How to Make Money in Winter as a Landscaper [Industry Hacks]

Did you know the lawn care industry employs more than 1 million people and represents 604,163 landscaping service businesses?

Now, that is amazing, isn’t it?

With each passing year, the number seems to be growing, but building landscaping for lawn care business owners is not a child’s play.

If you are in the landscaping business, you might know that the professionals who provide lawn care services are accustomed to operating under difficult circumstances. The landscaping and lawn care business is seasonal.

In cold weather, being without a job is very difficult. What landscapers do in the winter arises when the weather starts to drop and the yard tools are put away for the year.

The greatest method to boost your earnings during the dreadful winter and the slow season is to expand your service options, which apply to landscapers and lawn care providers. It also gives you a fantastic chance to draw in new customers who might become loyal in the spring and summer.

In light of this, here are ten strategies to grow your firm throughout the winter to ensure a consistent cash flow for your landscaping business all year round.

10 Services Landscaping Contractors Can Offer in Winter

1. Removal of snow

While lawn maintenance may not be in high demand during the winter, snow removal is undoubtedly needed once the snow starts to fall. If you have the money, getting a plow for the front of one of your corporate trucks is a terrific idea. If not, employing less sophisticated tools, such as a snowblower or even a shovel and some good ol’ elbow grease, would suffice.

Like a lawn care business, snow removal is something many Americans simply cannot handle. Most people don’t want to spend their free time after a snowfall clearing the driveway because of jobs, family, and other obligations. Lawn care companies concentrating on maintaining and beautifying homes will be excellent at this activity and profit from it.

Being in the business of landscaping for lawn care, you already have a clientele, which is a huge advantage when embarking on the snow removal business. There’s no need to start from scratch when expanding your winter snow removal business. You can make money as a landscaper in winter by simply informing your consumers via the same mailing list that you can clear driveways and plow parking lots in the off-season.

Get Payments Faster With InvoiceOwl Software

Get landscaping order as many as you can and send invoices for it without any limitation.

Start Your FREE Trial

2. Gutter cleaning services

Another landscaping for lawn care business that sounds plausible for landscapers to provide in the winter is gutter cleaning. Gutter cleaning is a need for everyone, especially before the onset of winter. However, not everyone is able or ready to do it themselves, which is where your company steps in to meet this demand.

The amazing part about cleaning is that you can generally utilize the tools you already own. You can make money in winter as a landscaper by adding gutter cleaning to your list of services that will help add to your earnings because the typical cost per visit is around $150.

3. Leaf removal

The best approach to make the money as a landscaper in the off-season for lawn maintenance without relying on snowfall is through leaf removal. Removing leaves takes a lot of work, so many clients are happy to pay someone to come out and do it for them. This service will increase in the fall, but customers may still require leaf removal far into the winter.

This service can provide consistent revenue, appealing to many lawn care businesses. Certain customers might just want a one-time removal, but others might need several removals during the season. For instance, you might be very busy the entire fall if your client has a large property with many trees.

4. Installing/Removing Christmas Lights

Many lawn care companies offer their clients Christmas light installation and removal services. Before you begin, you should know that Christmas light installation is more expensive up front and needs more planning than other off-season chores. 

Since you’ll need to buy materials, you should look for a business wholesaler you can trust. It’s also essential to increase insurance coverage. Time management and proper planning are also essential. 

Installation and removal will take place in the same compact amount of time. To prevent your crew from becoming overworked, ensure you only accept a reasonable quantity of installations.

Installing holiday lights can be a huge source of income if you manage things properly and produce a beautiful job. Additionally, news of your ability can spread quickly, and you have visible proof of a job well done and you can therefore make money in winter as a landscaper as well.

5. Pressure washing

Any portion of your property exposed to the outdoors, such as patios, decks, fences, and the sides of your home, can become pretty dirty during the summer. Before winter hits and freezes, these locations need to be properly cleaned, and many people are prepared to pay for pressure washers.

Since pressure washing services are less common household equipment and even those who own them lack time to utilize them, people are prepared to pay for them. 

So, pressure washing is a great upsell if you’re already at a residence conducting leaf removal. Utilize your current network to promote this upsell to customers who may not have considered using this service.

6. Mulching

Mulching is essential to landscaping before winter because it shields plant roots from freezing temperatures. Despite the obvious advantages to plants, many people find mulching a laborious, time-consuming task that they would rather leave to the experts.

This is a service that knowledgeable lawn care business specialists will provide for their clients. Why? Considering that someone who currently pays you to maintain their lawn will probably be interested in shielding their plants from the chilly winter months.

It is typically simple to sell these services to commercial and residential clients, but it’s usually simple to turn a respectable profit and gain many customers. Mulch is relatively inexpensive, and labor makes up most of the price you charge the consumer. This way you can easily make money in winter as a landscaper.

7. Weed removal

You can make money in winter as a landscaper by removing weeds. Weeds grow heavily in the spring season, just after the wintertime. It can be difficult to stop invasive species, removing dead plants, trees, and shrubs from spreading due to warmer temperatures.

Weed control is best done in the winter by most homeowners before the spring. This is another wonderful lawn service to provide your customers as a winter business, as it’s also the perfect time to utilize weed killers and take preventive measures for healthy trees and shrubs. 

8. Winter Lawn Prep

When the temperatures drop, lawns need to be treated to keep them healthy, so lawn care companies should provide this service. If someone already pays you to maintain their lawn in the summer, they’ll probably want to safeguard their investment in the winter season. Winter lawn preparation should be a part of your off-season services, as you have all the necessary tools.

To prepare their lawns for the impending arrival of freezing winter conditions, clients may need to complete a wide range of tasks. You can develop all-inclusive packages for winter lawn preparation or provide a la carte services.

9. Get ready for the next season of lawn care.

Utilize the peaceful winter months to review your most recent lawn care season and revise your business plan for the following one. 

Start your bidding process early, or take on time-consuming chores like recruiting more crew members and marketing your offerings. The top lawn care experts are available for hire and training on commercial contracts.

The only way to differentiate yourself from the competition is to offer the highest quality lawn care and landscaping services. And for that, a  great lawn care team is required for this. Hire and train new team members throughout the off-season to prepare them for their first cut.

Create Accurate Estimates and Invoices

InvoiceOwl helps you create professional estimates and invoices to win more jobs and get paid faster.
Start Your FREE Trial

Conclusion

Now that you know, there is no end to what landscapers can accomplish during the winter. In addition to snow removal, lawn care contractors have several alternatives for expanding their business all year round. When the weather gets chilly, it takes a little creativity and organization to make more money.

However, in the peak season, the workers would be occupied serving consumers. During this period of time, while they are analyzing the accounting system and confirming customer invoices, they cannot afford any disruptions or delays in the learning curve. That is where software like InvoiceOwl helps.

Easy-to-use, mobile estimating and invoicing software, InvoiceOwl is created with simplicity in mind. With InvoiceOwl, you can quickly create professional estimates and invoices, making it perfect for all types of contractors.

There is a free trial available as well. Do check it out!