Description of Job
• Remove snow from sidewalks and driveways of private homes.
• Clear snow from parking lots and entranceways of commercial locations,
including retail stores and office complexes.
• Subcontract with local governments to plow public roads and parking lots.
The Need
Snow happens, more so in some parts of the country than others. Many people do
not have the time to clear snow, or they may not be physically able to do so.
In some parts of the country, including many rural areas, local governments
may hire subcontractors to clear snow on an as-needed basis. Owners of com-
mercial real estate also need to arrange for snow removal at stores and office
complexes.
Challenges
In most parts of the country, snow removal is a seasonal job. In the Midwest and
Northeast, the snow season generally runs from late November to early April,
although storms can come earlier and later; in high mountain areas and certain
other locations, including regions in the lee of the Great Lakes, snow can occur
almost daily in an extended season.
In any case, you will need to pay off the cost of equipment during the winter
season... and watch it gather dust over the summer. You will also likely have to pay for 12 months of insurance and licenses even if your business runs only 6
months of the year.
Snowfall, like rainfall, generally follows annual patterns that could result in
exceptionally large amounts of snow in one year and a virtual drought the next.
Don’t base your investment on last winter’s storms, which could be unusually
heavy or light. You can research typical snowfall amounts and number of storms
at area libraries and government agencies.
Know the Territory
Depending on the sort of jobs you seek, you will need equipment ranging from a
sturdy snow shovel to a mechanical snowblower to a substantial truck with a
heavy plow.
A snow shovel is quite portable, but a snowblower is much less so and will
probably have to be delivered by truck...which has to be able to get through the
snow on the streets.
Will you bring your own equipment, or use whatever you find at your client’s
premises?
Using your client’s equipment simplifies your operation in many ways: You
won’t have to buy a snowblower; you will not be responsible for maintaining it
and providing gas; and you will not have to transport it from your home to your
customer’s property.
On the other hand, the equipment you find may be of poor quality or unreli-
able, and some homeowners won’t have a snowblower, costing you a job.
Bringing your own equipment should guarantee you’ll have machines you
can rely on; you will, though, have to properly maintain the devices.
Investigate local ordinances about snow removal. In some areas, snow cannot
be pushed into the street. Many areas also ban disposal of snow in catch basins,
rivers, or streams because of concerns about pollution from salt and other road
chemicals.
Be aware that you may need to make multiple visits to a property if a storm
lasts for many hours or if high winds blow snow back onto cleared pathways.
Not all pieces of property are the same. If the property is hilly or irregularly
shaped, it will likely require more time and effort than a flat, square property. Dry
and fluffy snow is easier to clear than heavy or rain-soaked snow.
Snow removal is the sort of job that can be done by one person or by a crew.
A property that takes two hours to be cleared by one person could be done in one
hour by a crew of two. Although having a crew may allow you to sign up many more customers, you’ll also have to pay additional salaries and benefits, and
you’ll need more equipment. The principal advantage to hiring a crew is that you
may be able to step back from actually clearing the snow yourself and instead
make your income as the manager of a snow removal empire.
How to Get Started
Market your services before they are needed. Your goal should be to sign up
enough clients ahead of the season to justify purchase of equipment.
Place ads on bulletin boards, at hardware and home center stores, and in com-
munity newspapers.
Ask friends and neighbors for referrals. Offer a discount or a free service for
any clients they bring to you.
Draw up a simple but complete agreement with clients listing exactly which
services you will be providing and the cost. Include in the agreement whether
snow removal services will automatically be provided after a certain amount of
snow falls, or whether the client must call to schedule a visit each time.
Get specific written instructions about any special conditions—a flower bed
to be avoided or a section that needs to be hand-shoveled. Although it will be
extremely difficult to promise exact times for snow removal—you can’t schedule
the storms—find out from clients whether they have particular needs to meet the
demands of their jobs or medical necessities.
If you want to run the business on a more casual basis, you can merely load
up a truck with a snowblower or plow and cruise the neighborhood looking for
desperate homeowners who need help. Be sure to get a firm agreement on the
price before you begin work.
Up-front Expenses
Commercial snowblowers can be quite expensive; you may need to amortize the
cost over an entire season, or even over more than one season. A heavy-duty
machine can easily cost $1,000, reaching to several thousand dollars for the most
powerful devices.
A commercial snowplow—just the plow, not the truck—can cost several
thousand dollars. Then you’ll need a sufficiently heavy truck, with four-wheel
drive and a power takeoff to control the movement of the plow.
Investigate buying used equipment from a reliable dealer who will offer a
warranty and provide service.
How Much to Charge
Underlying the charge for snow removal services is the amount of time each jo
requires. You’ll need to build into the rate the cost of equipment—amortized ove
time—plus an allowance for maintenance and repair. If it is necessary to sprea
salt or sand to deal with ice, you’ll need to bill the customer for the cost of thos
materials and your time.
You can establish an hourly rate and bill customers for actual time on-site, o
you can estimate the time a job will require and then charge a flat rate. Remem
ber that square footage alone is not an adequate indicator of the amount of tim
required for a job: Take into account the shape of the land, whether it is level o
hilly, and any other special conditions.
Commercial or governmental customers will likely agree to a contract tha
includes an advance deposit and a regular billing cycle based on the actual num
ber of storms or billable hours.
For individual customers, some snow removal companies offer two options
an automatic response anytime there is a snowfall of a particular depth (perhap
three inches) or services on an on-call basis. For an automatic response, there i
generally an agreement that covers services to be provided and a requirement fo
an advance deposit representing an amount equal to a typical season’s work
refunds are given if there are fewer snowstorms than usual, and additiona
charges are billable for a particularly difficult winter.
Most snow removal services offer a discount to clients who sign up for a
entire season.
Legal and Insurance Issues
Special notes: You may require a commercial license and plate to operate
snowplow in business; some communities may also require a special permit.
• Perform basic lawn care, including lawn mowing, trimming around build-
ings and lawn furniture, and edging.
• Conduct seasonal fertilizing and application of other lawn chemicals,
including weed killer.
The Need
Do you have a lawn? You need to keep it trimmed.
It’s not just a matter of keeping up with the Joneses; in most communities,
laws and regulations require that property owners keep their land reasonably
neat. Cutting the grass also helps reduce the incidence of ticks, fleas, and other
unwelcome visitors in residential neighborhoods.
That said, not everyone has the time, inclination, or ability to take care of
their own lawn. The market for lawn mowing services includes older homeowners,
persons with disabilities, and people who just don’t have the time to do it
themselves.
Challenges
In most parts of the country, lawn mowing is a seasonal job. (In northern climes,
lawns generally hibernate at least half the year, from about October through May.)
You’ll need to pay off the cost of equipment during the growing season...and
watch it gather dust over the winter. You will also likely have to pay for 12 months
of insurance and licenses even if your business runs only 6 months of the year.
Rain helps the grass grow, which is good news, but a particularly dismal sum-
mer could result in long periods when lawns cannot be mowed. Similarly, a
drought could cause lawns to grow unusually slowly.
Know the Territory
Will you bring your own equipment, or use whatever you find at your client’s
premises?
Using your client’s equipment simplifies your operation in many ways: You
won’t have to buy a lawn mower and other devices; you will not be responsible
for maintaining it and providing gas; and you will not have to transport bulky and
heavy machines from your home to your customer’s lawn.
On the other hand, the equipment you find may be of poor quality or unreliable
.Some homeowners won’t have lawn mowers, costing you a job.
Using your own equipment should guarantee you’ll have machines you can rely
on; you will, though, have to properly maintain the devices. If you bring your own
equipment, you’ll need to transport the devices to your clients. If you’re working on
your own street, you may be able to roll the mower down the sidewalk; anywhere
more distant will probably require that you use a truck or a trailer with a ramp.
Will you be responsible for removing grass clippings? Are there any local
regulations regarding disposal? (A mulching lawn mower may solve this prob-
lem, if that’s okay with your client.)
Investigate other local ordinances. For example, some towns may limit the
hours when noisy power equipment may be used.
Educate yourself on lawn chemicals, including fertilizers, weed killers, and
pest control options. Take care to avoid exposure to dangerous substances. Re-
member, although a manufacturer may claim that a chemical is not harmful when
its instructions are followed, you may be exposing yourself to repeated use of the
substance as you move from one job to the next.
Not all lawns are the same. If the property is hilly or irregularly shaped, it
will likely require more time and effort than a flat, square property.
Lawn mowing is the sort of job that can be done by one person or by a crew.
A lawn that takes one person two hours to cut could be done in one hour by a
crew of two. Although having a crew may allow you to cut many more lawns,
you’ll also have to pay additional salaries and benefits, and you’ll need more
equipment. The principal advantage to hiring a crew is that you may be able to
step back from actually cutting the grass yourself and instead earn your income
as the manager for your lawn mowing empire.
How to Get Started
Market your services before they are needed. In the best of all possible worlds,
you will be able to sign up enough clients ahead of the season to justify purchase
of equipment. Place ads on bulletin boards, at gardening supply stores, and in
community newspapers.
Ask friends and neighbors for referrals. Offer a discount or a free service for
any clients they bring to you.
Draw up a simple but complete agreement with clients listing exactly which
ervices you will be providing and the cost. Include in the agreement whether
awn mowing services will be provided on a regular schedule (weekly, biweekly,
on a particular day of the month) or whether the client must call to schedule a
visit each time.
Get specific written instructions about any special conditions—a flower bed
o be avoided or a section that needs to be hand-trimmed.
Up-front Expenses
Commercial equipment can be quite expensive; you may need to amortize the
cost over an entire season, or even over more than one season. A heavy-duty
machine can easily cost $1,000, reaching to $3,000 for the most powerful,
widest, and most flexible devices.
Investigate buying used equipment from a reliable dealer who will offer a
warranty and provide service.
Additional services such as edging and trimming, fertilizing, weed killing,
and pest control will require purchasing additional equipment and chemicals.
How Much to Charge
Underlying the charge for lawn mowing services is the amount of time each job
equires, plus the cost of fertilizer or chemicals. You’ll also need to build into your
price the cost of equipment (amortized over its useful life) plus an allowance for
maintenance and repair.
You can establish an hourly rate and bill customers for actual time on-site, or
you can estimate the time a job will require and then charge a flat rate. Remem-
ber that square footage alone is not an adequate indicator of the amount of time
required for a job: Take into account the shape of the land, whether it is level or
hilly, and any other special conditions. Lawns that are overgrown or wet will take
more time and effort to cut.
Offer a discount to clients who sign up for an entire season, which could be
n the form of a reduced rate or a bonus, such as a free end-of-season lawn mow-
ng or fertilizing.
Legal and Insurance Issues
Special notes: Check with local authorities about the possible need for a permit
o dump grass clippings.
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