Full guide
How to start a snow shovelling business as a teenager
Snow is the easiest sale in Ontario because the customer cannot ignore the problem. It is also the hardest business to run, because the work arrives at five in the morning without warning. The money goes to whoever signed people up in October.
What it costs
What you actually need
- A good shovel
- $25–$45
- Waterproof gloves and boots
- $40–$80
- Ice melt
- $15 a bag
- A headlamp
- $15
A bent-shaft pusher hurts far less than a cheap flat one over a season.
Wet hands at −15 end a shift in twenty minutes.
Charge for it separately, or include it and say so.
You will be working in the dark at both ends of the day.
Borrow before you buy
Do your first three jobs with equipment you already have access to. Buy your own out of money a customer has already handed you, never out of money you are hoping to make.
What to charge
Pricing, honestly
Start at the lower end of each range. Raise it once five people have paid you without hesitating.
- Single driveway and walk, per storm
- $20–$40
- Season contract, one driveway
- $250–$450
- Walkway or steps only
- $10–$15
- Ice melt applied
- +$5
Depends entirely on size. Look at it in the fall, not in the dark.
Every storm, all winter. Good for them, and it pays you before it snows.
The right offer for someone elderly who only needs to get to the car.
Small, and people say yes to it almost every time.
Your first five
Exactly who to ask, in order
Warmest first. Your first attempt should be with someone who will be kind about it, because you will be bad at it.
Person 1
Anyone on your street who is elderly or recently had surgery. Ask in October.Person 2
Two-car households where both adults leave before seven.Person 3
Your own family's friends — a season contract is an easy gift for a grandparent.Person 4
The neighbour whose driveway was always last to be cleared last winter.Person 5
Everyone you mowed for in the summer. This is why you kept their number.
Send this
“Hi Mr. Dhillon — it's Alex from across the road. I'm shovelling driveways this winter. I can do yours every time it snows more than 5 cm, before 7am, for $300 for the whole season — or $30 a storm if you'd rather pay as it goes. Want me to put you on the list?”
Change the names and the price. Keep the shape: who you are, how they know you, what you do, the price, and an easy way to say yes.
Not optional
Staying safe
- Shovelling is hard on the heart, even a young one. Push snow rather than lifting it wherever you can.
- Lift with your legs and never twist with a loaded shovel.
- Go inside every 20–30 minutes in deep cold. Frostbite is quiet.
- Wear something bright and work facing traffic when you are near the road.
- A plough will bury the end of a driveway again. Tell customers that up front so it is not an argument later.
Tell a parent or guardian where you are working and when you expect to be finished, every time.
The actual business
Getting them to book you again
- Be finished before they need the car. That is the entire promise.
- Text when you are done, with a photo, especially for customers who are away.
- Do the walk to the door even when they only paid for the driveway.
- Never skip a storm. One miss ends a season contract.
- Sign people up in October, not in January.
Anything about licences, taxes or getting paid under 18 is on the Ontario guide. More ideas are on the full list.
Free, for students
Want help actually starting one?
These are what people commonly charge, not what you will make. Look up what adults near you charge for the same job, then start a little under it and raise your price once you have five happy customers.
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