LANDSCAPERS: Let's unite on best practices...
Calling all landscape home service companies! We are a full-service landscaping company doing everything from irrigation, fertilizer and lawn maintenance programs to large projects. We've used Jobber...
Forum Discussion
I love this idea, but I think context is important. Team size and revenue, geography and what specialities you service will make you a great fit for some, and tough to imagine for others. Sounds like you've built a very strong business to have that much admin horsepower (congrats!). Would you say most of your customers are one off jobs or regular scheduled work?
I've got a team of 12 in the field servicing Edmonton, AB, Canada. 5 months of snow, 6 months of lawn maintenance, ~ $1M revenue. We've set up the snow and lawn as recurring jobs that operate more like a subscription. Our one off jobs are mostly just spring and fall cleanup packages that the customer assembles like ordering from a restaurant menu.
One thing I think we do a little bit differently is sending our invoices at the beginning of the month. Since the cost of mowing/snow removal is known, we send on the 1st of the month, and payment is due at the end of the month. If you don't pay your bill on time, service for the next month doesn't start. This has helped us maintain a healthier cash flow.
If a company doesn't want to deal with snow in AB - what are the other options to keep busy during the snow season?
I guess it depends on how uncomfortable you are with snow, and why. You could be referring to the overpriced insurance for snow removal or the capital expenses of buying and maintaining skid steers, but technically there are ways to work snow here that don't involve either of those. Or it could be that you just hate snow that much that you don't want the team driving in it or shovelling. Here are the things I've seen done or done myself in the past 8 years to augment revenue in winter:
- Run only residential snow (don't necessarily require GL insurance or expensive equipment)
- Run only commercial parking lots (mostly you stay in the warm skid steer cab)
- Lay off the staff (EI will still supplement them some income for them) and reduce expenses until spring. Work a seasonal job to support yourself until it's time to spring back into action
- Battery boosting and roadside assistance
- Delivery driving - for companies, not for UberEats. Alberta has massive logistical requirements from oil and gas and construction.
- Christmas lighting
- Junk removal service
- Car detailing
- Pet waste cleanup service and cold weather dog walking
- Small scale manufacturing (we made lawn care specific trailer accessories one winter)
- Buy things you know and are talented with at auction, rehab them, sell them for profit (we bought lawn and snow machines and fixed them up)
- See if you can cram your sales for the non-snow months into the quieter winter months, same with training, major maintenance and repairs.
- If you're tech savvy and good at marketing, you can work with other small businesses to create their websites and build basic ad campaigns.
- If you don't want to build your own snow removal clientele and have the stress managing that kind of operation, you can factor that out by choosing to act as subcontract labour for someone who does. As a small business owner, I think you'll find that you're usually valued for the character traits that helped you be successful in your own business.
- You can act as subcontract labour to businesses outside of snow removal too: roofers, plumbers, construction, installers -- all sorts of trades need helpers, especially around the holidays. As a business, they can pay your labour invoices without having to worry about things like severance, payroll taxes and policies
- You're an entrepreneur now, which should hopefully mean that you lead people. Choose to volunteer in your community in a meaningful way during winter, because your business allows you the flexibility to give back time in winter months. Alberta is in rough shape right now - your community can use your leadership and expertise.
