Have you ever felt unlucky?

Unlucky or just stupid, that's what I say. I have always considered myself smart and business savvy, until I entered the roofing industry. I have earned three degrees in business, communications and marketing. I have started and sold small companies across industries including a roofing company.

The roofing industry has been good to me- made millions, but it's full of slick bottom feeders and low bidders. We have all been exposed to them. I have even been dooped twice by the same bottom feeder, costing me financially- but I don't consider myself unlucky, just stupid.

So before you call yourself unlucky, think about the decisions you make and who you partner with, including your customers. The roofing industry has so much opportunity for good, honest and knowledgeable roofers... but be careful out there!

I feel unlucky whenever I failed in getting what I want in life. It hurts me.

It's gettin;' deep in here, think I'll flush and move along. ;-)

"... who you partner with, including your customers..."

Absolutely. Whether or not any of us choose to see it this way when we enter into an agreement with a client we do become partners. There's no cleaner way to perceive of it.

Living debt free is awesome and buying low and selling high is just smart business. With that being said, where I came from you had to be licensed, bonded and carry liability insurance.. not to mention worker's comp. My full time workers had benefits and company trucks. Even though everything I owned was paid for I still had overhead... and I believed in spreading the wealth with my employees.

After selling my business and moving- it is a great feeling not to bid on every project or get down in the trenches low-ballers- Now most of the time a lead will come in from my website and I will scope a building, make the presentation and bring the client several contractors. The property owner then has a choice of reliable contractors and everyone is happy and makes money!

Twill, we do almost exclusively commercial. We do some foam residential interiors too, but no shingles.

A big part of our cost advantage is being able to do 100 sq. ft. per minute plus the aluminum. Think about the labor savings when 3 men can do 400 SQR in a day rather than 150.

I wonder sometimes what the competitors pay Roofguy. I think the Manufacturer's truck backs into one guy's parking lot around here, which is supposedly a no-no.

How much can one save buying shingles and paper in bulk? Obviously with the manufacturer's "improved" pricing of recent years, they can certainly cut a better deal than say 8 years ago.....

Obviously there is always money saved buying in bigger quantities. Along with a bigger investment to do it.

As was touched on here recently if you are naming or creating your own product the liability will go with it.

Anyway what you've done is in a different arena than the one I operate in. I think....... :S

Roofguy, that is funny. You make your money when you buy, not when you sell. You just smile and wink at them. Nothing pisses them off more.

I don't lose any sleep worrying about what my competitors think my price for roofing should be. Thirty three years in the roofing business has taught me that the average roofer is a poor businessman with little control of his overhead.

If he spends $1,000/mo on internet costs and has a bank note payment on every piece of equipment he owns, he calls me a low bidder because I can outbid him and still make a better margin than he makes at a higher price. He probably has a house payment, I don't. He probably has pickup payments, I don't.

We used to have our own 6,000 semi tanker and bought cutback for $1.37 when everyone else was paying $2.50. We bought granules by the railcar at $5, everyone else was paying $10. We bought poly fabric direct from the plant in Spartanburg for $2, while everyone else was paying $8. We got badmouthed by roofers on both ends - when we got into a competitive school bid project we were called lowballers. When we charged what everyone else was and made an 80% margin, we were called greedy.

I don't lose sleep over what competitors who can't control their costs think my prices should be.

Every job bid should carry enough caulk in the budget for one years worth of "repairs" :laugh:

Everybody and their mama is a roofing contractor these days. Especially in the last dozen years or so since immigrant labor has been so abundant, ( and cheap ).

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to throw out a few ads ( or knock doors ), give a price for a new roof and convince a naive home owner to sign some papers.

Next, just send out the hispanics and if anything goes wrong just send out some other hispanics to "fix" it.