The Business
Christmas light installation is the ultimate seasonal business — 6-8 weeks of work generating $30,000-100,000+ for a single operator. You buy commercial lights ($2-5/strand) and charge $500-3,000+ per home. Tear-down and storage services add recurring revenue. Residential first, commercial accounts for scale. The key is owning your inventory (you rent it to customers).
How to Start
Start small with 10 residential clients at $500-800 each. Buy C9 commercial LED strands (customers prefer these over retail strings). Charge separately for takedown and storage ($100-200). Target affluent neighborhoods where competition is limited. Build to 30-50 clients by year 2, then $100K+ by year 3.
Equipment Needed
- ▸Commercial-grade LED lights (inventory)
- ▸Ladders
- ▸Light clips
- ▸Timers
- ▸Stakes and greenery clips
Licensing
Business license + electrical knowledge
Monthly Search Volume
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Revenue Calculator
“Christmas lights is the best 10-week business in America. You can net $80K–$150K between October and January. The key insight: you OWN the lights, the customer pays an annual service fee. Your revenue recurs every year from the same customers without reselling.”
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Tools we'd use if we were starting this business today. Affiliate links — we may earn a small commission.
Form your LLC before the season starts. Registered agent, EIN, and compliance included.
START YOUR LLC →Run your seasonal service business from your phone. Scheduling, quoting, and payments sorted.
TRY JOBBER FREE →Invoice customers and track seasonal cashflow. Know what you made each month.
START FREE TRIAL →Build a professional website for your seasonal service in an afternoon. Book jobs online.
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