With one of the coldest winters that many of us can remember and record levels of snow and ice it got me thinking about ways that smart entreprenuers can benefit from this and also provide helpful services to make things easier for people in the chill.
With some meteorologists predicting that we are in for a number of hard winters as the climate changes it could be a shrewd move to set up a business, or extend an existng business which capitalises on this change in weather.
Some business ideas in this area include offering the following services:
Snow clearance
Effective snow clearance equipment can be sourced from a number of suppliers such as Tracmaster in the UK
They have a choice of power units which fit different snow and ice removing attachments such as brushes blowers and ploughs
Another option if you already have a quad bike would be to get a snow plough atachement like the ones here
Salting and gritting services
Once you have cleared areas from snow then it is a good idea to offer salting and gritting services to prevent these areas from freezing and becoming slippery. Sourcing rock salt and grit would be straight forward and you can either call door to door offering to clear snow and grit driveways and paths or simply sell people bags of grit so they can do it themselves.
By buying salt and grit in bult and then breaking it down into smaller bags for resell you ought to be able to generate a reasonable margin.
Tyre Snow socks
As motorists struggle to get around in icy conditions then they may be interested to purchase snow socks to put on their tyres. Rather than the large investment in snow tyres and the costs involved in changing tyres, snow socks would make a handy alternative. These can be sourced from manufacturers such as atli in China.
For more information on snow socks this article from Which is helpful
Promoting this kind of business should be straight forward and the most effective way will be calling to homes and businesses, especially those with large car parks and offering your services.
The window of opportunity might be limited to a few weeks per year but once you have the equipment ongoing costs would be minimal. It could be a very good add on business for a landscaper or builder looking for a seasonal boost in income.
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