WinterWatch: Timing, Risk, and Capacity
Winter is winding down, and with it, the narrow window of opportunity for WinterWatch, my site monitoring service for campers storing trailers at the seasonal RV park I manage.
If I had launched earlier, I likely could have captured more demand. My survey showed strong interest.
But I hesitated. especially when pivoting from rooftop snow removal to site monitoring.
Part of that hesitation was strategic. I abandoned making snow removal my focus when I realized the necessity and prohibitive cost of liability insurance. The underwriter’s questions made it clear this couldn’t be a casual side hustle.
Part of that hesitation had to do with my capacity. With my other commitments, I had to ask myself: If I were to advertise to the entire park population instead of the smaller group of social contacts I surveyed, could I realistically meet the demand? I’m not sure I could.
If I had insured myself, I could be very busy now shoveling roofs. The current weather is exactly when snow loads can become dangerous. We’ve had heavy accumulation, a thaw, and now a freeze. If more snow falls on top of that dense base, weights could become destructive. Using a snow load calculator a camper shared, we estimated that one foot of snow can equal roughly 20 lbs per square foot. Across a trailer roof, that adds up to thousands of pounds.
I’ve now begun advertising to the seasonal campers I surveyed. I’ve made it clear I won’t perform rooftop removal due to liability concerns. Instead, I’m offering a $30 WinterWatch package: hike in, photograph snow accumulation, and clear sheds and trailer slide-outs that are the most vulnerable to snow weight and are safely reachable from the ground.
Smaller, but safer.
There have also been unexpected gains.
Seasonal campers recommended me to nearby homeowners who were away on vacation. I shoveled their driveway four times and earned $120. That forced me to add travel expenses into my budget, something I had originally planned to avoid.
Another surprise came when an Amazon package was delivered to the park because a camper mistakenly used their summer address. I shipped it to them via UPS, and they paid me $20 for the service. It was really a tip, but I’m counting it as ancillary revenue. It made me realize there may be other small income opportunities connected to site monitoring and off-season support.
One insight stood out to me this week. A friend of mine mentioned wanting to start a side business to supplement his income. I asked him when he would find the time on top of his 40-hour work week and family commitments. Service businesses trade time for money. That’s challenging alongside a full-time role. We talked about how an ideal side hustle would involve selling a niche product rather than selling hours. A merchandising business could scale better because it isn’t as directly tied to being physically present, although it introduces new risks like storage needs and unsold inventory.
What else I’ve learned:
Timing matters.
Just because people want it doesn’t mean I can deliver it.
Revenue reveals hidden costs.
Opportunity often shows up in small, unexpected ways.
Winter doesn’t wait.