Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jul 18
NYC Locksmith Sahar Yona Lifts Jobs to 60 a Week After 600,000-View TikTok
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jul 18

NYC Locksmith Sahar Yona Lifts Jobs to 60 a Week After 600,000-View TikTok

1 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jul 18

Summary

  • Sahar Yona, 27, says her New York locksmith business now handles up to 60 jobs a week after a January TikTok drew more than 600,000 views.
  • The video urged women to call her if they felt unsafe asking male locksmiths to unlock doors at night, helping drive bookings from both women and men during a slow period.
  • Yona launched Locksmith Girl of NYC under its current name in July 2025, spent $7,000 on starter tools and says she now earns more as an owner than she did as a subcontractor.
  • Her rise comes in a trade where women account for less than 1% of more than 5 million U.S. installation, maintenance and repair workers, though industry members say more women are entering locksmithing.

Insights

As AI threatens office jobs, is a locksmith's wrench becoming more valuable than a college degree?
A viral video created a booming business, but can a one-woman operation scale without personal burnout?
Her brand offers women safety, but does this success expose a larger industry failure to ensure trust?