Do’s and Dont’s of the snow plowing business.
In a great discussion on running your snow plowing business at the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum, our friend Rob, shared with us some of his insights.
Here are some of his do’s and dont’s of the snow plowing business.
- Do not do one price fits all season. Per push only.
- Do not charge less than $25 per push.
- Do charge for any extras like salting or shoveling.
- Do not take on customers that are not apart of your regular route. No “I’ll call when I need you” people. Let their neighbors and family ruin their trucks for no money.
- Do not get too far out- this one is a big one. I took an account based on size and money last year. Many times I got there and it didn’t even snow! I had 5-6 inches where I was.
- Do get your accounts in place before it snows so you can mark hazards. That ditch doesn’t look as scary once it full of fluffy snow.
- Do start today. Put up your flyers, cards & signs now. Do not wait.
I decide how much I need to make per event and fill my route accordingly. For example, if I need to make $500, that will be my goal and going over is just fine with me. The key is not to make an 12 hour shift out of it. That would upset your customers. Currently I have 15-20 accounts, I am sealing the deals starting this week. Then I will determine the $ amounts, and time it will take me and go from there.
