In many places in the country snow is a real problem. Snow causes roads to be impassable. If the snow is not cleared, people can't drive. Most cities have sanitation departments that will deal with snow on the roads, but there are other areas that the sanitation department doesn't handle. These include private store parking lots, driveways for private homes, and  communities that have private roads.

These areas are serviced by small business or private contractors who use their own trucks to plow the snow. It is a very good seasonal business.

So, how can you make money when it snows?

There are three simple things you need to do: outfit your truck, locate a need, and negotiate the deal. Let's look at these three things in detail.

Outfit Your Truck

It helps if you own a pickup truck, but it's not the end of the world if you don't. You can also utilize a SUV. If you happen to not own either a pickup truck or a SUV, then you might consider buying a cheap, used truck solely for the purpose of making money during the winter.

The crucial piece of equipment is the snowplow attachment from a company like Drake-Scruggs Equipment Inc. These are placed on the front of your pickup or SUV. Some snowplows are self-adjusting; others are adjusted with a remote from inside the truck.

With this snowplow adjustment you can clear roads and parking lots. If you are able to find a few places that require plowing, then you can often recoup the cost of the plow in one season.

Locate A Need

Once you have outfitted your truck with a snowplow, the next step is to locate someone who needs plowing. What you need to do is look for places that are not plowed by the municipalities. These include small stores who have parking lots and also private homes in areas that the sanitation department does not cover.

The smaller the store, the better chance you have of getting a contract from them. Huge malls are used to dealing with large companies. It is better to try and find a small mom and pop store that has a parking lot and speaking with them about the potential for a plow job.

Negotiate A Deal

The final step is to negotiate a deal. A common method is to arrange to plow only after a certain amount of snowfall. For example, if it snows more than 4 inches, then you will plow. This method is preferable to a predictive method (which relies on the weather forecast) because it saves you and your client wasted time. If the weather forecasters call for 5 inches of snow, and only 1-inch falls, you won't go out.