What Are the Best Seasonal Business Ideas?

Don't have the time or desire to run a business year-round? Many business ideas center around an activity that peaks or are needed most during a specific season. These ventures allow you to work part or full-time for a season and accept other opportunities in the off-season. Click through for the best seasonal business ideas for each quarter.

Best Seasonal Business Ideas: Winter

Chimney Sweeping
Demand soars among homeowners in wintertime for chimney sweep professionals who can inspect and clean their fireplaces, chimneys, flue pipes and ducts to keep them in safe working condition. You can get chimney sweep training or a formal certification from the Chimney Safety Institute of America to grow your expertise.

Storage Facility
The self-storage industry has grown roughly 7.7 percent annually since 2012, according to IBISWorld. Buying or building a self-storage unit in a convenient location and renting it out can be profitable in winter when homeowners seek out extra storage to sock away their warm-weather wardrobe and luggage in preparation for cold-weather essentials.

Snow Removal
Snow-covered driveways are one of the biggest wintertime woes for homeowners. The high demand for professionals willing to take this task off of homeowners' hands in the winter can offset the cost of snow removal equipment such as shovels or snow plows.

Best Seasonal Business Ideas: Spring

Grass Cutting
Lawn mowing and edging needs usually decline in winter and rise again in spring. Trimming the wild turf of private residences in the spring can pay generous dividends if you're willing to invest in quality mowers and trimmers and endure the occasional heat wave.

Maid Service
A 2017 study sponsored by Clorox, Ketchum Global Research & Analytics showed that 66 percent of surveyed Americans took part in spring cleaning. A seasonal maid service that offers spring cleaning can thrive if you have the necessary cleaning supplies and transportation and don't mind the occasional dirty work.

Mother's Day Gifts
The National Retail Federation estimated that Mother's Day spending would top $23 billion in 2018. Sentimentalists can capitalize on America's annual Mom-mania by starting a business that makes and delivers niche gifts to mothers on their special day. You can also have a drop-seller ship wholesale gifts directly to customers.

Best Seasonal Business Ideas: Summer

Pool Cleaning
Summer represents peak season for swimming pool use, especially in hot regions of the country. You can turn over a sizable profit by inspecting and cleaning residential pools and internal components and maintaining adequate water and water chemical levels.

Food Truck
Food trucks serve up food and fun at businesses, college campuses or ceremonies at private residences or commercial buildings. The tendency for people to take a break from the kitchen and spend more time outdoors in the summer makes this one of the best seasonal business ideas for road-loving entrepreneurs with strong interpersonal and culinary skills.

Boat Rentals
Water lovers who live by an ocean, lake or river can easily start a burgeoning boat rental business. First steps involve buying a boat and either renting or buying a dock and then renting out the watercraft.

Target vacationers, fisherman or others seeking a sojourn on the sea. You may need to hire a certified boat captain to man the boat, depending on where you live.

Best Seasonal Business Ideas: Fall

Leaf Raking
While not for those with bad backs, clearing debris from the leaf-filled lawns of private residences or commercial buildings in the fall can be lucrative. The low-cost business idea requires only a quality rake, leaf bags and gloves, and other protective clothing.

Become familiar with the local ordinances pertaining to compost. You may need to stash the leaf litter in biodegradable bags and dispose of them in compost bins.

Back-to-School Shopping
Busy parents are often even more averse to back-to-school shopping than their kids are to go back to school. Therefore, you can please parents everywhere by launching a business that takes care of the annual autumn school supply run. This type of service delivers the pens, pencils and other essentials directly to customers.

Gutter Cleaning
If you're not afraid of heights, freeing clogged gutters of trapped leaves and other debris can make you a hot commodity among homeowners in the fall. Professional gutter cleaners should strongly consider obtaining liability insurance to cover themselves in the event of an accident or property damage.