Adding Snow Removal When You Are In An Area With Inconsistent Snow
December 1, 2022
In this video
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Choosing versatile snow removal equipment
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My journey into the snow removal business
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Ideas for marketing your snow removal services
Where I live in Maryland, snow can be big business. Specifically, in January and February, we can see feet of snow and an endless supply of customers happy to pay whatever price you throw out, but that is when it snows.
As much as we Marylanders love snow, it can be rare, sometimes two and three years between events. Of course, there are also months like January and February of 2022 where we had multiple occasions.
Still, this inconsistency creates a financial problem for service providers wanting to break into the snow business.
Ideally, the thousands of dollars spent on snow equipment would see a return on investment right away, but what if that is not the case?
You certainly do not want to spend 30k on plows and salters just to have it sit for three years, as it happened to one of the guys in my area.
So how do we break into the snow business when events are very inconsistent? The short answer is to spend slowly and invest in multi-use equipment.
Choosing Versatile Equipment for Snow Removal
The concept is simple, look for equipment that you can use in other facets of your business besides snow events. If snow does not come, the equipment can still give you profits. The most straightforward example of this is your work truck. The truck will be used each season you work, making it a four-season tool. So look for ways to turn warm-season equipment into cold-season equipment.
Higher-end fertilizer spreaders with actual tires can be used for spreading salt. Many options for mounting plows to mowers, including the Snow Mate from Dawson Manufacturing, turn a mowing season tool into a cold-weather powerhouse.
Another fantastic example of a four seasons machine is the Toro Grandstand Multiforce which includes a brush and snow plow attachment in addition to the mowing deck and material hauler.
My Journey into the Snow Removal Business
When I started up the snow removal side of my business, I chose to start small. The truck is an older 1998 Dodge Dakota with a four-wheel-drive that serves as a backup mowing truck during the lawn season and does not see much use. I opted not to mount a plow because I did not want the considerable expense of purchasing and installing a plowing rig that may or may not get used right away. Instead, I bought a used Dr. Power walk behind brush mower that accepts attachments.
Searching Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, I was able to find the brush mower, a 42-inch finish mower attachment and a 36-inch snow blade attachment for a combined $1,425. This was perfect for my business because it served as a year-round machine for clearing fields, a backup mower for the lawn business and a snowplow during the winter.
For smaller areas, I purchased a Snowcaster 30-in push plow and a cheap snow shovel from Home Depot. The salt spreader is a Chapin spreader that can be used in warm or cold climates, and with a set of ramps purchased at Harbor Freight, I was able to add snow removal to my business for less than $1800, with most of the equipment suitable for jobs year-round.
Of course, smaller equipment will also dictate the type of customers you can take on. With my setup, I limited myself to smaller parking lots (less than 20 parking spaces) and residential driveways but still was able to make back all the money invested after just one event.
Marketing your Snow Removal Services
My customers had not necessarily been in the market for snow removal, but I utilized a simple marketing strategy to get folks on board. The night before each event, we sent out a marketing email with the pricing details for plowing and salting. Onboarding customers was as easy as the customer hit replying to the email. It is pretty informal, but it allowed me to get into work during snow and ice events without a massive output of money in the beginning.
You can also use ECHO Means Business Snow Removal Postcards and Snow Removal Door Hangers. Complete them with your company’s details, download them and print them.
Now, with each passing year, I can slowly add new pieces of equipment that will expand my capacity to provide service during snow events.
You can, of course, always just make the enormous investment and purchase snow-specific equipment, but in regions where winter events are inconsistent, that seems unwise. Better to invest in “snow” equipment that will make you money regardless of the season.