Turn Your Landscaping Business Into Winter Income

Seasonal business owners always have to scramble to figure out how to cover dead time. For roofers and landscapers as well as window washers, winter is the time of year that we all used to dread. Over the last few years many of us have become part of a growing and lucrative winter income that is still quietly below the radar. Putting up Christmas lights each year for residential and business customers has become a major income earner each winter. Many of us make thousands of dollars a day even in the worst economy we have seen since the Great Depression.

Getting into the industry is very easy. Surf the web for Christmas lights installation business and you'll find experts available to give you the kind of training necessary to get this enterprise off the ground fast and profitably. Once you've gone through the materials and understand what you need to do, get started right away.

Start preparing your existing clients to let them know what you can do for them during the holiday season. If someone's throwing and outdoor evening party or wedding reception, let them know that you do decorative lighting. Another big opportunity is Halloween lighting decorations. This is fast becoming a big seller for those who enjoy the festive notoriety in their town.

Prepare to run with the numbers; collect about 1000 addresses ahead of time and mail letters or postcards with your new special offer. If there are marketing circulars in your town put an ad out to be displayed around the middle of September with a special holiday lighting display offer. Remember, people currently pay you to do the kind of work they don't want to do around the yard, on the windows or on their roof; they'll pay you to do other things they're unwilling to do as well.

Once you have the training under your belt, practice on your own home or that of a relative or friend. If you are going to make mistakes you might as well make them now before you get a real-life customer. Get a feel for lighting and design by visiting lighting showrooms. Get as much information as you can from your suppliers. Get a hold of the licensed electrician to get practical safety information for installing traditional lights.

If you're figuring out what to do this winter, why not generate serious holiday income that rivals the amount you make the rest of the year? Landscapers all over the world turned to holiday lighting setup and installation because it has proven itself year after year to be great winter income. Cashing in on Christmas is a great way to kick the recession out of your household.