Seven Pillars of a Stronger Snow Business

Being a snow contractor is hard.

There are a million things competing for your attention, and, more often than not, the most urgent thing gets your attention first. A piece of equipment breaks down, a customer has an issue, a storm is coming, an employee calls in sick, and suddenly the strategic work you intended to get done today gets pushed to tomorrow.

And then tomorrow comes, and there’s another fire to put out.

Meanwhile, your business keeps moving. But is it actually growing? Has profitability improved? Has the business become more efficient? Is it less dependent on you than it was a year ago? And perhaps most importantly, has the value of your business increased?

The truth is, most snow contractors don’t really know.

That’s not because they don’t care about their businesses. Quite the opposite. Most snow contractors are incredibly hardworking people who know their industry inside and out. They’re fantastic technicians, problem-solvers and operators. They know how to manage a storm, keep equipment moving and get the job done.

The challenge is that they often spend so much time working in the business that they don’t have time to work on the business. But building a strong, valuable business requires both.

Knowing what your business is worth and understanding what drives that value is an important part of building a healthier and more profitable company. The good news is that you don’t have to completely overhaul your business to start making progress. There are some practical areas where relatively small improvements can make a significant difference in efficiency, productivity and profitability.

Here are seven key pillars to focus on.

1. SAFETY

The health and safety of your employees should always be a top priority. But beyond simply meeting regulatory requirements, a strong safety culture can have a real impact on your business.

Your Health and Safety Committee should be actively engaged and their recommendations should be taken seriously. Safety needs to be more than a binder on a shelf; it should be part of how your company operates every day.

Regular training, equipment inspections, documented procedures and ongoing communication can all help reduce workplace hazards. Make sure employees know not only what the safety rules are, but why they matter.

A strong safety program protects your people, reduces risk and can help minimize costly incidents, downtime and potential liability.

And perhaps most importantly, it tells your employees that you genuinely care about them.

2. STAFF

Hiring the right people is critical to the success of any snow business.

When you’re short-staffed in the middle of winter, it can be tempting to hire simply because you need someone to fill a seat. But hiring based primarily on availability can create bigger problems down the road.

Instead, hire for fit. Look for people who align with your company’s core values and who have the attitude and work ethic you need.

Once you hire someone, don’t just hand them a set of keys and send them out the door. A good orientation and onboarding process can make a tremendous difference. Employees should understand their responsibilities, your expectations, your company culture, how communication works and where they fit within the organization.

And onboarding shouldn’t stop after the first week.

Regular communication keeps employees informed, builds confidence and helps everyone understand where the company is headed. Consider monthly town hall meetings, quarterly newsletters, seasonal kickoff meetings or team events to reinforce your culture and recognize your employees.

Your people are one of your greatest assets. Invest in them.

3. CUSTOMERS

You probably have an onboarding process for your employees. Why not have one for your customers?

A client onboarding process can be surprisingly simple, but it can eliminate a lot of confusion and create a much better customer experience.

When a new customer signs a contract, give them a clear overview of what happens next. Explain the service process, payment schedule, communication procedures, how weather delays are handled and who they should contact if they have a question or concern.

The goal is simple: tell customers what to expect before they have to ask.

When customers understand how your company operates, they feel more confident in your ability to deliver. It also reduces unnecessary phone calls, misunderstandings and frustration.

A professional onboarding process immediately communicates that your company is organized and that you care about the customer experience.

4. COMMUNICATION

If there is one complaint we hear regularly about contractors, it’s that they don’t communicate well with their customers.

That creates an opportunity for you to stand out.

Proactive communication can be one of the easiest ways to differentiate your company from the competition. Don’t wait for customers to call asking what’s happening. Tell them before they need to ask.

For example, when snow or ice is in the forecast, send an email letting customers know what you’re expecting and when you anticipate beginning operations. Following an event, provide a simple report showing when your team was on site and what services were completed.

Even a short message can make a big difference:

“We’re monitoring the forecast and expect to begin operations around 11 p.m. We’ll continue to provide updates as conditions change.”

That small communication tells the customer that someone is paying attention.

There really is very little downside to good communication. When customers know what’s happening, they have greater confidence in your company. And confident customers are more likely to stay with you.

5. FINANCIALS

I know. Some of you probably stopped reading as soon as you saw the word financials.

Many contractors don’t feel confident when it comes to their numbers. They may understand how to run the operation, but reading a financial statement, building a budget or analyzing gross margins feels like a completely different language.

It doesn’t have to.

You don’t need to become an accountant, but you do need to understand what your numbers are telling you.

Start by learning how to create a budget and compare your actual results against it. Understand your revenue, direct costs, overhead, gross margin and net profit. Know which customers and services are profitable and which ones may be consuming resources without generating an adequate return.

Your financial statements are not simply something your accountant prepares at year-end. They are a management tool.

Once you understand your numbers, you can make better decisions.

And don’t be afraid to ask for help. Find someone you trust who can sit down with you and explain your financials in plain language.

Trust me, once you understand your numbers, you’ll feel much more in control of your business.

6. OPERATIONS

Operations is often one of the quickest places to find opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability.

Take a look at how work is actually being done in your company. Are processes consistent from crew to crew? Are you using different equipment or methods to accomplish the same task? Do employees know exactly what is expected of them? Are important procedures documented, or do they simply live in someone’s head?

Standardizing processes and equipment where it makes sense can eliminate wasted time and make your operation more predictable.

Consider creating an operations manual that documents your key procedures. There are also plenty of software programs and apps available to help with scheduling, communication, routing, equipment tracking, reporting and more.

But technology alone won’t fix an inefficient process. First, figure out how you want the business to operate, and then use technology to support it.

Finally, you need to measure performance.

Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) for each area of your business. Track things such as hours versus budget, fleet and equipment costs, quality of work, productivity and gross margin by job or service.

What gets measured gets managed.

If you don’t know what’s happening in your business, it’s very difficult to improve it.

7. LEADERSHIP

Strong businesses don’t happen by accident. They require leadership, direction and accountability.

One of the easiest places to start is by establishing a regular meeting rhythm for your leadership team. Meetings shouldn’t simply be a place to talk about what went wrong last week. They should provide an opportunity to step back, look at the bigger picture and make decisions about where the business is going.

Regular SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) discussions can help your team identify issues and opportunities before they become emergencies.

Strategic planning helps turn those conversations into action.

Most importantly, your leadership team needs to understand and communicate the company’s vision and core values. When employees understand not only what the company is trying to accomplish but why, they are more likely to make decisions that support the business.

That’s when you begin to see something powerful happen: employees start thinking like owners.

BUILD A BUSINESS THAT WORKS WITHOUT YOU

Ultimately, these seven pillars are about more than simply making your snow business run more smoothly.

They’re about building a business that has value.

A valuable business is profitable. It has good people. It has systems and processes. It has loyal customers. It manages risk. It understands its numbers. And, perhaps most importantly, it isn’t completely dependent on the owner to make every decision and solve every problem.

You may have no plans to sell your business anytime soon, and that’s perfectly fine. But building a business that someone else would want to buy is one of the best ways to build a business that serves you well today.

So take a step back from the day-to-day for a moment and ask yourself:

If I wasn’t here tomorrow, how well would my business run?

And then ask an even more important question:

What can I do over the next 12 months to make my business more efficient, more profitable and more valuable?

You don’t have to fix everything at once. Pick one pillar, identify one or two improvements, and get started.

Small improvements, consistently implemented, can add up to a very different business over time.