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.
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?
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.
Key Learnings
Umbrella Liability Beats Raising General Liability Limits - Umbrella coverage isn't auditable like general liability, so it gives you broader protection over auto and employer's liability without driving up your audit exposure.
Sales vs Payroll Rating Changes Everything - Being rated on snow payroll instead of total snow sales gives carriers a more accurate picture of your true exposure and can dramatically lower your premiums.
Guaranteed Cost Contracts Distort Sales Numbers - When clients pay $500,000 whether it snows 2 inches or 200, sales doesn't reflect actual risk exposure, which is why the payroll rating shift matters so much.
Choose Your Clients Wisely - You can run a flawless snow operation, but if your client list is heavy on gas stations and big box retail, insurance carriers may decline to write the account because of slip and fall frequency.
Site Type Matters More Than Industry Label - A local bank and a Walmart are both retail, but they carry completely different risk profiles, so generic application categories without conversation create real problems.
Camera Footage Defends Against Bogus Claims - Forward-facing, rear-facing, and driver-facing cameras give carriers the evidence they need to fight inflated or fraudulent claims rather than just settling them.
You Can Be Involved but Can't Decide - You have every right to talk to adjusters and share your perspective, but the final claims decision belongs to the insurance carrier as a financial business decision.
Settlements Aren't a Reflection of Your Work - Carriers settle based on local jury tendencies and cost analysis, not because you did a bad job, so don't take settled claims personally.
Documentation Dictates Settlement Amounts - Time-stamped records showing arrival, salt application, monitoring, and return trips give carriers reason to fight harder for you and can reduce settlement amounts.
Excess and Surplus Means More Cost, Less Flexibility - Non-admitted carriers can dictate exclusions and rates, often using minimum premiums based on sales that you can't recover even if your revenue comes in lower than projected.
Ask Your Agent the Right Questions - Know whether you're in the standard or excess and surplus market, whether your rating is based on sales or payroll, and what your minimum premium is so you can plan accurately.
Separate Entities Limit Risk Spread - Putting your snow business in a separate legal entity from your summer operation costs more but protects your entire company from being dropped over one bad claim year.
Your Agent Must Tell Your Story - Insurance carriers don't specialize in snow because it's volatile, so your agent's ability to honestly and accurately paint your operation to underwriters directly affects what coverage you can get.
Responsiveness Builds Trust - In insurance and most service businesses, being available and communicating quickly is what separates a relationship-driven agent from a transactional one.
Reflection Questions
Are you blindly accepting your insurance structure, or do you know whether you're being rated on sales or payroll, and what your minimum premium actually is?
What does your client list look like through an underwriter's eyes, and are you taking on accounts that may be hurting your insurability without realizing it?
How strong is your documentation when a claim hits, and would your time-stamped records give your carrier enough reason to fight rather than settle?
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