Are you looking for a way to make some extra cash for only a few months out of the year? Maybe you need to build up your Christmas gift fund or save for a summer vacation. Whatever it may be, opening a seasonal business may be the best business investment you ever make.
Seasonal businesses usually supply some type of service that is only needed during a particular time of year. The jobs sometimes require manual labor but can also be fun and stress-free. Not to mention, when the season ends, you just close up shop until next year.
There are many different ideas for seasonally-focused businesses, so if you have the imagination, try to come up with a unique one all your own. However, if you can’t seem to come up with a novel idea, don’t worry. Here are five specific services that are always lucrative, no matter what the demographic.
1. Holiday decorating service: Are you patient with untangling lights and OK with climbing tall ladders? If so, a holiday decorating service may be the right business for you. These types of services usually require hiring a staff of about 10 to 20 people and often require some type of worker’s comp insurance, but the job is usually very enjoyable and rewarding. Usually, you or one of your employees should have an eye for design, because clients will often leave the decorating up to your business. To save money and time, ask your clients to purchase all the decorations they want to use before you arrive. Keep in mind that you will typically be responsible for removing the decorations at the end of the holiday, as well.
2. Spring cleaning service: Most families now consist of working parents, so the term “housewife” is pretty much an obsolete idea. It can be very difficult to balance office work with house work, so most families don’t even partake in the seasonal tradition of spring cleaning anymore, but this doesn’t mean they don’t want to. Although most families can’t afford to hire a maid service to clean their home every week, there are a lot of people who will hire a service to clean their house (top to bottom) for the spring. Again, be prepared to hire a few employees (usually only five to 10) and expect to climb ladders to clean windows and ceiling fans. To make things easier on your clients, you should purchase your own cleaning supplies. This is also another seasonal business that may require worker’s comp insurance, depending on the size of your staff.
3. Basic lawn care service: During the warmer months when the green grass grows, start up a neighborhood lawn mowing service. Again, depending on the size of your neighborhood or the community you want to serve, you may need to hire a few additional workers, and you may also have to purchase additional lawn mowers. Keep the business simple, though, to keep costs low and maximize profits. Only market to neighborhoods with small yards that can be manicured with a push lawn mower and a weed eater. Again, this business may require insurance to cover potential workplace injuries.
4. Personal holiday shopper service: This is a business that you can usually operate independently with you as the sole employee. Start small by marketing yourself to friends, family and neighbors and allow them to recommend your services to others through referral cards. You can choose to charge per hour or per item purchased. To streamline your services, open a business credit card and ask your clients to reimburse you on the day you go shopping for them via a PayPal account or a person-to-person payment system linked to your bank account. Personal shoppers must make sure to keep perfect records, so be prepared to make copies of all receipts and review all purchased items with clients before trading.
5. Tax accounting or tax law services: Whether they are retired or just looking for some independent work on the side, accountants and tax lawyers can make a pretty penny come tax season by helping citizens navigate the often murky tax code. Some people are so desperate for help filing their taxes; they will pay just about anything to find additional deductions and loopholes in the system. Be advised that these seasonal businesses require official licenses and a lot of other paperwork for to be considered legal.
For more than five years, Carol Wilson has combined her educational background in journalism and business insurance to give consumers the best business insurance reviews on the market. She also likes to write about a broad spectrum of business-related topics, such as stocks and marketing. For comments or questions, she can be reached at wilson.carol24@gmail.com.
