How do I assess the seasonal crew a holiday lighting company depends on?
Find out who actually hangs the lights. Ask how many crew members return each year, who leads each install team, and how the seller recruits and trains new people before the rush. A company that depends on a few trusted foremen is a different purchase from one with a deep, documented bench of seasonal hands.
A holiday lighting business concentrates its work into a few frantic weeks, so crew quality matters more than almost anything else. Ask the seller for a list of last season’s workers, their roles, and which of them returned from the year before. Return rates tell you more than any recruiting pitch.
Meet the foremen if you can. They are often the people homeowners trust, and they know which jobs are tricky, which roofs are awkward and which customers need a call before arrival. Ask whether they have any incentive to stay after the sale, such as a bonus that pays on completion of the season. Look at how crews are paid and classified, and ask your accountant and lawyer to review the arrangement. Check how training works for ladder and electrical safety, and whether incident records exist.
Finally, ask how the work is scheduled. If one person holds the whole season in their head, the schedule is a risk. A shared route sheet, a job board and written install notes mean a new owner can run the season without relying on one individual.
Key takeaways
- Ask for last season’s crew list and who came back from earlier years.
- Meet the foremen and find out what keeps them with the business after a sale.
- Check whether scheduling and install notes are written down or live in one person’s head.
- Ask what the seller does in the off-season to stay in touch with crew, since a loose connection makes recruiting harder each autumn.
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Succession
Selling
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to reduce employee turnover
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