How to Make Money Shoveling Snow (15 Powerful Tips to Help)

If you want to know how to make money shoveling snow, you will definitely find this comprehensive article very useful.

It reveals the different ways to make money shoveling snow and some of the best companies that can help you get paid.

 

Why Make Money Shoveling Snow?

When the snow starts falling there is an abundance of things that you can do with that snow.

You can make snowballs, you can eat the snow, you can catch the snowflakes on your tongue, you can make a snow fort, you can go skiing, etc.

Also, you can shovel snow either as part of your chore or as a side business.

Many industries rely on snow. Ski resorts, snowmobiling, auto repair shops, and shoveling snow, to name a few.

For the snow shoveler, there are many ways that this job can be performed.

It can be done by a young entrepreneur with a snow shovel, a more sophisticated method utilizing a snowblower, and trucks that are equipped with a larger shovel on the front of their vehicle.

Let us pick up the shovel and go to work.

 

Personal Story

Growing up in Wisconsin there was always 2 seasons that required me to pick up a tool and go to work.

The one season was when it snowed and the snow was powdery in texture. The other season was when it snowed and the snow was wet and heavy. I preferred the first season to the second. The tool was a snow shovel.

Fortunately, we didn’t live on a corner lot but we had a very long driveway and at the end of the driveway it broadened out to accommodate 2 cars.

When I was done shoveling the snow from our area I then went over to the neighbors on either side of our home and shoveled their sidewalk and pathway leading up to their front door.

If my memory serves me correctly I earned a whopping $5 from each neighbor and bake goods for our family at Christmas time were provided.

I guess one could say that that was my first real job before I expanded the business and took on a paper route.

Fortunately today I don’t have to worry about wet snow or powdered snow or any other seasonal tools.

 

15 Powerful Tips to Help You Make Money Shoveling Snow

 

Tips for Hand Shoveling

1. Get the Right Hand Shoveling Equipment

If an individual wishes to start a snow shoveling business the first basic process in shoveling snow is through a handheld shovel.

This process involves a hard-working individual who has a quality shovel that they use to push the snow off of walkways or driveways.

By quality shovel, it is meant that the shovel should have a sturdy aluminum adjustable shaft with a fairly decent-sized scoop of roughly 18″.

The individual may also want to invest in road or sidewalk salt. For a 40 pound bag, it would cost the individual about $25.

As a slight caveat, it is important to check whether the owner of the sidewalk or driveway wants to use salt as sometimes this element can be destructive to the concrete.

Additionally, because the snow is associated with colder weather, it is important to wear warm clothing that is not restrictive and interferes with the shoveling process.

Also, gloves and nonslip shoes are important.

 

2. How to Get Customers

The best way to get customers by shoveling snow with a hand shovel is simply to go door to door and ask the various residents if they would like to have their sidewalks cleared of the fallen snow.

Also, it is important for future reference or referrals that a card or flyer be given to the customer to be able to contact you in the future or make a reference to their friends and family for snow removal services.

Also, to start building up the client base, the snow shoveler may want to give some sort of discount for initial services.

 

3. Technique

Shoveling snow is not easy work; especially if the snow is heavy due to the wetness of the snow rather than the snow being more of a powder.

As with any exercise, it is best to warm the muscles by doing some stretching exercises so that you prevent any damage to your joints or muscles.

Also, it is important to stay hydrated. Therefore, the individual should stop periodically and take breaks to ensure that they are staying hydrated.

The actual technique of shoveling should consist of pushing the snow off of the walkway or driveway by simply putting the shovel on the cement and pushing the shovel and moving the snow to a different area.

It is important that when lifting any snow to move it over an area that is beginning to pile up with snow that you do not put more than half a foot of snow on your shovel at a time.

Also, if lifting the shovel it is important not the lift that shovel above your waist.

Moving the snow to provide a walkway or for a vehicle to get out of the driveway, it is important to move the snow to an area where it won’t drift back onto the walkways.

Also, the proper technique for moving snow from a slanted driveway is to start from the highest level of the driveway and work downwards with the natural progression of the slant.

 

4. Getting Help

As an added tip, it may be beneficial to recruit friends to help with the shoveling.

Although you will be sharing the fees that are charged, with help, you will be able to do more shoveling and consequently earn roughly the same amount of money and increase your customer base.

 

5. Know What to Charge

There are several options to establish a fee for your snow shoveling work.

There could be a base fee in that driveways would be a certain amount and walkways and sidewalks would be a certain amount.

Of course, not all driveways are made the same. Therefore, it is important to take this in as a major consideration when assessing a fee to a customer.

Another way that you can assess a fee is to calculate how long it will take to shovel the needed areas. With this in mind, the individual can charge by the hour.

Again, some places that need shoveling may be a little more difficult than others. Therefore, it is important to consider this possibility when charging your fee.

 

 

Tips for Using a Snow Blower

6. Choose the Right Snow Blower Equipment

A less strenuous way of shoveling snow is through the use of a snowblower.

These gas-powered pieces of equipment are pushed by the operator on areas that have snow and the operation of the snowblower is to capture the snow and force it out of a chute that is located over the machine.

The snow chute can be positioned differently to direct the snow where you want it to go.

A good snow blower will cost you around $300 but it would be well worth the investment as you build up your customer base and build your reputation as a dependable hard-working individual to clear snow

To transport the snow blower you can use transportation along with a small trailer hitched to the back of your vehicle to transport the snowplow from one customer’s location to another.

Some of the more commonly used trailers are the ones that are known as wheelchair scooter trailers.

 

7. Get Backup

As your business progresses, it is important that some of the money that is earned be reinvested back in the company in particular.

Some of that reinvested money can be used to purchase a backup snowblower if the first one gets damaged due to maintenance issues or hitting something hidden beneath the slow.

 

8. Get Insurance

Also, a practical recommendation is for you and your company to have liability insurance.

Accidents do happen and you want to make sure that your assets are covered if there is damage to property or other unforeseen events occurring.

 

9. Getting Customers

Marketing your snow shoveling business is important. This can be accomplished in several ways.

In particular, an individual who can attain a business customer can go to a neighboring business and provide the same service so that the business owner can ensure the safety and accessibility of their customers into the business.

Also, flyers can be posted all-around your community as to the services that you offer and your reasonable rates.

Magnetic signs can also be made that will attach to the side of your vehicle advertising your company and your phone number.

 

10. Fees

To establish your fees and rates, one way that you can do that is to find out what the competition may be charging.

Once you have found out the rate you can lower your costs to attract customers and be competitive.

 

Tips for Using Light Truck Snow Plows

11. Use the Right Snow Plow Equipment

The next natural progression in building your snow shoveling business is to attach to the front of your truck if you have one, a snowplow that would be suited for the front of the truck.

This smaller version of one of the bigger highway snowplows would be an investment in the price range of $1500.

 

12. Fees

This snowplowing process and fee to clear a parking lot could be a cost ranging between $50 and $150 per hour.

At that rate, one would be able to recoup their investment of the snowplow that was in the price range of $1500 or a little bit more.

Additionally, there are times where municipal governments need a private contractor to remove snow in various emergencies. A private contractor utilizing the system of removing snow could earn anywhere from $20-$30 per hour.

 

13. Gaining Business

There are several ways that an individual can advertise their business without having to pay out advertising dollars.

Some of those powerful ways of advertising one’s snow shoveling business are through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

An extremely powerful way of advertisement is by word of mouth.

If one business owner has utilized your services then you can ask them to give a recommendation of your service to other businesses.

As an added incentive, if they do recommend your service to someone else and you receive a job opportunity through that recommendation you can offer the referral business a discount on the next needed snow removal job.

Another way to advertise is by simply posting flyers and posters in various shopping centers or strip malls.

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14. Customers

The market for this advanced aspect of your snow shoveling business would be utilized by business owners who wish to keep their parking lots free of snow.

Also, there have been times where snow emergencies have necessitated the use of private contractors who have this type of equipment available.

 

15. Use the Right Snow App

For those individuals who live in snow country, there is an app that can be downloaded onto one’s Smartphone.

The individual providing snow shoveling services register on this site and will get notified when a job to remove snow has been posted.

The beauty of this app is that a mathematical formula is utilized to determine what the fee will be for the snow removal job.

The factors that are figured into the algorithm include the depth of the snow, property size, as well as other factors.

Consequently, through this app, a snow removal business, for example, can earn $35-$75 for a 2 car driveway that is measured in car lengths for the length of the driveway.

This app is available in certain cities across the United States well as Canada. Some of those include Boston, Denver, Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and more.

 

Shovel Snow for Money FAQs

 

What Is the Average Snowfall on the North American Continent?

The top four states that have historically had the highest snowfall, ranging from highest to lowest, are Vermont with 89.25 inches, Maine with 77.28 inches New Hampshire with 71.44 inches, and Colorado with 67.3 inches.

 

What Does the Average Snow Removal Contract Cost?

A great way for a company or private individual who lives in an area where snow is a common occurrence, it may be beneficial for them to enter into a contract with a snow shovel or.

Generally, the terms of the contract are that no matter how often it may snow, for a set price, the snow will be cleared.

A contract of this nature can run anywhere from 300 to were $450 per winter season. Stop listening

 

You Can Do It

As long as there are winters and climate change doesn’t worsen, there most likely will always be snow that needs to be shoveled.

In our litigious society, business owners and residents always want to make sure that their sidewalks are clear and free from any snow or ice to prevent any hazards for pedestrians or vehicles.

If you are hard-working and can brave the elements and don’t mind working hard, good money can be made by clearing sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots from the snow that falls during the winter months.

 

Conclusion

People often look forward to the first snowfall of the season especially if it is a gentle snowfall.

However, with beauty can come the possible disruption of the activities of a business and in the lives of people.

Add in the mix the possibility of a severe snowstorm and you have the perfect opportunity of providing a service that will be in great demand.

Hopefully, your snow shoveling business is dreaming of a very, very white winter.