Story Time: A Roofer's Journey Part 1
I’ve been around the roofing business for a long time. And I’ve noticed that just about every roofing company owner has a similar story.
I'll use "Bob" to tell the fictional (but very realistic) origin story of almost every roofing business owner I know.
Bob started out working in sales at a roofing company. The job wasn’t easy, but he discovered that he was good at talking to people and pretty soon the commissions started rolling in. Bob was making good money, but he started to suspect that the owner—who is definitely not knocking doors all day in the July heat—is making great money.
“This sucks,” Bob thinks to himself. Tensions gradually increase. Then, there’s full-on conflict. And one day he says, “I don’t need them … I can go out on my own and make the money I deserve!”
He quits. And suddenly he finds himself the proud owner of Bob’s Roofing Co.
For the first year or so, life is good. The sales are rolling in, and the profits are going into Bob’s pocket. He hires a couple of salespeople, and almost overnight, Bob’s life gets a lot more complicated. And with more people and more jobs to take care of, but insurance payments taking 60 days or longer to collect, his cash flow is more of a cash trickle.
It’s put up or shut up time, and Bob decides to go all-in on growth. Fueled by “hopium” he makes more hires, takes on more jobs, and begins to rack up significant debt. (I mean, he’s got his salesperson at the local Ford dealership on speed dial!) Every week is a financial highwire act, and Bob starts to realize that while he’s good at roofing he doesn’t know much at all about running a business.
Is this sounding like anyone you know?
I created the SquareDash fintech platform for all the Bobs out there who are dedicated to growing their contracting businesses. As I’ve explained in previous blogs, SquareDash generates cash flow for roofers and restoration contractors by fronting the ACV at the beginning of the job and the depreciation as soon as the job is complete. No more chasing checks, and no more waiting 60 days or longer for insurance checks to come through.
But just as importantly, I want to help you succeed by sharing what I learned by operating a successful roofing business. On this blog, on our Facebook page, and on Instagram I’ll be telling you what I did right, what I did wrong, and how you can run your business more effectively—operations, sales, finance, marketing, and more.
We’re in this together.
So, how can I help? You can email me with questions or to schedule a demo of our platform. And, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.
About SquareDash
SquareDash is a veteran-owned financial services company based in Dallas, Texas. Our proprietary fintech platform is solving the cash flow crisis for contractors around the U.S. who deal with insurance claims. Learn more at SquareDash.com.