It began with a Reddit Post. And a ladder.

In 2020, Steve Hansekar was working in technical sales, when he stumbled in a post hanging Christmas lights to earn extra money.

With a crew, a truck and zero experience, he gave it a shot.

He was brought for the first season $ 35,000. Today, his company – Valley Christmas Lights – Earned more than $ 800,000 in just two months.

Here is how Steve extended a stunning side in a wildly beneficial seasonal business – and if you are thinking about your own light, what can his journey be taught to you.

From teen cells to tinsel – first season

Steve did not set to create a lighting empire. He was only burnt with tech cells and was doing something different. During the height of the epidemic, a redit thread held her eye about the holiday light installed – and some clicked.

“I ordered some basic gear, watched a ton YouTube video, and began knocking on the doors around his Scotsdale neighborhood,” he said. “No customer relationship management (CRM), no real plan – just me, a ladder, and my Ford fusion.”

That first year was all Udham.

He quoted the jobs on the fly, felt the intestine and gave everything the price, and learned through testing and error. But one thing continued to him: Every time a house owner flipped the switch and smiled, he felt as if he was on something.

By the end of that first season, Steve brought more than $ 30,000. “At that time, it felt like a crazy victory,” he said. “I didn’t expect it to change for a long time. But look back, that season laid the foundation for everything.”

Yard signal, mouth word, and a system which scalled

In the early days, Steve did not have a marketing budget – just a ladder, a udham mentality, and some smart bets that paid. Free or super Low cost marketing strategy Will have to work.

“The yard sign was my MVP,” he said. “I left one on every full job, and ensured that it had a clear call for action.”

Including that alone dozens of conversations-especially tight-sore scotted in the neighborhood where the curb appeal is noticed. Neighbors running from the neighbor will stop and ask questions. Some also gave pictures of sign to send their spouse or HOA group chat.

Steve also barely bent into the referral, but with a twist: he gave physical gift cards to happy customers that they could hand over to friends and neighbors. Each card had a unique tracking code to find out who was mentioned. “When something is solid to give to people, they actually do so,” he said. “It is more effective than asking for share or tag.”

Still, those scary, hyperlokal strategy paid advertisements.

“We still launch Facebook campaigns and retires potential customers,” Steve said, “but the words of the signs and mouth move faster than the algorithms. Especially when people can see your work at the next door.”

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What did Steve do in a different way to go from $ 35K to $ 100K

From the second season of Steve, the word was spreading – but therefore there were increasing pain.

“I was getting more leads, but I couldn’t keep an eye on anything,” he said. “Quotes were buried in texts. Payments were manuals. It was a mess.”

Then he started investing in the system. He onboard Jobs to handle quotes, appointments and payments at one place – and formed a simple pricing template based on linear footage and type of roof. Steve said, “It saved me from back and forth hours.” “And this helped me to prevent me from reducing jobs.”

He also re -acted his setup process to reduce mistakes. Every bin was labeled. The equipment was packed in the same order every time. His ladder and gear lived in a certain loadout, so nothing left behind.

That structure paid. In the year two, with a small team and those new systems, Steve covered a distance of more than $ 100,000 in a two-month stretch-a total of three of his first year.

“Installs were better, the days were smooth, and I could actually think of development,” he said.

How personal loss almost derailed from business

For three years, Steve had a speed of seasonal Udham – but everything was almost different.

He said, “The day our install season kicked, I lost my elder brother.” “I went away from business to live with family, and things went by rail.”

While Steve had gone, the person he charged could not keep. Installs delayed. Customers were disappointed. When Steve came back, it felt as if everything was set on fire.

To fix this, he bowed to the only person who did not leave: a new team member who is now his business partner. Together, they pulled the 18-hour days for weeks-rebuilding the numerous, repairing the customer relationship, and relying at a home at a time.

“We were inches away from selling our car to make parole,” Steve said. “But we made it.”

That season – the most difficult of his life – it was also who assured him that it was not just one Side -hustle now and. It was worth construction. Something like this can happen.

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What does $ 800K look really in 60 days

Today, Steve’s two -month light season is far from his single Ford fusion days.

During peak, three or more installed crew hit the streets daily-with a trained lead, multiple team members (several from local colleges), and a truck was fully stocked with commercial-grade materials, backup parts and safety gear. Every work follows strict SOPs from client Walkthrough to final cleanup.

But it is not just a crew that works. These are the systems behind them.

“We start running Facebook advertisements and retiring campaigns in late September,” Steve said. “It heats up the market. But it is our early bird promo – SMS and email explosion to previous customers – which boat our calendar faster.”

All flow through a central CRM, with snipylead automated quotes follow -up, lead routing and customer nutrition. This speed-to-response has been important: The faster their team responds, the more jobs are closed.

Just as important team is culture. Most of their parties are seasonal – but they are well paid, well trained, and treated like professionals. “We run a tight ship,” Steve said. “But we also make it a place where people want to come back.”

However, not every growth move worked. In an early season, Steve tried to install an outsourcing to a sub -conductor – and quickly regret it. He said, “We had to re -do a group of jobs due to quality issues,” he said. “Now, everyone is trained at home. There is no exception.”

It adds everything that looks comfortable from outside. But behind the curtain, it is an operation built on time, technology and trust.

Steve’s advice for installer for the first time

Steve’s biggest win did not come from being the cheapest – he came from being the most reliable.

“If you answer first, clearly quote, and show on time, you are already ahead of most people,” he said.

To think about launching the uproar of his own seasonal light side for anyone, Steve offered some simple – but powerful principles:

• start small. Focus on 1-2 zip code, especially early. “You will move faster and make the mouth a way easier,” he said.
• Price for profit. Do not try to win when the cheapest. “It’s a race at the bottom – and most customers are happy to pay for quality.”
• Organize quickly. Even a pricing sheet such as basic equipment, installing checklists, or can save the shared calendar back and forth hours.
• Ask for social evidence. Get a review and photo from every customer. “This is the most valuable property you can collect in a year.”
• Reconstruction. Before you take a big payday, put the money back into better equipment, sharp branding and smooth workflow.

“You don’t need a crew or trailer to start,” Steve said. “You just need to give a supporting experience – even if it is just you and a ladder.”

Beyond holidays – now what is Steve’s building

Valley Christmas Lights were just the beginning.

After proving the model with a seasonal install, Steve launched the Valley Premier Lighting, a sister company, focusing on permanent lighting solutions-the way the accent is a year for light, safety or color-controlled holiday display. This business now moves together with its seasonal operation and is scaling rapidly.

They also started Home service acceleratorA program to help other home service entrepreneurs to help and develop their businesses by using an accurate playbook that took them to the $ 800k season from the Solo Side Hustle.

But for Steve, it is no longer about light.

He said, “I like to see that people control their future.” “Whether it is a hanging light or pressure or serving any house – if you are ready to work, there is no reason that you cannot do anything that you are proud of.”

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