8 Tips for Starting a Snow Removal Business This Winter
Winter is coming! And so is your chance to make some profit.
Setting up a Snow Removal business is a great opportunity for outdoor contractors to expand their business this winter season. In fact, researchers found that the snow plowing industry raked in about $19 billion in revenue last year. And, the industry continues to grow by 0.7% every year. So, if you are looking for a profitable business idea or thinking of making some extra cash with a side hustle, snow removal can be your ticket to success.
To make this possible, however, you need to know how to start a snow removal business.
Kickstart Your Journey to Making a Profit with
Field Promax Snow Removal Business Software.
Sign Up Now.
The snow industry is substantially different from many other field service industries, which means you’ll likely have less competition. But with that said, your knowledge and resources are also just as limited as theirs. This makes it hard when you’re inexperienced trying to start your snow removal business. Therefore, if you want to start a profitable snow removal business, you’ll have to know more than your competitors do.
To help you with the task, we have put together a step-by-step guide. Go through the blog and you will have a clear idea of what it takes to start your snow plowing business. So, why wait? Suit up and get going.
Table of Contents
1. Determine the Services You’ll Offer
Before you do anything else, you need to know what types of snow removal services you’re going to offer. Think about your area and how much snowfall and ice you get every year. Do you get more snow or ice? Knowing this will help you decide if you want to do snow or ice, or both at the same time.
Then, decide if you’re going to do residential or commercial accounts. Residential and commercial snow accounts could require different types of equipment. In other words, if you start by doing both, then you may have to buy twice as much equipment. As you’re first starting, you don’t want to do both. You should consider picking one or the other. You can expand into other types of accounts later on.
Manage Snow Removal Businesses with the Same Software.
Book a FREE DEMO to Learn More.
2. Make Sure You Are Licensed
To launch a snow plowing company, you need to acquire certain licenses and permits and follow the regulations of several state transport and small business bodies. Suppose you are planning to start a business in the U.S. In that case, there are government bodies that can help you with these legalities for starting a snow removal business. So, fill up their quick form and find the exact regulations and license requirements, and legalize your status as a snow removal business owner.
3. Get The Right Inventory
There are no snow plow businesses without the right snow removal equipment. You need to purchase tow trucks or tractors equipped with plowing tools. Also, you’ll need other materials like a snowblower, rock salt, salt sprayer, etc. Before starting any jobs make sure that you take stock of your current equipment and supplies. Find out what you will need to carry out a job in one residential driveway or one storefront or a small store parking lot. Have a look at your truck; is it in proper working condition? If not, consider taking it to a mechanic for maintenance.
In addition to your regular equipment, always have a backup inventory ready to go. It is possible that when you get an order for snow removal, your truck or some other equipment won’t work. At such a time, you must have a backup for these vehicles or plowing equipment.
After each job, it’s also a good idea to do a status check on all your equipment and supplies in order to prepare for the next job.
4. Figure Out Your Expenses
Snow plowing equipment can be very expensive, so it’s very important to make sure you’ll be able to pick up enough clients to cover these startup costs. From the very start, it’s vital that you manage your business expenses. You can also consider options like a business credit card or a loan to help you get started.
Also, put together a backup finance plan, and don’t forget to determine how much money should be set aside for repairs. This is the one thing that is going to cost you a fortune, if not managed properly.
5. Charge the Right Price
Since you need to find a good target market to grow your customer base, you also need to charge the right price. Determine the cost of all the materials, equipment and supplies needed for your business. Find out where you can get the best deals by buying them in bulk. Charging competitively will help you stand out from the competition. In addition, have a clear pricing structure so that customers know what to expect from your services.
6. Advertise Locally, and For Free
For a snow plow business, there’s no need to invest a major budget for advertising. Instead, take advantage of local advertising opportunities, after all this is where the bulk of your clientele will come from. The first step to building a strong online presence is to have your own snow removal company website. Use SEO techniques to optimize your site for “near me” searches online. You can also earn from advertisements shown on your website for other winter products and services.
You must set up a Google My Business account to make your brand more visible to potential customers and create similar accounts on websites like Yext, Facebook and Craigslist.
Word-of-mouth referrals are another great (also free) free marketing opportunity for your snow plowing business. Send out customer feedback surveys and encourage happy clients to write positive reviews online and on social media.
7. Have An Off-Season Plan
The snow plowing business is a seasonal business (obviously!), which only works in winter. So you can’t depend on this business model to earn you round-the-year revenue. The ideal thought is to get a job that entails your pickup truck for the rest of the year.
You can do freelance logistics jobs like helping people move small furniture, giving out your pickup truck for rent, getting a part-time logistics job with local stores, etc.
8. Sign Up for Snow Removal Business Software
The best tip for snow removal businesses this year is to go paperless. No matter what else you are doing to take your business off the ground, you will reach nowhere if you don’t automate your process. In this age of digital technology, this is the best competitive advantage you can leverage for your business. And that’s why we suggest signing up for the best snow removal business software.
Essentially, snow removal software is a type of field service management software specifically designed for snow removal companies. It systematically streamlines and standardizes your business processes, adding more efficiency and scalability to the entire operation.
In simple words, snow removal software will help you control your business operations with just a few clicks on your computer or smartphone. Starting from work order management and creating estimates for your customers to monitoring, billing and invoicing– it takes care of your business every step of the way.
By automating the processes, this cutting-edge software solution enhances your business performance, improves productivity, reduces overhead costs, and more importantly, increases profitability. No wonder it is gaining popularity among small and medium businesses all over the world.
Wrapping Up
Snow may seem an irksome problem for the residents, but for you, as an entrepreneur, it is equivalent to white money falling from the sky. You know this fact already, and that’s why you are considering starting a snow plow business of your own.
As you start preparing for launching your business, make sure you take these suggestions into account seriously. They are crucial to maintaining your profitability in this limited-season business venture.
Since both your time and budget are limited, it is important that you make the most of your resources. And the best method for resource optimization in a snow removal business is to leverage snow removal business software. The advantages of this advanced digital tool are boundless. For example:
- Provide a complete mobile experience to your clients, no hassle just place a requirement.
- Take advantage of key analyses and reports on your entire snow plow business.
- Easily organize tasks and get efficient routes for working.
- You can outsource requirements to other snow plow drivers and earn commissions.
- Manage invoices and get paid faster by digital payment means.
- Keep important business details organized and accessible at all times.
For More Information, contact Field Promax.
- Get snow removal customers.
- Update your services and pricing.
- Make a snow removal estimate template.
- Create a snow removal contract.
- Purchase snow removal equipment and supplies.
- Get snow removal insurance.
- Set up hands-off billing.
- Plan your snow removal route.
The cost of snow removal in the USA varies depending on the size of your property and the level of service you need. With that being said, you can expect to pay around $250 to $500 per month for a regular service, which includes removing snow from the property and sidewalks.
Look up “snow removal business near me” on Google to book a service provider. You can also try snow removal company apps like Eden, Touch Plow, Snohub, Plowz and Mowz, and Shoveler etc.
The national average cost for snow removal in the USA is $100.
