Mike Zawacki
|
One caveat before I proceed: I wrote this column in early February, so don’t inundate me with emails if, post production, the U.S. receives 100 inches of consistent snowfall. I’ve talked to a lot of dismayed contractors this winter. Unless you live in Denver or Alaska (Hello, 200+ inches), you’ve found that you’ve had a lot of time to work on your golf game during Winter 2011-12. And believe me; the temperatures have been warm enough in many places that you probably have been able to work a few strokes off your game. In my conversations with snow fighters, I’ve asked how they’ve been spending the ample amount of time they’ve acquired since they haven’t been pushing snow. I would like to share some of the constructive ways your peers have been making the most of their winter. Review operations. Now is the time to review your standards and procedures. Are they up to date, or, are they still relevant to the scope of your snow business? Maybe a better question is whether you have set operational standards and procedures for snow? Use this time wisely and either get this together or get it up to date. Work the phones. Call a handful of clients each day. If anything, ask them how their business has been and what challenges they’re facing. At best, you may learn of an ancillary business opportunity for you and your idle crews. At the very least it’s an exercise in relationship-building, which will pay dividends in winters to come. Look for deals. There’s a good chance your local equipment dealerships have been just as idle as you. By now, as they prep for summer landscape and construction season, they’ve got snow inventory on their hands they need to move and may be motivated to do so at greatly reduced prices. Now is the time to dip into your cash reserves and make some strategic investments in equipment. Always be ready. Have you heard of the “Butterfly Effect?” All it takes is a butterfly across the globe to flap its little wings a certain way to impact weather patterns here. Yes, it’s a fanciful notion, but what isn’t is the fact that we can get socked with a snow storm at any time. Here in Cleveland, it’s not unusual to have baseball’s opening day canceled because of an April snow storm. Lastly, remember, bad winters are cyclical. What goes up (temperatures) must eventually come down (snowfall) and vice versa. If you’ve spent any amount of time in this pushing snow, you know this all too well. And if you’re a newbie, well, welcome to the professional snow removal industry. |
Explore the February 2012 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find you next story to read.
Latest from Snow Magazine
- NOTEBOOK: Go With The Flow
- NOTEBOOK: Winter Equipment Offers the RoadMAXX System
- NOTEBOOK: Yanmar Unveils Compact Loader Lineup
- NOTEBOOK: Schill Expands in Southwest Ohio
- October Cover Story: Achieving Wet Pavement
- August 2022 Cover Story: Beat The Odds
- May 2022 Cover Story: Bullish on Snow & Ice
- 2022 Top 100