The holiday season may be over, but your business-building opportunities are just getting started.
This is the moment that separates reactive installers from strategic pros. Post-season is where you tighten operations, rebook loyal clients, and set your sights on bigger goals. If you want to crush 2025, the work starts now.
Here’s your game plan.
Table of Contents
- Set Your Strategy: Plan Like a Pro
- Smarter Takedowns = Easier Reinstalls
- Book Next Season While Emotions Are High
- Label, Store & Scale
- Order Early, Save Big
Set Your Strategy: Plan Like a Pro
January isn’t for hibernating. It’s for planning.
Use this time to map out your 2026 holiday season:
- What’s your revenue goal?
- How many installs does that mean?
- What’s your ideal average job size?
- How much should you spend on marketing (aim for 10–15% of revenue)?
💡 Pro Tip: Create a simple business plan spreadsheet with monthly targets for sales, revenue, leads, installs, and costs. “Inspect what you expect.”
Set a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) for the year, and work backwards from there. Whether it’s hitting $500K, launching a second crew, or doubling your upsell rate, a clear plan beats wishful thinking every time.
Smarter Takedowns = Easier Reinstalls
The most profitable installers use removals to set themselves up for smoother, faster reinstalls next year.
- Email all clients to let them know their takedown week
- Batch by neighborhood to reduce drive time
- Target 8–10 removals per crew per day
💡 Pro Tip: Give clients a week-long window (not a fixed day). It frees you up to route efficiently.
Once onsite:
- Take updated photos of every display
- Annotate images (roofline, trunk wrap, power source)
- Label bins clearly (Client Name, Bin 1 of 2, etc.)
- Label each string if needed (e.g., "Front Roofline, 2nd Floor, Male End Right")
Remember: If you take clear notes, you’ll thank yourself later. Knowing where all the lights go is important when you’re reinstalling on the home the year after.
Book Next Season While Emotions Are High
January is the best time to rebook your clients.
They’ve just enjoyed their lights. They’re still excited. And they’ll likely say yes to next year’s install and an upsell.
- Book their reinstall date now (based on your routing needs)
- Offer design upgrades while the display is fresh in their mind
- Cross-sell your core services (window cleaning, landscaping, etc.)
💡 Pro Tip: Upsell during the preseason. Ask every client, “Was there anything missing you’d like to add next year?”
Label, Store & Scale
Storage bins aren’t just storage.
They’re a system.
Make sure to use durable, stackable bins. You can even drill 2" vent holes on each side so that moisture doesn’t build up inside.
Label each bin with the client’s name and the bin number (e.g., Smith – 1 of 2). Keep all your bins in-house, not at the client’s place. This is especially true if you work for a leasing model, but is also good advice for selling businesses, too. Check out our blog post about Leasing vs. Selling to find out which model will work best for you.
Storing everything yourself means:
- You control the reinstall schedule
- Nothing goes missing
- You don’t waste hours chasing down bins
💡 Pro Tip: Use software like CompanyCam to save annotated project photos and bin locations.
Order Early, Save Big
Want to maximize margin and guarantee your inventory? Preseason ordering is your edge.
Big Star Lights’ preseason sale offers 30% off your 2026 product order with a tiered deposit schedule:
- 30% due January 17
- 30% due June 3
- 40% due August 14
Products ship at the end of August—right when you need them.
💡 Pro Tip: You only need $5,000 minimum to lock in preseason pricing. Build your quote online today.
Recap: How to Win the Postseason
✅ Plan your season now with a clear goal and monthly roadmap
✅ Schedule removals in batches and label everything for next year
✅ Rebook your clients and upsell while they’re still in love with their lights
✅ Store bins in your space for full control and easy operations
✅ Submit your preseason order before January 17 and save 30%
Nail the off-season, and 2026 will become your most organized (and most profitable) year yet.