Who This Course Is For:
- A roofing or trades salesperson ready to step out on your own to run your own roofing business. Perhaps you have a good handle on the sales but need help on developing the business and the production. We can help.
- A roofing subcontractor who is ready to start running his own jobs without the help of a paper contractor. We will help you make the step from just supplying the labor to ordering materials, measuring roofs, and hiring an office/ sales staff.
- Someone new to the trades and wants to learn how the whole operation works. This was us when we first started Digital Roofing Innovations. We had very little knowledge and you can avoid our myriad of mistakes by taking this course.
- 4.8 Instructor Rating
Zach Blenkinsopp also known as Zach the Roofing Maniacis the President of Digital Roofing Innovations, DRI, Inc., and from the infamous Get a Roof, Get a Gun commercial! Zach loves the roofing and construction industry and feels fortunate to have found his calling at a young age. Much of his success has been attributed to trying crazy things, failing, then learning from his mistakes.
What Is The Difference Between Residential And Commercial Roofing
The most distinguishable difference between residential roofing and commercial roofing is the appearance. Compared to residential roofs, commercial roofs are usually low sloped or entirely flat. For the materials used, roofs of residential properties are more flexible as different roofing materials can be used.
Commercial roofing prioritizes durability over aesthetic, so sturdy and long-lasting materials like metal panels and Built-Up Roofing Membrane are used.
Choose A Suitable Location For Your Business
Indeed one of the most notable reasons people shy away from the roofing business is that they think they need a huge garage or office for the business. But you should know that you can successfully set up a small office in any space, even in an apartment. With a little planning and adjustments, you will surely feel comfortable in it. First and foremost, you need to be much more thoughtful about your tool selection. A 14-inch band saw? In your dreams. When starting small, you will need to make use of easy and handheld tools. Another thing to consider is safety and clean up: Proper ventilation and dust collection.
Getting a suitable location in this business is very important to the success of your business, but this can prove quite difficult because one of the challenges of starting a business successfully is getting a good business site. For you to be able to get a location that will make you a formidable opponent to your competitors, you need to consider the ideas listed below
- Demographics and Psychographics
- Let your location boost your brand awareness
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What Is The Growth Potential For A Roofing Company
Successful, hardworking roofing business owners enjoy unlimited potential for growth. This is especially true of roofers located in urban or suburban areas with large populations. Roofs require plenty of attention and repairs, especially in areas that experience frequent rainstorms, windstorms, snow storms and other inclement weather. The only constraints on a roofing business’s growth are a lack of capital to purchase roofing materials and hire personnel. Most roofers find enough clients to expand their business at their desired growth rate.
Find A Business Mentor
One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.
Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.
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How Much Should You Charge For Roofing Services
Your prices will depend on the size of the roof and the materials used. You should estimate your total costs of materials and labor and aim for a profit margin of about 30% when youre running your business from home.
Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your mark-up and final price points. Remember, the prices you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.
Develop Strategies To Boost Brand Awareness And Create A Corporate Identity
Having a well-known roofing business brand is what all firms in this industry are striving for, but this not something you can fetch from the rivers, it can only be gotten by your hard work and creativity. We advise that you offer interesting angles or hooks, and you can find your way into blogs, onto the TV news and radio talk shows, and into newspapers and magazines. Things to leverage on to boost your brand awareness may include
- Always note your business problems and how you are solving them
- Create Google Alerts for the types of crafts or artwork you are selling such as woodworking, knitting, stained glass, etc..
- Submit press releases and photos to the New Products sections of magazines.
- Go after the National Public Radio website for programs that might want you as a guest
- Offer to write a guest blog post for bloggers whose audience are part of your target market.
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Whether You’re A Dentist Office Or Dog Walker You’ll Find Complete Business Plans For Every Type Of Business
Whether you’re a small- or mid-sized business, freelancer, nonprofit, or still figuring that out, we’ve got you covered.
LivePlan’s sample business plan library has real business plans from over 100 industries. You can see the complete list here.
Even if you can’t find an exact match to your business, that’s OK. You don’t need an exact match for a sample plan to be helpful. Instead, look for a plan that’s closely related to the type of business you’re starting. For example, if you want to start a vegetarian restaurant, a plan for a steakhouse will still be a great match.
While the specifics of your actual business will differ, the elements you’ll want to include in your restaurant’s business plan are similarand they’re all included in LivePlan.
How And When To Build A Team
Though you will be able to perform some roof evaluations and repairs on your own in the first weeks and months of your roofing company’s launch, you will eventually need to hire a team of roofers. If your business grows, you will reach the point where you manage a team of roofers from the comfort of your office. Key in on experience and work ethic when hiring roofers. You need skilled individuals who aren’t afraid of hard work. After all, working high up on an angled roof on blazing hot summer days is not easy. Check each candidate’s references and work history to get a gauge as to whether he is cut out for this grueling work.
Next Steps
Check out our How to Start a Business page.
Sign up at the Business Center to access useful tools for your business.
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After You’re Done Setting Up Your Business You Can Get Started On Your Business Strategy
The LivePlan Pitch is a onepage summary of your business that defines your strategy. It’s a fast, simple, and more effective way to document your business idea. LivePlan lets you publish your pitch on the web and export to PowerPoint so you can share it on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or even with old fashioned email.
Step : Open A Business Bank Account & Credit Card
Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.
When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.
Additionally, learning how to build business credit can help you get and other financing in your business’s name , better interest rates, higher lines of credit, and more.
Open a business bank account
Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:
- Makes accounting and tax filing easier.
Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.
Open net 30 accounts
Net 30 accounts are used to establish and build business credit as well as increase business cash flow. With a net 30 account, businesses buy goods and repay the full balance within a 30-day term.
NetMany net 30 credit vendors report to the major business credit bureaus . This is how businesses build business credit so they can qualify for credit cards and other lines of credit.
Recommended: Read our best net 30 vendors, guide and start building business credit.
Get a business credit card
Getting a business credit card helps you:
- Build your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.
Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from Divvy and build your business credit quickly.
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Consider Your Work Rate
Assuming that you get a fairly steady stream of work, the amount that you can earn depends partly on the number of days you work and the length of your working day.
You may decide to stick to normal business hours, for example 8.30 am until 5.30 pm Monday to Friday and perhaps Saturdays too. Or you may decide to work longer hours. Remember though that bad weather can disrupt your work schedules. Perhaps you are prepared to work very long hours when the weather is fair and your services are in demand, taking some time off during quieter periods.
Some roofing firms offer a 24 hour emergency service for work such as repairing loose and damaged slates. If you intend to offer this service you will need to make sure that you can provide cover at all times, particularly during the winter. You might decide to team up with another roofer to share responsibility for emergency calls.
As an experienced roofer, you should have an idea how long certain types of jobs will take you. It is very important when quoting for a job that you can make an accurate estimate of how long it will take. It’s no good quoting for three days work if it ends up taking you five!
The speed at which you work depends on your own skills and experience and on the type and standard of the work that you do. Your charges should reflect all of these things.
Are There Grants To Start A Roofing Business
Its extremely rare to find a grant to start a roofing business. If you search for business grants, you will come across a lot of scams and misinformation. Occasionally an organization will offer grants to start a business, however, be skeptical and dont provide any sensitive personal information or pay money to get more information.
Legitimate federal grants can be found at Grants.gov and you can check on your states economic development office to see if they have any grants available.
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Will Liveplan Work For My Industry
LivePlan works for every industry: retail, restaurants, services, healthcare, and all other sectors. It also comes with over 500 sample plans you can use as a guide while writing your own plan. Plus, LivePlan has industry benchmarks for over 1,000 industries included. Knowing your industry standards helps ensure that your forecast is both challenging and achievable.
Develop Your Roofing Company Marketing Materials
The key marketing materials you will need are as follows:
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Be The Leader Your Company Needs
Becoming a strong leader for your business is an important step if you want to grow. Business leaders with a clear vision, strong communication, and deft organization are able to overcome challenges and make wise decisions as they grow.
Many roofing business owners started out as roofers or supervisors. The upside of that path is that you have excellent background knowledge about the industry that can inform decisions about materials, techniques, or sales. On the other hand, very few people are natural born leaders, and working as an individual roofer doesnt always offer the opportunity to develop leadership skills.
So start working on becoming a better leader right now.
Other Ways Of Advertising
Your local paper may run a regular ‘contact the experts’ advertising feature. Remember that your vehicle can be a very effective means of advertising if you have it sign-written and keep it clean and presentable. You might consider having a large sign made that you can display outside places where you are working and/or on scaffolding – but make sure your customer and other contactors have no objections before putting it up. Also be sure that it does not cause an obstruction or hazard.
Think about other ways of marketing and promoting your business. You could sponsor a local sports club or event, for example.
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What Happens During A Typical Day At A Roofing Company
The typical roofing business owner has an incredibly busy workday. They are constantly looking to establish relationships with property owners of all varieties, from business owners to homeowners, apartment complex owners, condominium owners and beyond. Aside from recruiting clients, roofing company owners also search for high-quality, low-cost roofing materials. They ensure an ample supply of these materials are on-hand to meet the demands of each roofing project. Furthermore, roofing business owners assign workers to specific projects to ensure each client’s roofing project is completed in a thorough and timely manner.
Invoice Like A Professional
Invoicing is one of the more tedious parts of running your own business. Its time-consuming, requires attention to detail, and just adds another layer of complication to your financial bookkeeping.
To keep you right, heres a checklist of everything you need to include for a professional invoice.
- A unique invoice number. They need to be different for each client. For example, John Smiths invoices could be numbered JS1, JS2, JS3 etc.
- The total amount charged
- Your business bank account details .
- A client reference number or Purchase Order number.
A lot of invoices also include payment terms, including late payment information.
Small businesses typically provide 30-day payment terms, but its entirely up to you. Just make sure you invoice as soon as possible so you get your payments on time.
Since invoicing can be a pain, try downloading accounting software. Itll automatically record all your transactions and help you create professional invoices for all your clients.
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What Is The Most Durable Roofing Material
Ideal for huge commercial establishments, the corrugated galvanized steel is considered the most durable roofing material because of its high resistance to winds and low heat absorption. Galvanized steel is also corrosion and rust-resistant, which makes it last even longer than other roofing materials.
Raise The Needed Startup Capital
The amount of capital you will require rests on the Business model you plan to use, and whether you are using subcontractors or employees. But it is advisable that you start with a very low overheard most roofing business owners in the industry leveraged on slow initial growth. Be patient and allow your equipment to pay for itself before going off to buy more. Same goes with the hiring processes learn to hire slowly and fire quickly. Ways of financing your roofing company may include
- Personal savings
- Family and friends
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Hire Or Outsource The Roofing Work
Hiring or outsourcing some roofing work can ease some of the time constraints and stress that may be caused by working alone. Even though you might prefer these services yourself, outsourcing some tasks to companies that specialize in particular aspects of your roofing business will provide relief, particularly when working with fixed time frames.
Branding Your Roofing Business
Running a roofing company involves a lot more than just fixing roofs. Small business owners wear a lot of hats, including that of Chief Brand Officer. A businesss brand is the first impression it makes on peers and potential clients, and can mean the difference between thriving and struggling.
Business Cards & Basics
The key to good branding is to explore all options for getting the word out about your company. Business cards are a tried and true option for roofers, but the modern age opens up plenty of great digital marketing opportunities for roofers. Websites, social media, branded email blasts, newsletters, and more can all spread the word about a new business. Likewise, asking satisfied customers to post reviews on services like Yelp or Google can go a long way to making a company look great.
Whats a Good Name for a Roofing Company?
All the branding in the world cant help a company with an unmemorable name. Marketing research offers some key tips when choosing a name. For just a few rules of thumb, roofers should pick a name that appeals to their desired customers, that is comforting and familiar enough to be associated with home and family, and that features the name of the area being serviced.
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