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PODCAST

Unlocked Podcast

Chad Lingafelt, Tony Hokanson, Lars Johnston

Three business owners, spanning North Carolina, Minnesota, and Alberta, Canada, have joined forces to create Unlocked Podcast. Their mission? To share their insights on building enduring businesses that thrive for generations to come.

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

01:03:19

The Unique Factor: A Leadership Therapy Session...

Unlocked Podcast ·

2026/02/19

In Episode 66, Lars Johnston from Calgary Lock & Safe challenges the trio to get vulnerable with a high-stakes leadership exercise: identifying their "Uniques." Moving past typical corporate bios, Chad (Loc-Doc Security), Tony (Assured Security), and Lars reveal the honest, sometimes uncomfortable feedback they received from their teams and families.The conversation dives into the "Shadow Side" of leadership—how a strength like being a "calm problem solver" can

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00:58:58

Organic AI Adoption? (Episode 65)

Unlocked Podcast ·

2026/02/12

In Episode 65, Chad, Tony, and Lars explore how business owners can turn unexpected chaos into operational gold. When a rare North Carolina snowstorm threatened to derail a week of factory training for the Calgary team, the hosts pivoted to an impromptu Technician Exchange Program. They discuss the massive "ROI of fresh eyes" when a guest technician shadows your team and provides an unfiltered perspective on your culture and workflows.The conversation then shifts to the "Invisible

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01:03:23

The Delegation Paradox: Staying Engaged Without...

Unlocked Podcast ·

2026/02/05

In Episode 64, the Unlocked trio—Tony from Assured Security, Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security—dive into the tricky middle ground of business leadership: When to NOT Delegate.After spending previous episodes discussing how to find the "Who" and master the art of letting go, the conversation shifts to the pitfalls of over-delegation. Tony explores the "fine line" between empowering a leadership team and completely checking out. They discuss why a

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01:11:19

Selling Sales to Your Salesmen: Compensation, Hiring,...

Unlocked Podcast ·

2026/01/29

In Episode 63, the Unlocked Podcast shifts focus from "low tide" excuses to high-level Sales Management. Lars Johnston from Calgary Lock & Safe leads a candid discussion with Tony (Assured Security) and Chad (Loc-Doc Security) about the hardest sale a leader makes: getting the sales team to buy into a proactive process.Tony reveals how intentional hiring—specifically finding five key "Whos"—transformed his organization in 2025. The conversation dives deep into the psychology

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01:05:51

Building Habits for a Successful 2026 (62)

Unlocked Podcast ·

2026/01/22

In this episode, the team dives into the specific habits and systems required to turn 2026 goals into reality. Tony from Assured Security admits that while he used to struggle with organizational details, he has found success by building a "rigid morning routine" and committing to reading physical books for creative spark.Chad from Loc-Doc Security shares a deep look into how he uses Vistage summaries to document successes, fighting the entrepreneurial urge to always move "onto the

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01:03:23

Strategic Selling: Unlocking Growth by Converting...

Unlocked Podcast ·

2026/01/15

In the first official deep dive of 2026, the Unlocked Podcast team explores a game-changing sales strategy: shifting high-ticket security solutions from Capital Expenditures (CapEx) to Operating Expenses (OpEx). Chad from Loc-Doc Security, Tony from Assured Security, and Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe break down why large, six-figure proposals often stall in today’s economic climate. The hosts explain that while security and key systems are vital, they often fall to the bottom of a client's

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01:01:49

2026 Strategy: Operational Spring Cleaning

Unlocked Podcast ·

2026/01/08

Welcome to the first episode of 2026! We have officially hit Episode 60, and to celebrate this milestone, the team is pulling back the curtain on the "magic" that keeps the Unlocked Podcast consistent. Chad Lingafelt from Loc-Doc Security, Tony Hawkenson from Assured Security, and Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe discuss the discipline required to stay weeks ahead of their recording schedule to ensure they never miss a release for their listeners.This episode features a look at real-time

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00:59:14

2025 Successes: Reflection, Discipline, and Leveling...

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/12/18

As the year comes to a close, the hosts take a moment for reflection—a crucial and often overlooked discipline for busy entrepreneurs. Tony from Assured Security shares his pride in the team's resilience, detailing how they rebounded from a rocky start and layoffs to achieve their highest-ever sales quarter. Chad from Loc-Doc Security opens up about his personal commitment to discipline, linking his 109-day Apple Watch fitness streak to the perseverance required for tough business decisions. He

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00:58:11

Post-Conference Paralysis: How to Prioritize Your...

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/12/12

Do you return from every conference or book with a notebook full of ideas only to suffer from "whiplash" and implement nothing? Tony from Assured Security admits this struggle with prioritization, often running after the "latest and greatest thing" instead of focusing on high-impact projects. This episode addresses the two extremes: doing nothing, or trying to do everything at once. Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe shares his practical process after the recent Brevo/Eagle Eye

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01:13:48

Vertical Market Strategy: Defining Your Focus for Scale

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/12/04

Are you spreading your business too thin by trying to be "all things to all markets"? This episode dives into the critical strategy of defining your ideal vertical market for growth. Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe, Tony from Assured Security, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security discuss how market focus—whether it’s residential, commercial, or multifamily—requires a completely different skill set, discipline, and product offering. Chad explains his company's intentional decision to

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00:49:17

Business Strategy Shifts: Leveraging Technology and...

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/11/20

After spending a day immersed in the Cloud Security Summit in Austin, Texas, Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe, Tony from Assured Security, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security share their biggest takeaways and action items. The conversation focuses on leveraging technology, shifting business models, and identifying new opportunities within the security space. Tony highlights the power of a unified platform to simplify the purchasing process and make security a proactive operational tool rather than just

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00:55:22

Processing the Process (55)

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/11/13

Do your business processes feel more like a tangled web of handcuffs than a straight path to profit? In this episode, Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe, Tony from Assured Security, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security dive into the pain point of process over-complication. They discuss how businesses naturally add steps and standardization to solve an occasional edge case (a 1-in-100 failure) or to dummy-proof a system, resulting in processes that waste time and impede customer service.The hosts share real

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00:58:55

Stop Solving Problems, Start Finding the 'Who' (54)

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/11/06

Are you an entrepreneur stuck in the endless cycle of solving every problem in your business? This episode, recorded live in Austin, Texas, dives into the mindset shift needed to break the $3 Million Revenue Ceiling and stop being the bottleneck. Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe, Tony from Assured Security, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security discuss the core philosophy from the book Who Not How, challenging the old-school mindset of "I can do it all myself."They explore the critical difference between

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01:08:37

Mastering Leverage, Cash Flow, and Debt (53)

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/10/30

Do you view debt as a four-letter word, or as a tool for accelerated growth? In this financially focused episode, Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe in Alberta, Tony from Assured Security in Minnesota, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security in Charlotte, NC, redefine debt and the crucial role of leverage in scaling a small business. They challenge the old-school mentality that "debt is bad" by clearly defining leverage and positive cash flow. The discussion moves from the abstract to the practical,

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01:12:13

Retention Strategies: Investing in Technicians (52)

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/10/23

Are you an entrepreneur worried that investing in training only prepares your employees to become your next competitor? This episode dives deep into the high-stakes problem of technician turnover in the security and locksmith industries. Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe in Alberta, Tony from Assured Security in Minnesota, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security in Charlotte, NC, workshop strategies to build a culture people won't want to leave. The hosts discuss the financial hurdle of a $10,000-$20,000

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00:55:21

The Secrets to Being Sticky—Why Customers Keep Coming...

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/10/17

It's the half-century mark! For Episode 50, Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe in Alberta, Tony from Assured Security in Minnesota, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security in Charlotte, NC, dive into the question every business owner needs to answer: Why do customers come back? Moving beyond the cliché of "great service," they explore what truly makes a business "sticky" in a competitive market. Chad introduces his company's core value of "Outrageous Kindness" and the critical need to build that culture

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01:09:49

From Break Fix to Six Figures: Scaling Your Business...

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/10/09

Are you ready to stop rolling trucks for $250 tickets and start landing $100,000+ projects? In this episode, recorded live from a conference in Windsor, Connecticut, Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe, Tony from Assured Security, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security dive into the intentional shift required to morph a small service company into a large-scale project business. They reveal the hidden complexities of managing six-figure projects, drawing from their own experiences with jobs involving thousands

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01:05:57

Business Consulting: Workshop our Problems (49)

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/09/26

In this episode of Unlocked, Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe, Tony from Assured Security, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security do a deep dive into an "uncomfortable truths" workshop, tackling real-time business challenges. Moving beyond their usual format of hindsight wisdom, they openly discuss current struggles in their own companies. The conversation covers a wide range of issues, from the emotional and logistical pain points of inventory management to the strategic challenge of changing

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01:02:23

5 KPIs We Use to Drive Our Business (48)

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/09/18

Are you a business owner who feels like you’re just guessing at what's working? In this episode of Unlocked, Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe in Alberta, Tony from Assured Security in Minnesota, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security in Charlotte, NC, get tactical with a discussion on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and how they use simple scoreboards to drive their companies forward. They share five specific metrics they track, including the weekly volume of service tickets , the conversion rate of

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01:07:07

Strategic Planning: From Vision to Reality

Unlocked Podcast ·

2025/09/11

Are you struggling to plan for the future of your business? In this episode of Unlocked, Lars from Calgary Lock & Safe in Alberta, Tony from Assured Security in Minnesota, and Chad from Loc-Doc Security in Charlotte, NC, dive into the critical topic of strategic planning. They share their experiences, successes, and frustrations with annual planning sessions. Tony admits his struggle with thinking in large, long-term chunks, preferring to focus on smaller, more immediate tasks. Chad and Lars

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67 results

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