Start a Christmas Light Business — The 8-Week Season Playbook
Christmas light installation is the lowest-capital seasonal business there is: 8–10 weeks of intense work, then it's done. Here's the startup math and the booking playbook.
Quick answer: Startup: $1,500–5,000 lean solo (ladders, commercial LEDs, clips, vehicle). Pricing: floor rate × 0.06 h/ft — $3–5/ft against the market band. Season: 8–10 weeks, 60–80 jobs, $25k–50k gross solo. Playbook: sell in September, install Oct–Dec, takedown in January.
Startup costs
- Commercial LED strands: $1–2/ft wholesale (inventory scales with bookings)
- Ladders + ladder stabilizers: $300–800
- Clips, timers, extension cords: $200–400
- Vehicle (existing truck/SUV works to start): $0
- Insurance (seasonal policy): $500–1,500
- Total lean start: $1,500–5,000
Pricing from your floor rate
Floor rate = (season costs + income goal) ÷ billable hours — with the season at 8–10 weeks × 25–35 billable hours/week. Installation pace: ~100 ft per 6 hours including setup, so per-foot price = floor rate × 0.06. A $50/hour floor prices at $3/ft minimum, $4.25 mid-band. The business calculator runs your numbers; the market bands are the sanity check.
The September playbook
- Sept 1–15: price sheet live, Google Business Profile, last year's customer calls first
- Sept 15–30: neighborhood flyers, local Facebook groups, early-bird discount window
- October: install season opens; calendar fills from the south (weather) northward
- November: premium pricing zone; triage small jobs to fill gaps
- January: takedown week runs; multi-year renewal offers go out with the invoice
The economics that matter
Two revenue streams per contract: install (Oct–Dec) and takedown (Jan) — bundling both at signing adds 30–40% revenue per customer and locks the relationship. Multi-year agreements convert one-time buyers into a baseline. The failed installers priced from fear ($2/ft specials) and couldn't cover January; the priced-right ones turn the season into a $25k–50k solo gross.