How to Create a Christmas Light Business

Every holiday season, families venture out into the snow and cold to illuminate the house with their Christmas lights. As old dad is getting older, he begins to cut corners and before you know it, the only thing lit up is a plastic Santa Claus and one out of three reindeer. This is a perfect opportunity for the entrepeneur who does not mind working outside in the cold! If you had your own Christmas light business, you could light that family's home akin to the Griswold's, the family would love it and you would walk away with a nice payday. Everybody's happy! Here is how to create a Christmas light business.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Time
• Christmas lights
• Ladders
• Organizational skills
• Calendar or organizer

1. The first thing you will realize it that it can take a full day to light someone's home with Christmas lights. Remember that the homeowner will be paying you for your service, so it has to be a professional installation. You also have to be prepared to go back in the event something stops working (unless you make it known that you only install the lights and you do not maintain them). So, you should be able to dedicate the time necessary for finishing a job as expected.
2. Next, you will have to get the word out about your Christmas light business. About the time you begin seeing the Christmas trees popping up in department stores is when you should begin canvasing your area with flyers or ads. A great place to advertise is on the community bulletin board at your local grocery store. Just place a flyer with tear-away phone numbers on it. Another great place to advertise is in the weekly Shopper or Penny Saver magazine that comes in your mail. Plus, tell everyone you know. You never know where that client will come from. Get some business cards made up and start handing them out!
3. Show by example. How can you show your worth as a Christmas light business if your own home looks lackluster with lights? Make sure your home is a shining example of the quality work you will be giving your clients. Be the envy of the neighborhood. Take pictures of it at night so you can show your prospects an example of your work. As you pick up clients, ask them if you can include a photo of their home in your portfolio. The bigger the portfolio, the more work you will get.
4. Offer additional services to your prospects, like returning to repair a bad string of lights, or even offer to use brand-new lights each year. Or, you can offer wind damage protection, so if the lights become disarranged due to high winds, you will be there to make the necessary adjustments. Of course, all of these services add value to your Christmas light business and will put extra money in your wallet.
5. As you begin taking on jobs, keep an organized calendar so you can avoid overbooking. Be sure to get installation dates as well as light removal dates. Keep it all organized and meet every appointment. Customers also appreciate free estimates, so consider offering them one.
6. The Christmas light business will take quite a bit of your time from Halloween through New Year's, so be prepared. You will also have to come up with something to do the remaining eight months of the year. In fact, you could offer exterior home decorating for the other big holidays throughout the year, like Halloween. Plus, you could offer your decorating services to businesses in your area as well.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are afraid of heights, then a Christmas light business may not be for you.
• Keep track of the weather when you make your appointments. It will help you reduce the number of cancellations due to inclement weather.