Did you know that the lawn care industry is made up of 604,163 landscaping service businesses and employs more than a million people?
Now, isn't that incredible?
The number seems to grow every year, but building landscaping for people who own lawn care businesses is not easy.
If you work in landscaping, you might know that professionals who take care of lawns are used to doing their jobs in tough situations. Landscaping and lawn care are seasonal businesses.
When it's cold outside, it's hard to be without a job. When the weather gets colder and the yard tools are put away for the year, the question of what landscapers do in the winter comes up.
The best way to make more money during the terrible winter and slow season is to offer more services. This is true for both landscapers and lawn-care companies. It's also a great way to get new customers who might stick with you during the spring and summer.
In light of this, here are ten ways to grow your business during the winter so that your landscaping business always has a steady flow of cash.
Landscapers can do the following 10 things in the winter:
1. Snow Removal
Lawn care may not be as popular in the winter, but snow removal is definitely needed once it starts to snow. If you have the money, you should put a plow on the front of one of your business trucks. If not, you could use a snowblower or even just a shovel and some good old-fashioned muscle to get the job done.
Like taking care of a lawn, getting rid of snow is something that many Americans just can't do. Most people don't want to use their free time to clear the driveway after it snows because they have jobs, families, and other things to do. Lawn care companies that focus on keeping homes in good shape and making them look nice will be good at this and make money from it.
If you already do landscaping and lawn care for a living, you already have clients, which is a big help when you start a snow removal business. You don't have to start over if you want to grow your winter snow removal business. As a landscaper, you can make money in the winter by letting your clients know on the same mailing list that you can clear driveways and plow parking lots.
2. Cleaning Gutters
Gutter cleaning seems like something else that landscapers could do in the winter to help take care of lawns. Everyone needs to clean out their gutters, especially before winter comes. But not everyone is ready or able to do it themselves. That's where your business comes in to meet this need.
When cleaning, it's great that you can usually use things you already have. As a landscaper, you can make money in the winter by adding gutter cleaning to your list of services. This will help you make more money, since the average cost per visit is around $150.
3. Leaf Removal
Leaf removal is the best way for a landscaper to make money during the off-season, when it doesn't snow, so they don't have to depend on snowfall. Getting rid of leaves is hard work, so many people are glad to pay someone to do it for them. The number of people who use this service will go up in the fall, but customers may still need leaf removal well into the winter.
This service is popular among lawn care businesses because it generates consistent revenue. Some customers may only want one removal, while others may need several removals over the course of the season. For example, if your client has a large property with a lot of trees, you might be very busy all fall.
4. Christmas Light Installation/Removal
Lawn care businesses often offer their customers services to put up and take down Christmas lights. Before you start, you should know that putting up Christmas lights costs more up front and takes more planning than other non-holiday tasks.
You'll need to buy materials, so you should look for a reliable business wholesaler. It's also very important to get more insurance. Planning and keeping track of time are also very important.
Both setting up and taking down will take the same amount of time. Make sure you only take on a reasonable number of installations so that your team doesn't get too busy.
Putting up holiday lights can bring in a lot of money if you do a good job and manage things well. Also, word of your skills can spread quickly, and you can see the results of a good job, so you can make money as a landscaper even in the winter.
5. Pressurized washing
During the summer, patios, decks, fences, and the sides of your home that face the outside can get pretty dirty. Before it gets cold and freezes in the winter, these places need to be cleaned well, and many people are willing to pay for pressure washers.
People are willing to pay for pressure washing services because they aren't something most people have at home, and even those who don't have time to use them.
So, pressure washing is a great add-on service if you are already at the house to remove leaves. Use the people you already know to promote this upsell to customers who might not have thought about it.
6. Mulching
Mulching is an important part of landscaping before winter because it keeps the roots of plants from freezing. Even though mulching is good for plants, many people find it hard and time-consuming and would rather leave it to the experts.
This is a service that lawn care professionals who know what they are doing will offer to their clients. Why? If someone already pays you to take care of their lawn, they will probably want to protect their plants from the cold winter months.
It's usually easy to sell these services to businesses and homes, and it's also usually easy to make a good profit and get a lot of clients. Mulch isn't too expensive, and most of the price you charge the customer is for your time. This makes it easy to make money as a landscaper in the winter.
7. Weed removal
As a landscaper, you can make money in the winter by pulling weeds. In the spring, right after winter, there are a lot of weeds. Warmer temperatures can make it hard to stop invasive species from spreading and to get rid of dead plants, trees, and shrubs.
Most homeowners find that getting rid of weeds is best done in the winter, before spring. This is another great lawn service to offer your customers during the winter. It's also the ideal time to use weed killers and take preventative measures to ensure healthy trees and shrubs.
8. Lawn Prep for Winter
Lawns need to be taken care of when the temperature drops, so lawn care businesses should offer this service. If someone already pays you to take care of their lawn during the summer, they may want to protect their investment during the winter. You have everything you need to prepare your lawn for winter, so you should do this as part of your off-season services.
Clients may need to do a wide range of things to get their lawns ready for the coming cold winter weather. For winter lawn care, you can create all-inclusive packages or offer services à la carte.
9. Prepare for the upcoming lawn care season.
Use the quiet winter months to look back on your last lawn care season and make changes to your business plan for the next one.
Start the bidding process early, or do things that take a lot of time, like finding more crew members or advertising your services. The best experts at taking care of lawns can be hired and trained for commercial contracts.
The only way to stand out from the competition is to offer lawn care and landscaping services of the highest quality. And for that, you need a great team of lawn care workers. During the off-season, hire and train new team members to get them ready for their first cut.
FAQ
What does a landscaper do?
A landscaper is a specialist who makes sure that gardens, parks, and other outdoor spaces look nice. One of the jobs is to clean up trash in yards and other places and make sure plants grow well in the designated area.
What is "lawn care"?
Lawn care is the process of taking care of your lawn as a whole, including the grass and the soil. Your lawn needs to be taken care of, which includes fertilizing, getting rid of weeds, keeping the soil healthy, and taking care of turf diseases.
Is a weed removal service perfect for a winter job?
Yes, most homeowners should take care of weeds in the winter before spring. This is another great lawn service to offer your customers during the winter. It's also the ideal time to use weed killers and take preventative measures to ensure healthy trees and shrubs.
Conclusion
You now know that landscapers can do almost anything during the winter. Lawn care contractors can grow their business all year round in a number of ways besides clearing snow. When it gets cold, you need to be creative and organized if you want to make more money.
During the busy season, though, the workers are busy serving customers. During this time, when they are looking at the billing system and confirming customer invoices, they can't afford for the learning curve to be interrupted or slowed down in any way. This is where Blinksale comes in handy.
Blinksale is an online system for estimating and invoicing that is designed to be easy to use. With Blinksale, you can easily create professional estimates and invoices. This makes it great for all types of contractors.
You can also try it for free for 14 days. Check it out!
