If you own an exterior painting business, your summer months are booked up by customers who want a fresh coat on their homes. But in the winter, your pipeline probably dries up. When painting isn’t an option, you need another services to earn off-season revenue.
That’s where Christmas light installation comes in. After adding Christmas light installation services to their businesses, many painters have reported racking in an extra $100,000 to $2,000,000 in gross revenue.
In this blog post, you’ll learn why this service is right for you, how to get started in this niche, success stories, and common mistakes to avoid.
Why Painters Are a Natural Fit
As an experienced painter, you won’t be starting from scratch. You already have all the tools and skills needed for Christmas light installation.
1. You're comfortable at heights
You and your crew already have years of experience climbing up ladders for two-story homes and commercial buildings.
2. You have the equipment
You likely already have a truck, extension ladders, and maybe even a subscription to Jobber. Luckily, these tools you invested in for your painting business will become the foundation for your Christmas light installation services.
3. You have warm leads
Your existing painting clients already trust you. They know your work, they’ve gotten to know you on a personal basis, and they're far easier to convert than a cold prospect.
4. You have local credibility
If your painting company has been in business for a few years, you probably already designed Google Ads, lawn signs, and email newsletters that generated clients. That means you won’t need to start at ground zero to build a strong marketing presence.
How to Launch: Step-by-Step
Now that you’ve tallied up your skills and experience, you’ll need to take action to convert your exterior painting clients into holiday light installation customers.
Step 1: Start planning in summer
The season starts earlier than most people think. Selling Christmas light installation in November is as easy as taking candy from a baby. Filling up jobs for September and October will free up your calendar late in the year for last-minute demand.
Step 2: Pick your product line
There’s no point in ordering every colour on the proverbial menu just because you want to keep stock on hand. Instead, select one bestselling product that is commercial-grade and looks incredible.
We recommend purchasing either the C9 Starter Bundle or the G30 Starter Bundle. These kits will provide you enough products for ten homes. If a customer asks for a niche product, you can purchase it with Big Star Lights free just-in-time shipping.
💡 Pro Tip: Not sure whether to go for C9 or G30 bulbs? Read our blog post to decode the different bulbs.
Step 3: Price your jobs
When you’re pricing Christmas light installs, you need to consider three components:
- Your material costs
- Your crews’ hourly rate
- Your desired profit margin
Read our full breakdown to learn how to quote.
Step 4: Market to your existing clients first
Email your painting client list before you do anything else. A personal note explaining you're now offering Christmas light installation will convert faster than any ad campaign.
Then expand from there:
- Add a Christmas lights page to your website
- Update your Google Business Profile with the new service
- Put yard signs at every install you do
- Add custom decal on your truck advertising your new service
Step 5: Bundle your offerings
Your painting clients are your easiest wins. They already trust you, they know your work, and they don't need to vet you. Lock them in for a bundle to provide them with extra value. Here are some potential ideas:
- A final exterior paint touch-up + Christmas light install
- Gutter cleaning + Christmas light install, since you're already up on the ladder
- Annual contract covering install, takedown, and storage — billed once, renewed every year
Making Rookie Mistakes Can Kill Your First Season
Buying the right lights is the greatest predictor of success for your Christmas light installation service. Big-box store lights have been known to fail mid-season, causing pro installers to receive last-minute warranty calls, costing them thousands of dollars in extra product and labour costs.
Deciphering specs information can be tricky, so we’ve created a helpful guide to help you choose lights that last many years.
1. Commercial-Grade LED Bulbs
Most Christmas light suppliers boast about having bulbs with a lifetime between 10,000 to 100,000 hours. But they fail to mention common
- Total LED output reducing over time
- “Sun spots” on bulbs
- Colour quality degrading over years of use
At Big Star Lights, we’ve engineered bulbs that have eliminated all of these problems. Our bestselling C9 bulbs have a 270º optical cone, meaning our bulbs draw less power and last longer than other suppliers’ bulbs. Our UV protective coating means you won’t see any sun spots, even in warm climates. Our bulbs also have more LED diodes than competitors, keeping colors consistent.
Explore our bestselling bulbs to find out what else makes them unique.
2. Wire Quality
People have a common misconception about Christmas light installation which is that your bulbs are the most important product you’ll choose. In reality, your wire quality is a far better predictor of your install quality.
That’s because wires can sometimes crack from freezing temperatures, snow, or long-term wear under the sun. To use your products for many years, choose SPT-2 wires. SPT-2 wires have 0.045” of insulation, whereas SPT-1 wires only have 0.030” of insulation, making them vulnerable to sudden failures.
At Big Star Lights, we believe in longevity, so all of our wires are SPT-2. Choose the E17 Spool for an easy installation with our bestselling bulbs.
3. Lack of Professional Support
Most new business can fail in their first couple of years since they have to figure everything out on their own. That’s why having a great business coach or mentor is the best way to make sure you avoid rookie mistakes that sink other Christmas light installers in your area.
Here are some of the things that trip up most installers:
- Not understanding how Christmas light warranties work
- Underordering stock (resulting in express shipping charges) or overordering stock (high inventory at the end of the season)
- Inability to close customers after quoting them
The good news is that these mistakes are preventable. Big Star Lights is run by pro installers with decades of experience in the field. We engineer the lights that are recommended for commercial-grade installs. We’ve been in your shoes, and we want to give back to like-minded business owners looking to scale. That’s why we launched the BSL Community, a free online hub where you can learn from industry veterans.
How Painters and Home Services Pros Make $100K Through Christmas Lights
You don't have to take our word for it. Here's how real home services professionals used Big Star Lights to turn their slow season into their most profitable one.
Wes O'Leary — North Pro Home & Cottage Services (Central Ontario)
After years of struggling to find pressure washing clients during winter months, Wes began installing Christmas lights, and it quickly became the part of his business he loves most. He says, "It works a different part of the mind, the crews love it more, and it's cleaner and more exciting."
Ben Richardson — Stella Lights (Calgary, AB)
When Ben began installing Christmas lights, he had been losing money to mid-season burnouts and service calls until he switched to Big Star Lights. Now, he can rely on the commercial-grade quality of his lights to last year, allowing him to focus on growing his business.
Alex Blais — Kelowna Curb Appeal Services (Kelowna, BC)
Alex’s previous holiday light supplier suffered from massive quality control issues: inconsistent color temperature, unreliable stock, and lights that were dead right out of the box. After Alex switched to Big Star Lights, the quality became a huge selling point, and he’s been able to feel comfortable with Big Star Lights’ five-year warranty.
Where to Go From Here
As an entrepreneur, you know that there are lots of things to learn how to do properly, including quoting, marketing best practices, and hiring seasonal staff. Big blog teaching you the skills you need to land on your feet in your first year of installing Christmas lights.
But lots of first-timers are looking to gain more personalized advice from industry veterans. That’s why we launched the BSL Community, a free online community that’s built specifically for home services professionals looking to expand into Christmas light installation. In it, you’ll find:
- Tutorials from working installers
- Quoting checklists and white-label marketing materials
- Exclusive access to live webinars
- A community of contractors who've made exactly this transition
- Competitive trade discounts
If you're ready to stop losing three months of revenue every year, this is where to start.