Why start a seasonal business and here’s 7 ideas to get you started
Owning a seasonal business isn’t for everyone. But, starting a seasonal business can be a great idea for building additional streams of income. Similarly, seasonal businesses can give a business owner the chance to take time off in an off-season or explore other seasonal business opportunities during another part of the year.
Seasonal businesses typically have peak seasons where the business earns the majority of its revenue. This means that revenue-generating seasonal activities, like snow removal and landscaping are among the most popular choices for seasonal businesses. In this article, we will dive into why starting a seasonal business can be a great opportunity and also some ideas to get you started.
Why You Should Consider Starting a Seasonal Business
1. Seasonal Businesses Are Lucrative
Seasonal businesses offer lucrative work. Often, seasonal businesses are in high demand during their peak seasons, like snow removal for example. Chances are if you live somewhere with snow, snow removal is in big demand the second the flakes start to fall.
Once you incorporate your business as an LLC, you can quickly find clients and work. Like other seasonal businesses, this high demand means that they are easier to earn money in than other small businesses.
2. Many Seasonal Businesses Have a Low Cost of Entry
Seasonal businesses usually have a lower cost of entry than other entrepreneurial business endeavors. For example, with lawn mowing, all you need to get started is a lawn mower and a mode of transportation.
With snow removal, you can easily start with just a shovel and work your way up from there. Because of the low cost of entry, you can easily start working with a small business loan, depending on the size of the seasonal business you want to start.
3. Seasonal Businesses Operate Part of the Year
Finally, perhaps the best reason to start a seasonal business is because seasonal businesses typically only operate during one time of the year. One reason for this is because many seasonal businesses are weather dependent. For example, a common seasonal business is lawn mowing.
In colder regions, grass stops growing in the winter, so lawn mowing typically only occurs from the spring to fall. The seasonality of these types of jobs means that they don’t require year-round commitment and can thus generate extra income for you when they are in season. Seasonal businesses can thus help repay other debts.
7 Ideas to Get a Seasonal Business Started
Next, we’ll look at 7 ideas to get your business off the ground. Seasonal businesses can be a great way to start a business if you have a low credit score. 90% of lenders use your FICO score to make credit decisions. Seasonal businesses are also easy to get started because they require very little overhead investment. Now let’s take a look at some seasonal business ideas.
1. Landscaping Services
One of the best ways to get started with a seasonal business is to do landscaping services. Landscaping services typically take place from spring to autumn, with the greatest amount of working occurring in the summer. In the spring, cleaning up dead plants, and preparing plantings can be a great source of income. As the weather warms up, lawn mowing, sprinkler maintenance and plantings can also generate revenue. Finally, late in the season sprinkler blowouts (winterizing), end-of-the-year mows and preparing garden beds and lawns for winters can earn you money.
2. Snow Removal
Snow removal and general facilities management in the winter can be a great seasonal gig. Whether you choose to shovel driveways and sidewalks for extra cash, or plow parking lots, snow removal is a great seasonal job. This makes snow removal great for building your retirement plan. Keep in mind that unlike lawn mowing, which tends to be fairly regular, snow removal can be unpredictable and require you to work odd hours to keep up with the weather. Finally, consider using add-on services like salting and sand to help reduce slick ice.
3. Teach SCUBA
SCUBA instruction can be another great seasonal business because it can be taught in the summer months. If you live somewhere warm year-round, you can vary when you teach SCUBA to the heaviest tourist times. This is a great way to get travelers certified while they are on vacation.
4. Childcare Services
During the fall, winter, and spring, many parents require after school childcare. This makes after school childcare a highly desirable seasonal business. On the flip side, you can also offer childcare services during the summer when school is not in session. This makes childcare extremely adaptable to different schedules and seasons.
5. Moving Services
During the warmer parts of the year, consider operating a moving business. Typically, most home sales peak in the summer, and many apartment leases end during this time too. Starting a moving business can be a great way to capitalize on the moving needs of people. In order to get started with moving services really the only thing you will need is a truck.
6. Pool Cleaning Services
Another seasonal business you can start is a pool cleaning services company. Pool cleaning is a great seasonal service. Even in warming climates, like Texas, there are still periods where it is too cold to use a pool. Pool cleaning services can range from treating pools with chemicals, to cleaning pools and removing debris from them. One reason pool services make an excellent seasonal business is because of their consistent and high demand during peak use.
7. Become an Outdoor Guide
If you enjoy the outdoors, becoming an outdoor guide can be another seasonal business idea. Whether you prefer to work in the winter, spring, fall, or summer, there’s plenty of variability with this business. Since Covid-19, many more people have taken an interest in the outdoors. By offering guide services during different seasons, you can work as much or as little as you like, while still earning some extra income.
