☃️ Fastest way to scale a snow shoveling business

GM. This is Work "After" Work, the newsletter serving up plates of side hustles so good it leaves you asking for seconds.

What we got for ya today:

• ☃️ Snow Shoveling Business

• 😂 Meme of the day

Time to get goin: 1 weekEst. start-up cost: $500Potential return in 3 months: $9,600

ENTERING THE WAY BACK WHEN MACHINE

When I was younger, maybe 11 or 12, I used to go out whenever it snowed going door to door throughout my neighborhood

“Hi would you like your driveway shoveled for $20?”

They’d almost always ask “Will you do the sidewalks too?” “You bet! For $30 total.”... it worked every time 😏

I consistently did this after it snowed and made around $200 every time I'd go out. Throughout the winter, I easily made two grand, which back then made me feel like a millionaire.

It was grueling work but when I was younger I was working harder, not smarter. I knew little about business at the time and would have done things a lot differently with what I know now.

Today, I'd build up a little team and hire out the work so I could do way more houses and scale this business into something that could make me 10 grand.

So with snow right around the corner, let's jump into how I'd scale a snow shoveling business and make around $800 a week!

YOUR GUIDE TO GETTING STARTED

1. Acquire Customers

It goes without saying - every business needs customers.

Back when I was younger I'd only go door to door and simply ask if they wanted their driveway shoveled. If they said no, ok on to the next.

I'd still recommend you try in person if you have the guts. You'll learn how to sell, get more comfortable with failure, and learn how to communicate better - all super valuable skills!

I'd also try the flyer route, it's quicker and easier. The only downside is you'll get fewer leads because it easy for people to throw away a flyer. It's harder for them to say no to your face - especially if you're a young kid hustling.

When creating your flyer you can use Canva - it's intuitive and comes with a free version. Keep it simple and don't include the price. If they call you, they're interested. This is when you talk price!

Also, find out if setting up a cadence for shoveling their driveway is something they'd be interested in.

"In the future, if it snows over 1 inch would you like us to come out and shovel your driveway and sidewalks?"

Who knows. It doesn't hurt to ask and if they say yes, you just got yourself a reoccurring revenue stream! 😎

2. Find workers

Once you've got your customers, it's now time to work smarter, not harder.

Post snow shoveling jobs paying $10-$15/hr on your social media, Indeed, ask family friends, wherever you can find teenagers or younger folks that are looking for work.

Every winter break you have a lot of people at your fingertips:

• high schoolers are off

• college kids come home

• people want extra cash for the holidays

If you get no hits, try Nextdoor - a neighborhood app that parents are on, and when they remember their kid has been playing the new Call of Duty for the past 18 hours, you're going to get a call.

*I'd also post your flyer on here!*

3. Buy a snow blower and shovels

Once you’ve got your customers and workers, it’s time to get prepared.

You can decide what you think is best but consider investing in a snow blower. It's 10 times faster than shoveling and will allow your workers to complete more homes, which means more money.

And since you'll be paying them hourly, the faster they complete each home, essentially the cheaper their wages are vs your revenue.

When you're looking at snowblowers, make sure you get a cordless one. It will be more expensive but having a cord is a huge hassle and you don't want one, trust me.

Here's a cordless snow blower that's $360 on Amazon. It's a best seller and has a 4-star review. In general, the more expensive snowblower, the better.

The Math
Okay, now onto the fun part: how much you can make!

I'm going to assume you work full-time and you'll only be able to run this business 2 days a week on the weekends. If you're not, then you can double, heck even triple these numbers.

With each house you'll be able to make $30-$40 and with your snowblower and a couple people in your crew, you should be able to do 10 houses a day no problem. *also consider varying your rates depending on how much snow there is. If we get a snow storm and people are snowed in with 30 ft of snow, try $50-$70 to dig them out. You can always go down!*

Assuming you can make $40 per home that's ($40 * 10 houses * 2 days) = $800 a week.

Depending on where you live and how much it snows, if you're able to do this for 2 to 3 months, that's $6,400-$9,600 in revenue.

Factor in labor, which shouldn't be more than $500 total and this is a pretty decent side hustle that's also relatively easy to scale!

PRO TIP FROM YA BOY 😏

• Offer to salt their driveways and sidewalks for an extra up-charge of $5 - or provide it as a complimentary service so they keep on coming back

MEME OF THE DAY

😂😂

That's all I got for ya today folks!

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.