THE PURE JAKE NEWSLETTER

THIS MONTH'S PURE JAKE TOPICS:

• Jake's Thought For Today
• May's Featured Manufacturer: The Better Resetter
• Jake's Jabber: PURE JAKE: THE BOOK
• A Message From Jay Long at ClearStar
• Networking to Keep Working

Thought For Today

Everything has a breaking point. That is, no matter how hard we try to push our burden uphill; we reach a point where we begin to THINK we cannot push any further or harder. Yet, one more effort might put us over the top.

Too many of us quit before we reach our goal when just one more all-out effort could get us where we want to be.

Thomas A.. Edison conducted over a thousand experiments before he found a material that would be suitable for a filament in his electric light bulb. Suppose he quit one experiment shy of this goal.

--Jake Jakubuwski

May's Featured Manufacturer: The Better Resetter

Mark Jones is a locksmith in Raleigh, North Carolina. Last September, or October, Mark told me he was working on an idea for a reset tool that would allow the user to reset a lost combination on BOTH the Kwikset Smart Key and the Schlage SecureKey.

This past week, Mark came up to Oxford and demonstrated his great new tool - The Better Resetter - to me and we made the video that you can view by clicking on one of the links below.

The thing that makes this tool truly unique is the fact that it works for both the Kwikset SMARTKEY and the Schalge SECURKEY! That's right one simple tool that allows you to reset a cylinder with a lost combination - using the same tool!

Two things to keep in mind:

1.)The processes for recombinating each of these locks-although different-rely on rearranging the pin configuration by neutralizing the locking bar in the cylinder to allow the pins to be manipulated. Kwikset has a tool to do that; Schlage does not.

2.) The Better Resetter will NOT unlock a locked door. The Better Resetter (Unlike KW's Reset Cradle). The Better Resetter works on BOTH Kwikset and Schlage cylinders that you have in your hand.

The following video shows you how simple this tool is to use and I can tell you from experience that it REALLY does work as easily as it appears to work I can also tell you that I have gotten a lot of positive feed back from locksmiths that I know and that I am relatively certain from some of the feedback that I have received that this tool will soon be available through at least one major locksmith distributor.

Here's a YOUTUBE link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjPTcUBUESM

So, here's what I see: Even if you have never serviced either of these locks before - you're going to in the future as more and more of them make their way into the market-place. That means this tool will be a dandy tool for you to have in your toolbox, on your workbench and in your van.

Mark is selling them for $20.00 each, plus $5.00 shipping and handling (US pricing only. International shipping will be more). You can order yours (As of now.) by calling Mark at 919-417-5265. Or, you can email Mark at: raleighkeys@yahoo.com

Jake's Jabber: PURE JAKE: THE BOOK

By this time, y'all know that I'm selling my books in an electronic, downloadable format. And, to those of you who have bought those eBooks, I say: "THANK YOU!" You can see the books that I have for sale at: Pure Jake E-Books.

Please not that each of those ebooks has a retail price of $9.99! That's it! That's the full price. And, each book is complete and unabridged and you can download it to your computer at the speed of your computer and your Internet connection.

There is one eBook that I'm offering for FREE! PURE JAKE: The Book! This book was originally written as a promo that I was going to burn on a CD and give away at my seminars. That is, until Don O'Shall came along. Don wanted to publish the book in hardcover and he retailed it for $45, through Lounging Lizard Publications and sold a bunch of them. Well, now we've come full circle and I'm back to offering the book as a FREE download.

To kind of whet your appetite for the book and entice you to download it and read it (For FREE) I'm going to insert the Forward from the book here so you can sample it…that's free to. If, after you have read the forward, and you realize that you just can't wait to read the rest then go to: Pure Jake E-Books , scroll down to PURE JAKE: The Book and click on the "FREE" button to download you very own copy with my compliments.

"Pure Jake - the Book!" Has sort of a nice sound to it, doesn't it?

So, what's this book all about?

That's an easy one to answer. It's about me. Well, that's a little too trite. Actually it's a book that is written to help you understand why I write what I write and how I got to writing that way to begin with.

Now, you might want to ask: "Well, why would you write a book about what you write?" That's a fair question too. And, like the first one, it's fairly easy to answer:

I started writing long before I became a locksmith. I never earned a whole lot of money doing it, but I had this urge to put things down on paper. Sometimes it was pretty good and sometimes even I didn't like what I had written. And all too frequently, the various editors that I submitted my work to didn't care for it either!

But back to the question: I've written this book to help you understand a little about who and what I am. This is a book that will give you a little insight into why I write what I write. Besides, I think some of what helped me develop my philosophies and outlook on life, in general, will give you a laugh or two.

Another reason for writing this book is that I have written a fair amount of material that has been published outside of our craft and a lot of my regular readers may not have access to the publications in which those articles appeared and may not be aware that I can focus on something other than locks!

At any rate, I wrote for the paper and I wrote poetry (Not bad, not great - definitely not great!) and I tried my hand at writing short stories. The publishers of poetry and short stories were apparently not as tight for writing talent as the church paper (Which had world-wide circulation, by the way!) was: so, my poetry and short stories languished in my "portfolio" and, for the most part, never saw print.

Later, I moved aback to Annapolis, Maryland and with all of my "journalistic experience", I decided that I wanted to be a reporter! After all, I had been writing, getting published (Yeah, I know it was only a monthly church paper, but I was published!) and worked in a pressroom. I figured (A figment of my immaturity?) that I was capable and would soon be in high demand.

When I walked in to the Evening Capitol, Annapolis' only newspaper, I went straight to the editor's desk and told him I wanted a job as a reporter. Of course, the first thing he asked was where I had gone to school.

That was strike one. Since, four or five years previous to the interview, I had been invited to leave Annapolis Jr. High (I had lived in Annapolis before going to Hagerstown) and was strongly urged not to come back. I'll fill you in on those details later on.

Then the editor asked me what writing experience I had. And I glowingly told him about my religious articles in the "Way of Truth". He didn't seem any where near as impressed as I thought he should but … well; I figured it was because he wasn't all that much into religion.

Then he asked me if I'd mind writing a news story for him! Would I mind? Man, that's why I was there, right? So, he told me to write a story about a house fire on Cathedral Street and have it back to him in twenty minutes! Wait a minute! Twenty minutes wasn't all that much time.

He explained that if I was in the office and there was a deadline to be met, I'd have to meet it. I'll give the guy credit. I wrote the "piece" and he read every word of it - without a snicker, grin or guffaw. When he finished, he thanked me for coming in and suggested that I might be far happier if I sought employment outside of the field of journalism.

I was crushed! I was devastated! I was … well … I was embarrassed.

It would be another seven, or eight, years before I again made an attempt to write for a newspaper. But, I never stopped writing. And, I never stopped getting rejection slips. However, since I had to find a way to feed my frame and protect my typewriter from the elements; I had to find a job.

That job came along in the guise of a fellow I met in a coffee shop one morning. Cecil owned a car dealership and he said he was looking for a good salesman - I was him!

I'm getting ahead of my story!

As I mentioned it was a while before I tried writing "professionally" again; but I managed through the years, before I became a locksmith and began writing technical articles for TNL, to get published on occasion.

In the early 70's I was writing an article titled Cleanin' Up!" which was a feature in a couple of Southwest Florida newspapers (Like the old Cape Coral Breeze. See page 24). An occasional Op-ed piece here and there and an even rarer magazine article (Citrus Industry Magazine. See page 26) to keep my interest from flagging. I guess, I kept writing because I was too dumb to know that I couldn't do it.

The fact that I lacked much of a formal education never entered my mind. The fact that I was not a great typist didn't slow me down one whit. In other words, none of the negatives meant a damned thing to me. I wanted to write - and, by golly, if no one wanted to publish it; that was their problem!

That drive manifested itself while I was in my late teens and never went away. I guess a large part of that drive is due to my aunt: Pat. But, more on that part of the story later.

Now, I write on a regular basis and even make a little money doing it. Not because I'm a great writer but because I'm stubborn and managed to find a niche that allowed me to build a portfolio that I could use to "crack" other markets.

But any success I may have as a writer stems from the time when I was encouraged to leave school. That may sound strange, but it was my disregard for schooling and my indifference to the rules of the road - so to speak - that eventually allowed me to gain enough knowledge and experience to construct coherent sentences.

There I go getting ahead of myself again. If you've read anything that I've written in any of the trade journals (TNL, DHI and ILA's publication) you'll know that sometimes I can be a little funny. Sometimes I joke. Sometimes I teach. Sometimes I get a little maudlin. Sometimes I pontificate. And - sometimes I manage to twist someone's chain and make them howl in rage.

Whether you've read something that I've written and it makes you giggle in your grits. Or, you read something that I've written and it makes you choke on your coffee because you're upset. Or, if you read something that makes you take a closer look at yourself and your business - then I figure I've done my job.

Not everyone is going to agree with everything I write. Not everyone is going to dislike what I write, either. But everyone will have to make a decision. And, when you read this (whether you disagree, or roar with mirth) you'll go away knowing that what you've read is:

A Message From Jay Long at ClearStar

ClearStar Security Network is in its 17th year as a proactive information site for locksmiths and security professionals. Jay Long, of ClearStar is happy to announce the institution of ClearStar Member of the Year award. The ClearStar Member of The Year award will be presented to the ClearStar member who is voted (by the entire membership of ClearStar) as the member who has made an outstanding contribution to ClearStar during the year.

The winner of the award is determined by the entire ClearStar membership. This is accomplished through an interactive on-line mechanism whereby both the nomination process and voting is open to all members.

It is difficult to arrive at only one winner since there is such an abundance of members helping each other day in and day out on the ClearStar Forums.

The Honorable Mentions within each Forum are recognized as such by forum specific banners on each of the 3 primary Forums of ClearStar. For 2010 the Honorable mentions are as follows...

Tech-General Forum: CD Lipscomb, Arnold Sintnicolass and Arnie Bell

Safe-Tech Forum: Dave McOmie, Mike Griffin and Ken Dunckel

Automotive Forum: Dennis Heath and Josh Heath

The front pages of ClearStar proudly display banners proclaiming this year's grand prize winner.

The first ClearStar Member of the Year for 2010 is member extraordinaire Peter P. Schifferli of Tonawanda, New York.

Networking to Keep Working

I've written about networking a number of times in the National Locksmith magazine and in the PURE JAKE newsletter. And, of course, I've talked about it in my PURE JAKE seminars. Yet I can't help wondering if I'm actually getting a clear idea across about what networking really is.

Networking is simply building relationships with other folks that have like-minded interests. That actually makes networking a social interaction with other folks (Not necessarily in our profession) where we exchange new ideas and discuss approaches to the solution of problems that we might not understand.

The wider our circle of relationships reaches, the easier it becomes to draw on the experience of others who can help us find solutions to the thorniest problems in our craft or simply give us advice on installing or servicing a piece of hardware we have never worked with before. Or, maybe even some pointers on promoting our business in tough economic times.

Last month, I wrote about the exponential increase in the installation of security cameras around the world. I mentioned that if you did not "do" security cameras, you should find someone who does and either learn how to do it or work with that person to install cameras for you when necessary. That's one facet of networking.

Another side of networking is when you attend an association meeting and exchange ideas with other locksmiths that are attending the same meeting. Belonging to a informational exchange web site like ClearStar is networking.

Even sitting down with a couple other locksmiths and discussing safe opening or the newest way to open an L1000 is networking.

The very fact that there are other locksmiths out there should be enough motivation for you to seek out these people and begin networking with them. That doesn't mean you call competitor and shop his prices. It means that you open a dialogue where you exchange relevant information because you have a lot in common. You each share an enthusiasm and zeal for what you do which is more then enough reason to build mutually beneficial relationships with others in your craft.

I've edited the Technitip column in The National Locksmith magazine going on 18 years now. That column is a prime example of networking because it substanti-ates the benefit of exchanging information. Folks send in their tips and tricks and other folks read them and put them to use in their own business.

But the network you need to build is the one where you can call on other folks to find answers for sticky questions about doing business as well as performing craft-related tasks. Or, even to talk about a mutual hobby.

Now, keep this in mind: The locksmith we stand next to may know more then we do; or they may know less then we do. If they know more, let's learn from them. If they know less - let's teach them.

Like anything else, networking requires that we be willing to exchange ideas and information in order to get other ideas and information that will benefit us. It takes practice and it takes effort but once you build your own network(s) you will find that not only does networking make you more effective, it can keep you working, as well.

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If you find any broken links, please let me know.

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Copyright 2011, Jake Jakubuwski - All rights reserved.