The temperature has fallen, windshields are frozen over, and you’re wondering what to do to keep your business earning big in the winter months. We’ve got you covered. Check out these 4 quick and easy tips you can implement today to get back in business over the winter. It’s time to break out your gloves, boots, and flannels… Let’s get to work!
Tip 1: Christmas Lights – Residential & Commercial Jobs
Installing lights can be a great way for seasonal businesses to give employees steady work during the off-season. This not only gives you a chance to earn more but can also reduce turnover and help you hang on to great workers.
Residential customers, like your long-term homeowners, dream about a gorgeous light display that their family and friends can enjoy. But life gets the best of them – and they barely do the minimum. And that’s where you come in.
Starting a holiday lights installation business will give you a steady source of income over some of the coldest months of winter. Give your long-term customers exclusive discounts, and offer all customers a wide range of services – from holiday light installation, maintenance, takedown, and even storage.
Don’t forget about your commercial clients! Holiday light installation doesn’t stop with your homeowners. Use the holiday season as a chance to help local businesses boost their holiday spirit with your services. This includes interior and exterior decorations.
To get started, know that Christmas light installation requires detailed planning and requires various upfront costs:
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- Business license and registration ($80-$500)
- Holiday Lighting Equipment ($986+)
- Employee/Business Insurance ($400-$800)
- Simple Website ($100-$500)
- Business Cards / Flyers ($200)
- CRM/Scheduling Software (Free with Lawn Buddy)
To keep your costs low, you can start by locating a commercial wholesaler to purchase your lighting equipment or any additional materials needed. You should also consider expanding your insurance coverage, as the winter months bring new dangers such as icy roads, slippery walkways, and teams climbing on ladders and walking on roofs.
As mentioned above – your light installation business, like your lawn or landscaping business, will require proper scheduling and time management tools. Installation and removal happen within a short period of time, so be sure to equip your business with schedule tools to stay organized and keep customers happy enough to request your services each year!
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Tip 2: Yard Winterizing/Winter Yard Prep
Offering winter lawn prep is an excellent way to ensure your customers are cared for beyond the summer months. Lawn care doesn’t end when it gets cold. Your customers are paying top dollar to keep their property in the best shape, and winter prep is a surefire way to keep their lawns protected from cold.
Winter yard prep can include jobs like:
- Sprinkler Blowouts
- Aeration
- Pruning
- Leaf/Debris Removal
- Winter Mulching
- Winterizer Fertilizer
- Storage
Sprinkler blowouts help ensure that water is drained completely to avoid freezing and costly damage. The best time to offer this service is in early fall. It’s recommended that providers keep an eye on their local weather and ensure systems are drained and blown out at least one week prior to the season’s first freeze.
Aeration services will keep grass roots healthy and prevent damage or discoloration when spring arrives. The timing of this service depends on the type of grass in your area. Warm-season grass like Buffalo or Bermuda grass should be aerated towards the end of spring. Cool-season grass, such as Ryegrass or Kentucky Bluegrass should be aerated in early spring or in the fall, before the first frost.
Pruning trees or shrubs and wrapping plants in burlap will allow room for new growth. It’s best to provide this service in late winter or early spring as these are the periods of rapid growth for plants and the best time to prune (November – March).
Leaf and debris removal services include picking up leaves or dead grass from flower beds, as they can prohibit growth or encourage snow mold build-up. This service is often done prior to the above-mentioned services.
Winter mulching will provide a bit of insulation to keep the ground frozen and plants in dormancy. Mulching can also prevent weeds and pests from penetrating soil in the cold months. Using winterizer fertilizer on the other hand will assist and strengthen the root system of your grass, further helping the lawn repair itself from damage done in the summer months.
Last but not least, you can add storage services to your list! Offer to remove and safely store patio furniture or additional equipment.
Tip 3: Provide Snow Removal Services
If you are located in an area with heavy or consistent snowfall, you have the option to transition your lawn care business in the winter months by offering snow removal services. Starting a snow removal service may be daunting at first, as it requires a substantial investment upfront.
Starting a snow plowing business can be costly. You can plan to spend around $4,000-$10,000 on snow-plowing equipment. If you don’t already have a pickup truck, you can spend anywhere between $5,000-$30,000 depending on if you choose to purchase a new or a used one. Don’t forget to prepare for around 2-3 months of operating costs. This could be anywhere from $5,000-$12,000 depending on how much you plan to spend on fuel, insurance, marketing, salters, and snow removal software.
If the upfront costs exceed your business budget, you can start simply. Going residential and offering snow removal services to existing lawn-mowing customers can be an easy way to make consistent earnings in your winter operations. Equipment for residential snow removal can start with a single shovel. If you hope to be more efficient, you can even invest in a snow blower to plow sidewalks and driveways to make the most in the least amount of time.
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Part 4: Start Training & Hiring New Employees
In order to stand out from the competition – pricing isn’t all that matters – it’s customer service. To prepare for the business season, you can spend your off-season hiring and training quality lawn care professionals.
Hiring the right employee takes preparation and patience. Preparation starts with understanding what kind of employee you’re looking for. Long-term field workers can grow skills and responsibilities over a long period of time and build relationships with their customers. However, they tend to be more expensive as they require steady wages and additional time in training.
On the other hand, temp workers or seasonal highers are a great option in busy months when you are scaling your teams and increasing your capacity to accept customer requests. They allow your business to be flexible to ensure you always have enough staff needed but also prevent your business from being overstaffed with declined job requests.
Once you know what kind of employee you are looking for, you can then proceed in creating the job summary for the position, and advertise the job position.
There is more to training than familiarizing your crews with each of the services you have to offer – and how to perform them. Off-season training can also include training your crews on customer outreach strategies and helping build your client base and increase your overall revenue.
While this outreach can take form in door-to-door conversation after or during jobs, it can also include mailing flyers to specific neighborhoods of your choosing, or to commercial accounts to expand your reach and get on new bid lists.
Bonus Tips
Tip 1: Offer Indoor Services in the Off-Season
Don’t forget that not all plant care and landscaping services are done outside. Businesses like hotels, garden centers, plant nurseries, or office buildings often have various indoor greenery in need of maintenance. These year-round services are best suited for large cities, where there are plenty of businesses in the same generalized location in which you can offer such services.
Tip 2: Commercial Contracts for Next Year
As mentioned above, the off-season provides time to find and bid on commercial contracts for the new year. Commercial contracts provide a year-round service that is available for lawn care providers in any area. They allow you to increase your overall revenue and can be customized to suit your business and financial needs – while also giving the client what they need.
You may be surprised, but there is actually a lot you can do to keep your business earning big in the winter months. Prepare your budget, understand what options are right for your business, and get to work. So break out your gloves, boots, and flannels – and get it done.
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