How do you keep your crew motivated and paid when work slows down?

We offer year-round property maintenance contracts that roll from one season to the next. So for us, our staff wages are always covered, even if there is no work to be done on site. Not to say that our staff stay idle. There is always something to do. 

To note, we have two shoulder seasons.

1. Winter to Spring transition: There is no snow to move, but we cannot start the spring cleanups yet. 
2. Fall to Winter transition: Fall cleanups are complete, and it's not snowing.

We offer seasoned firewood and waste bin rentals. During our shoulder seasons, these two services ramp right up.  We also use this time to get the growing-season equipment ready and, likewise, the winter equipment in the late fall. 

I've seen lots of service companies venture into holiday lighting. If you are good at it, you can make some mad money. People love their Christmas lights!