graduated from Marblehead High School in 1991, then attended the North Bennett Street School in 1996 where he majored in locksmithing.

Graduating at the top of his class, he earned the “Best in Manipulation Award,” which celebrates the person with the most superior problem solving skills. He chose the field of locksmithing at the suggestion of his father. Bedrossian decided to start his own business because he wanted to call his own shots. He prescribed to the adage that the definition of an entrepreneur is anyone that would rather work 80 hours a week for themselves so that they don’t have to work 40 hours for someone else and be bored.

Growing up with a learning difference, Bedrossian knew that being successful isn’t just about what one learns from textbooks, but is dependent, in part, on the relationships one builds with others. With this instinct, Bedrossian focused on building priceless relationship that outlasted any knowledge that he would have gained from textbooks.

When asked what he thought were three key ingredients to a successful business, Bedrossian offered the following insights:

Be prepared to work consistently and persistently for the first five to 10 years.

“Anyone that thinks that it is easier to work for themselves is foolish,” Bedrossian said with a chuckle. “Yes, I have more freedom; the freedom to choose which 12 hours a day that I want to work.”

The second key ingredient is to know what you do well and, more importantly, hire people to do the things that you don’t do well.

Part of Bedrossian’s learning difference is that he has challenges with organization and dyslexia, all while scoring in the 98th percentile in problem solving and deductive reasoning.

Hiring someone to do paperwork and to set up organization systems made a huge impact on his bottom line.

The third main ingredient is to continually improve your skillsets and make sure that your business is ahead of current trends.

Anticipating the economic recession, Bedrossian retooled and expanded his suite of services to include video surveillance systems, card swipe access control systems, Brivo cloud based security and burglar and fire alarms.

“I sensed that the locksmithing industry, although still profitable, wasn’t going to grow at the rate that security would be growing when the economy turned around,” he said.

Bedrossian believed that locksmithing and security make a perfect marriage. Typically, his competitors that also do security systems, must outsource the lock and door portion of security installations to a locksmith.

By offering total property protection, Secure Lock and Alarm can be a “one-stop security shop.” The business’s commercial and municipal clients love this advantage because they can make one phone call to solve all their problems.

Asked about his motivation to keep the business going, Bedrossian shared a story from the beginning of his career.

The summer that he started his business, his grandfather was very sick. When Bedrossian went to visit him in the hospital, he brought his grandfather a new Secure Lock and Safe shirt. His grandfather, an Armenian immigrant and fellow entrepreneur, showed the shirt to all the nurses and boastfully said, “This is my grandson and he owns his own business.”

To this day, Bedrossian has a picture of his grandfather standing in front of his dry-cleaning business that was in Queens, N.Y. The picture has a prominent position on the wall in his store on Bridge Street in Beverly. He continuously uses his grandfather’s expectations and pride as inspiration and a reason to keep persisting.

Bedrossian is a fourth generation business owner, so there was a tremendous amount of pressure to succeed and keep the tradition going.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Secure Lock and Alarm – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Secure Lock and Alarm designs, installs, and services commercial access control systems, video surveillance systems, and burglar alarms. Their skill set is unique in that they have two certified locksmiths on staff so they are able to address lock and door issues which are an important part of installing a security system. Being a One Stop Security Shop allows customers to have a consistent security plan with a clear vision and one point of contact. Keith Bedrossian founded Secure Lock and Alarm in 1996 in Boston’s North Shore. They serve all communities throughout Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We have an effective business model in place which has allowed us to triple in size over the last three years. We are going to stick with that model and consistently grow over time.

Contact Info:

• Address: 52 1/2 Bridge Street
• Website: www.securelockandalarm.com
• Phone: 978-927-6400
• Email: sales@securelockandalarm.com

Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.