So I recently got to know a guy through something my wife and I did to help out someone he knew (we didn't know him, or have any expectation of getting something - just looked after someone kindly). Turns out this guy is highly successful, and I found his story (and the simplicity of his business idea) very interesting/motivational and figured other people on here would 
This guy, we'll call him 'Steve' came to Canada in the late 90's from an unstable part of Europe in search of a better life. He came with pretty well nothing, no money, no connections beyond knowing a couple of ordinary working guys from his country, or possessions. Couldn't barely even speak English, no qualifications.
Steve arrived in winter, when there was a lot of snow on the ground. Saw the few guys he knew going door to door doing snow shovelling, driveways, rooves and with no other obvious opportunity, he bought himself a snow shovel and joined in.
Steve took his shovel, and his broken English and went door to door and shovelled snow each day until he couldn't shovel any more. Like 18 hours a day. He was earning good money, (and stashing it) but spotted a better path. The big money wasn't in peoples driveways, it was in commercial properties.
So he scrimped, saved, borrowed (getting a lot of 'no's' along the way) and bought an old truck with a plough. He went to lots of different businesses and after a lot of no's ended up getting a couple of snow removal contracts for some apartment buildings. The guaranteed income from these (he always did/still does minimum 3 year contracts) meant he could go and buy another newer truck, and hire a guy to drive it.
But Steve didn't stop there, he kept on selling, and started to pick up bigger and bigger contracts. Office buildings, a Hospital, apartment and condo buildings - all on annual flat-rate 3-5 year contracts. He bought more trucks, and hired more guys. Some winters he won, when there was less snow and ice, and a couple of bad winter's he lost due to the sheer amount of salt and ploughing they had to do. But mostly overall, he won. He kept on buying trucks, and ended up with about 30+ for snow removal now. He never bought more trucks or hired more guys than he had contracts to pay for.
As an example for some context, a commercial contract just for removing snow, salting walkways etc is maybe, $50k/year. On a 5 year guaranteed contract. This last winter, which was particularly light that building had snow removed maybe, twice and needed salting maybe...10-15 times.
And still Steve didn't stop. He could have just done snow removal and taken the summer off. But instead, he got the summer landscaping contracts for all the buildings he was removing snow for in winter. So now, every spring he and his crews plant vast amounts of flowers and make all these buildings look nice, cut grass etc. (Steve stays for spring and then leaves for his house, boat etc in Europe until early winter). The putting a few flowers in a planter, tidying etc through the summer months is as, or more profitable than the snow removal.
His crews are very loyal as he treats them right - pays well, throws free company BBQ's and stuff. He's no mug, but if you work hard and treat him right, he'll look after you.
With no traditional marketing, and an incredibly simple, well-executed service Steve has an incredibly profitable business turning over many millions of dollars. He literally doesn't need, or even want, any more clients. Now, he doesn't have to look for them or knock on doors, they come to him and pretty much have to beg for him to take them on.
This simple little idea that started with buying a shovel and doing some hard work has mushroomed and scaled and become a cash cow. Steve has a portfolio of property now that he rents out, all paid in cash. Nice cars. Mostly the fastlane lifestyle as his crews do all the work. He doesn't need to work but likes to join in still.
I just found his story really amazing, a guy literally that came from nothing and through sheer hard work and perseverance built a huge business. But off the back of such a simple, simple idea, done in such a way that it covers all the CENTS bases. Just shows us all that you don't need to reinvent the wheel.
The nicest thing? He's still a really good guy who looks after people. One day in spring, long after we did our indirect favour, Steve showed up on a Sunday morning with a crew of guys, and breakfast. They completely made over our garden, put planters in, planted flowers, did a ton of mulch, the whole 9 yards.
I was blown away completely, tbh to the point of shedding a tear - no one ever did something like this for me before, we have no family or anyone here so what we have we do for ourselves. To say thanks, we had Steve over for a meal and I got to hear his full story. That day, he'd got another big contract on an office building, 6 figures/year so just too good to turn down.
tl;dr - guy with nothing buys snow shovel, upgrades to truck, buys 30 trucks, gets commercial snow & landscaping contracts and wins. And is still an awesome guy.
This guy, we'll call him 'Steve' came to Canada in the late 90's from an unstable part of Europe in search of a better life. He came with pretty well nothing, no money, no connections beyond knowing a couple of ordinary working guys from his country, or possessions. Couldn't barely even speak English, no qualifications.
Steve arrived in winter, when there was a lot of snow on the ground. Saw the few guys he knew going door to door doing snow shovelling, driveways, rooves and with no other obvious opportunity, he bought himself a snow shovel and joined in.
Steve took his shovel, and his broken English and went door to door and shovelled snow each day until he couldn't shovel any more. Like 18 hours a day. He was earning good money, (and stashing it) but spotted a better path. The big money wasn't in peoples driveways, it was in commercial properties.
So he scrimped, saved, borrowed (getting a lot of 'no's' along the way) and bought an old truck with a plough. He went to lots of different businesses and after a lot of no's ended up getting a couple of snow removal contracts for some apartment buildings. The guaranteed income from these (he always did/still does minimum 3 year contracts) meant he could go and buy another newer truck, and hire a guy to drive it.
But Steve didn't stop there, he kept on selling, and started to pick up bigger and bigger contracts. Office buildings, a Hospital, apartment and condo buildings - all on annual flat-rate 3-5 year contracts. He bought more trucks, and hired more guys. Some winters he won, when there was less snow and ice, and a couple of bad winter's he lost due to the sheer amount of salt and ploughing they had to do. But mostly overall, he won. He kept on buying trucks, and ended up with about 30+ for snow removal now. He never bought more trucks or hired more guys than he had contracts to pay for.
As an example for some context, a commercial contract just for removing snow, salting walkways etc is maybe, $50k/year. On a 5 year guaranteed contract. This last winter, which was particularly light that building had snow removed maybe, twice and needed salting maybe...10-15 times.
And still Steve didn't stop. He could have just done snow removal and taken the summer off. But instead, he got the summer landscaping contracts for all the buildings he was removing snow for in winter. So now, every spring he and his crews plant vast amounts of flowers and make all these buildings look nice, cut grass etc. (Steve stays for spring and then leaves for his house, boat etc in Europe until early winter). The putting a few flowers in a planter, tidying etc through the summer months is as, or more profitable than the snow removal.
His crews are very loyal as he treats them right - pays well, throws free company BBQ's and stuff. He's no mug, but if you work hard and treat him right, he'll look after you.
With no traditional marketing, and an incredibly simple, well-executed service Steve has an incredibly profitable business turning over many millions of dollars. He literally doesn't need, or even want, any more clients. Now, he doesn't have to look for them or knock on doors, they come to him and pretty much have to beg for him to take them on.
This simple little idea that started with buying a shovel and doing some hard work has mushroomed and scaled and become a cash cow. Steve has a portfolio of property now that he rents out, all paid in cash. Nice cars. Mostly the fastlane lifestyle as his crews do all the work. He doesn't need to work but likes to join in still.
I just found his story really amazing, a guy literally that came from nothing and through sheer hard work and perseverance built a huge business. But off the back of such a simple, simple idea, done in such a way that it covers all the CENTS bases. Just shows us all that you don't need to reinvent the wheel.
The nicest thing? He's still a really good guy who looks after people. One day in spring, long after we did our indirect favour, Steve showed up on a Sunday morning with a crew of guys, and breakfast. They completely made over our garden, put planters in, planted flowers, did a ton of mulch, the whole 9 yards.
I was blown away completely, tbh to the point of shedding a tear - no one ever did something like this for me before, we have no family or anyone here so what we have we do for ourselves. To say thanks, we had Steve over for a meal and I got to hear his full story. That day, he'd got another big contract on an office building, 6 figures/year so just too good to turn down.
tl;dr - guy with nothing buys snow shovel, upgrades to truck, buys 30 trucks, gets commercial snow & landscaping contracts and wins. And is still an awesome guy.
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Last edited by a moderator:
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today
