Part 1 - The Snow King: Meet Stefano Narducci from Northern Snow
Written by Taylor Devoe
Co-Owner of Northern Snow gave the By The North community a behind-the-scenes look on how he took a blue collar industry from outdated to innovative.
Have you ever been doom-scrolling and found yourself watching a random creator’s videos? An hour has somehow passed and you find yourself down a rabbit hole. You’re fixated. I had this experience recently watching countless hours of extremely entertaining snow removal videos on my couch. When I finally came to, I thought to myself, “who even is this guy?” After a quick search I learned his name was Stefano Narducci, and he was the Co-Owner of Northern Snow.
So, Who is Stefano Narducci?
Stefano is a young, Canadian innovator who found viral success on social media while battling winter storms. He gave the By The North community a behind-the-scenes look on how he took a blue collar industry from outdated to innovative.
Stefano was just 19 years old when he started his first business, mowing lawns and snowblowing driveways. While most people don’t see snow removal as innovative, or personal social media content, Stefano had a vision for turning these services into something people cared about. With passion came progress, new business ideas, and people who bought into the fun, all while growing his audience.
When asked what the one title is that he’d give himself, he paused and said, “innovator”. It’s clear he wants to bring something new and improved to everything he’s doing. In the six years since he started, he has grown his business from mowing lawns and snowblowing driveways to technology, merchandise and brand partnerships.
Now at 25, he runs:
Northern Snow - a snow removal and lawn care company located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Aurora Suite Enterprise - the software company that fuels Northern Snow’s success plus 150 other businesses.
Tractor Boys - a merchandise company with durable gear.
He’s a popular social media creator with over 200,000 followers on Instagram and over 200,000 subscribers on Youtube (his videos have over 200 million views!).
And he is Kubota’s only Canadian brand ambassador.
To say he’s a busy guy might be an understatement.
When asked how he manages all of this, he said he worked hard this past year to completely transform his business in the lead up to this winter season, focussing on the operational systems and technology for a smoother customer experience. This winter season has seen an enormous amount of snow and yet he says it’s been the easiest season so far.
How does one make any plans with a schedule that depends on unpredictable weather? He said everything he agrees to, he simply follows up with: weather permitting.
“Christmas dinner? Weather permitting.”
For Stefano, building Northern Snow into what it is today, and planning for the future, outweighs the sacrifices he has had to make along the way.
People love to watch his videos - his dedicated mindset, how he runs his business, treats his employees and handles snowstorms. The videos of tractors gathering at their HQ and going out to clear driveways - they so easily pull you in to see what happens next. The proof is in the numbers. His Youtube account has over 200 million views! I asked him why he thinks this type of content works. He believes it’s the combination of mixing a niche business with good culture, good people, a few characters; “that’s the magic of it”. He always wants to keep it authentic and show himself and his team being themselves, overcoming challenges, and having fun.
He shared when he first started filming, he was new to it. He was just figuring things out and didn’t have any strategy in place. Stefano admits he would be shaking before hitting “post” at the beginning, anxious about what the response would be. Now, he doesn’t give it a second thought.
“Do you read the comments?”, I asked him (of which there are plenty).
“No. Toxic. I rarely even watch my own videos”.
What? Yup, after he was given advice from a fellow creator who told him, “you can either be a consumer or a creator”, Stefano now tries to avoid scrolling at all, including his own content. He said he is flattered by anyone who spends a moment to write a comment, good or bad- but he is staying focused on his goals, and leaves the editing and posting to his Creative Director, Eric Mas (who he found in sunny Arizona and has convinced to relocate to the freezing Sault - that’s a whole other story).
Where Is Stefano Headed Next?
Northern Snow currently services 5100 driveways, have tripled their staff, and have more assets now more than ever. He admits, he has more things to cause problems, but with the new processes, equipment and technology, the future is looking good.
“If you think of the customer first, for every little thing, the business will fall into place”.
He is focused on his goals, strategizing his growth on social media, expanding Northern Snow, and continuing to make improvements so his customers can have the best experience.
Want to learn more about the innovations and processes put in place over at Northern Snow, and to find out what exactly happened last year that almost caused him to lose it all? Check out Part 2- How to Modernize an Old School Industry and Part 3- Fail Fast and Pivot: Founder Lessons from the Snow King.