The idea of starting a snow removal business is a lucrative one!
It’s a multibillion dollar sector with rising demand.
But, due to its seasonal nature, the snow industry is different from other field service industries. Starting a snow plow business may be a viable option for those living in snowy areas, but it requires overcoming barriers like equipment maintenance, startup costs, legal procedures, and marketing strategies.
Entrepreneurs with a business plan will need guidance on starting a snow removal business and can find support in this area. Hence, we are here to provide you with a checklist that can help new entrepreneurs or professionals succeed during the unpredictable winter season.
Let’s get started by learning all about how to establish a snow removal service!
What Is a Snow Removal Business?
Snow removal is a seasonal industry that involves clearing snow after a substantial snowfall. Your job as a snow removal business is to ensure that clients have clean spaces. Depending on the region, demand for snow plow businesses rises during the winter season (November-December).
Snow removal companies face high demand from both residential and commercial property owners due to the overwhelming need to remove hazardous snow and ice during winter.
The business is likely to flourish in any area with heavy snow deposits.
How to Start a Snow Removal Business?
Establishing a snow removal company can be a stand-alone endeavor or an add-on service for your current lawn care or handyman company. It is simple to launch your own business if you have a vehicle and follow this criteria.
Let’s check out how to start a snow removal business:
1. Write a Business Plan
A business plan should outline objectives, service offerings, location, vision, and mission, along with an executive summary, business description, operational plan, market analysis, and financial plan. The executive summary provides an overview, while the business description details the service offering, location, vision, and mission. The market analysis provides a target market overview.
Residential and commercial snow plough enterprises are the two categories you may launch. While commercial enterprises clean snow near commercial premises, residential firms clear snow for homes. For both of these businesses, you might need different pricing plans, marketing strategies, and equipment. Hence, you need to make sure you have everything handy before getting started.
2. Register Your Business
Obtaining the necessary licenses and permissions is necessary for you to register your snow plow enterprises.
In order to register your snow removal business, you must first choose a name for your firm, apply for a licence and decide whether to operate as a partnership, limited liability company or solicitorship.
Snow Removal Business Types:
- Sole proprietorship: Allows one operator to make decisions on assets, liabilities, and operations.
- Limited liability companies: Offer exemptions and benefits from taxes.
- Corporations: Suitable for large-scale industries with taxable employees.
These are the forms that you must complete for your local register. Typically, there is a minimal price for the firm domain, trademark, and Employer Identification Number (EIN).
3. Get the Right Business Insurance
Snow plowing is a challenging business! Hence, you will require business insurance to protect against unexpected events.
Numerous types of insurance contracts exist, such as:
- General liability: Claims pertaining to property damage or personal harm brought on by an employee’s conduct are covered under general liability.
- Worker’s compensation: Worker’s compensation is required in most states for employees, covering claims or lawsuits if an employee is injured on the job.
- Commercial insurance: Commercial auto insurance protects the business in case of a collision, covering personal injury, property damage, collision-related medical expenses, or vehicle damage and theft.
- Business owner’s policy: Required to safeguard your business against unexpected claims.
The right snow plow insurance can protect the business, team, and customers in case of accidents and mishaps.
4. Purchase snow removal equipment
In the snow and ice removal business, it is crucial to choose the right equipment and tools. Without proper equipment, the business cannot be operated effectively.
Owning the right snow plow business equipment is crucial for its success, including a snow blower, snow plow, shovel, snow pusher, ice scraper, roof rake, rock salt or ice melt, salt spreader, and warm clothing like coats, hats, and gloves. These tools are essential for the business’s efficiency and are not just necessary for owning the equipment.
5. Set Up Ways to Get Paid for Plowing Snow
The most crucial aspect of a snow plow business is receiving payment for work. You will need to list the snow plow services provided to the client, including dates, times, locations, and quantities, using separate line items for each service and their rate.
Snow plow businesses need to manage their finances without the need for financial expertise or heavy computing. So, it’s essential to have an easy process for accepting cash payments and consider accepting credit cards and mobile payments.
Invoicing is also vital to a snow plow business. It serves as a formal request for payment from clients, ensures timely payment, establishes professionalism, and maintains transparent communication about services and amounts due.
Moon Invoice enables businesses to swiftly create, send, and receive invoices, accepting payments via various payment methods like cash, check, credit card, and bank transfers. This provides convenience to customers and helps keep track of payments, preventing misplacement during busy plowing. It also provides a snow removal invoice template for easy invoice creation.
It will also help you track financial transactions, maintain accurate records, monitor cash flow, identify outstanding payments, and communicate clearly with clients.
Simplify Your Snow Removal Business Finances with Moon Invoice!
Moon Invoice automates invoicing, so you can spend less time following up with clients and more time focusing on providing top-notch snow removal services.
6. Open a Business Bank Account
All sizes of snow plow companies require a corporate bank account. It will enhance professionalism and protect personal assets from potential legal issues. Keeping business funds separate from your personal funds allows for better tracking of expenses and payments.
Mixing business and personal accounts can lead to risks, such as losing personal assets like homes and cars. Thus, keeping bank and personal accounts separate is crucial for maintaining accuracy and detail.
Credit card accounts also allow clients to make payments directly, enabling businesses to track credit history and make large purchases. This makes accounting and tax filing faster and easier.
This also allows access to larger funds for purchases, repairs, or business growth. Investing in accounting software like Moon Invoice can help you track expenses, view income, run payroll, and integrate with your snow removal software for increased organization.
7. Train Your Team and Plan for Breakdowns
To prepare for snowfall, it’s crucial to arrange proper training and breakdown planning. Conduct pre-season service area visits to identify obstacles, maintain equipment, and ensure the safe use of tools and vehicles.
Despite preparation, breakdowns or emergencies may occur, especially in heavy snowfall. Thus, you will always need to have a plan in place to ensure clients get their driveway or parking lot cleared, no matter what the situation is.
Make sure to train your crew to perform their tasks correctly, as poor performance can negatively impact the business. Your employees need to have specialised training. Residential specialists should be able to manage melting ice and clean up ice from parking lots, for instance.
8. Build Your Brand
Starting or owning a snow removal business requires a focus on branding to build trust and establish a reputation.
A unique logo can help potential clients recognize and trust the business. A designer or online logo generator can create a distinctive logo for various business aspects like business cards, uniforms, websites, and social media.
Businesses can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty by assisting their consumers in selecting a dependable service provider through the development of a strong brand.
9. Price Your Services Properly
Snow plowing is a profitable business with an average hourly rate of $25 in the US.
Your company must find a balance between profitability, competition, and team management. Understanding your expenses and costs helps set transparent pricing for services, maintaining profitability while balancing competition.
The formula for calculating the right snow removal service price is:
(Hourly rate) ÷ (60 minutes) x (minutes spend at the property) + (overhead and materials) x (profit margin)
To maximize your profits, compare your competitors’ prices and adjust your services accordingly. Choose a sensible target market and consider supply, equipment, and material costs. To guarantee a competitive edge, shop around for bulk pricing and discover the greatest offers on everything.
10. Start Marketing
Upon registering your snow removal company, it is important to market it effectively.
Customers must be made aware of your offerings and assisted in making a purchase.
Old-school methods include printing business cards, flyers, and door hangers, which can be distributed to locals and potentially convert. Digital marketing, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, allows you to reach potential clients quickly. SEO is essential for boosting your website traffic and reach, and a proficient marketing team can assist in this process. Creating and optimizing Google Business Profile is also crucial.
Gathering referrals from friends, family, and the neighbourhood is another effective method of spreading the word about snow removal services. Email marketing is the next big thing, even more exciting than social media, but it requires an email list. Running Google and Facebook Ads can help you reach your target audience in the localities you wish to serve.
Essentially, marketing snow plowing businesses is crucial to ensuring that they are effectively communicated and sold to potential clients.
Take the Hassle Out of Billing with Moon Invoice!
With Moon Invoice, you can streamline your billing process, get paid faster, and focus more on growing your business.
How Much Does it Cost to Start a Snow Plowing Business?
Starting a snow plowing business can be expensive, depending on a number of variables. It can be a significant financial commitment influenced by factors like location, market dynamics, and operational expenses.
Other costs include:
- Snow plow truck ($30,000),
- Snow plow attachment ($5,000)
- Snow shovels ($500)
- Liability insurance ($2,000)
- Salt and de-icing materials ($1,000)
- Advertising ($1,500)
An estimated average cost for launching a snow plowing business is around $40000.
However, each snow-plowing business is unique and may require additional expenses. Make sure you do your research and consult with professionals before making any financial decisions.
At $20 billion, the snow ploughing sector is growing rapidly and offers several potential expansion opportunities. So, if you are wondering how to start a snow removal business, it is good to start with sound financial knowledge.
Final Words
Establishing a snow removal company involves careful planning, utilising the appropriate equipment, and averting accidents. Growing the company to a larger scale can result in substantial expansion and higher profits.
A profitable and sustainable business may prosper in the winter by taking advantage of the need for snow removal services in the appropriate locations.
An great customer service department, well-thought-out operations, and strategic planning may turn your snowplowing firm into a useful asset for your entrepreneurial endeavours.
Using an intuitive tool like Moon Invoice helps with efficient invoicing and payment optimization, handling multiple client data seamlessly. You can create invoices easily using its snow removal invoice template.
So, if you are wondering how to start a snow removal business, we hope this blog provides some insight. You can get started now!
FAQs
Jayanti Katariya is the founder & CEO of Moon Invoice, with over a decade of experience in developing SaaS products and the fintech industry. He holds a degree in engineering. Since 2011, Jayanti's expertise has helped thousands of businesses, from small startups to large enterprises, streamline invoicing, estimation, and accounting operations. His vision is to deliver top-tier financial solutions globally, ensuring efficient financial management for all business owners.
