Phil Harwood on The Grow Show: Leadership Lessons, Industry Trends, and Why Snow Is the Most Profitable Part of Your Business

Upcoming Events

Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM.

Contract Review | Tuesday, June 2, 2026 Internal review and update of sales contracts and subcontractor agreements.

Pricing & Estimating Review | Tuesday, July 7, 2026 Are you pricing for profit or just hoping to break even?

Finding & Managing Subcontractors | Tuesday, August 11, 2026 How do you find subcontractors who actually show up when it snows?

Capacity Planning | Tuesday, September 8, 2026 How do you determine your true operational capacity?

Recruiting | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Why can't you find good people to hire, and what can you do about it?

Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want?

Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions?

See the full webinar list →

In-Person Event

GROW! Snow | September 22 to 23, 2026 An in-person event built for snow leaders and their teams. Two days of snow-specific breakout sessions, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. Details coming soon.

This week's episode is a little different. Phil Harwood joins Marty Grunder on The Grow Show to discuss the strategic partnership between Snow Fighters Institute and The Grow Group, share his 40 years of industry experience, and explain why snow removal can be the most profitable part of a service business. From his early days running printing equipment in the family business to his current role as a consultant and attorney, Phil reveals the leadership principles that have served him throughout his career, the trends shaping the future of snow operations, and why building a sellable business benefits every owner regardless of exit plans.

Key Learnings

Snow Fighting Is Emergency Service Work - Snow removal is comparable to firefighting because crews are on call all winter and must drop everything when activity starts, requiring a mindset that embraces the calling rather than resenting it.

Find Companies That Love Snow - The best operators love snow not because they enjoy leaving their families for three days, but because they understand they're providing valuable emergency services that make a real difference.

Degrees Don't Equal Smartness or Success - Education provides knowledge, but you have to apply what you learned and surround yourself with smart people to actually succeed in business.

Outsiders Get Heard More Than Insiders - The same advice from an internal team member often gets ignored but is celebrated when delivered by an objective outside consultant with no skin in the game.

Do What You Say You're Going to Do - The basics like answering your phone, being respectful, and following through on commitments sound like cliches but remain the foundation of successful business relationships.

Be Great at What You Want Your Team to Be Good At - Leaders are always being watched, so demonstrating excellence in the areas you want your team to excel in is more powerful than telling them what to do.

Show Up Early and Be Prepared - Getting to the shop two hours before crews arrive, plowing the lot, making coffee, and cleaning trucks sets the tone for the entire operation.

Unintended Consequences Live Behind Core Values - Slogans like "service is always in season" can create costly operational inefficiencies when teams take them too literally without considering the bigger picture.

Drive to Learn Matters More Than Ability - Phil learned to identify every tree in the Detroit metro area in one winter by keeping a tree book in his truck and studying at every stop sign because he wanted to know.

Education Creates Career Paths - Exposing team members to industry education often sparks interest that pulls them deeper into the profession and creates clear paths to greater contributions.

Technology Is Transforming Snow Operations - From real-time coaching built into wheel loaders to remote operators who could eventually run machines from anywhere in the world, technology is reshaping how snow operations function.

Software Integration Is Now Essential - Business management platforms like Aspire integrate with snow equipment to capture data on salt usage and operations, making this technology affordable even for smaller contractors.

The Great Wealth Transfer Is Happening Now - Baby boomers transferring businesses to the next generation is driving educational programs around selling and valuing businesses, making succession planning a critical industry trend.

Build a Sellable Business Whether or Not You're Selling - Setting your business up so someone could easily buy it means you have the systems, key people, and processes that make any business better regardless of exit plans.

Snow Can Drive 80% of Your Profits - In Phil's previous business, snow operations made up 50% of revenue but generated 80% of profits, demonstrating how profitable snow can be when done well.

Reflection Questions

How are you positioning snow removal within your business - as a necessary evil you complain about, or as a valuable emergency service that can be the most profitable part of your operation?

Are you being the example you want your team to follow, showing up early, being prepared, and demonstrating excellence in the areas you want them to excel in?

Is your business set up so that someone could buy it tomorrow if they wanted to, with systems, key people, and processes that don't depend entirely on you being there?