I have been in this business for a long time. Anything from installer, sales and management. However, I am tired of the same old song and dance. You know the one "Sale, Sale, Sale" But they never pay you or they can't pay their bills.....I am ready to try my own go a this. Here is what I have. Sales team, canvassers, telemarketers, office management, office desk, computers, etc all I need now is the help to do it right. If anyone can give me some advise....
Why Lanny, that is purely "Unamerican" If the bankers don't get their cut how is the country going to survive? Off from the top no less!
---I had to read quite a few responses before someone finally said, "Why do you need to borrow money?" ---Get to work! Money will follow. I have never borrowed a penny to start several businesses. I started small with what I had and worked the business and as I made money the business grew. ---That is why we are in a recession today. DEBT DEBT DEBT...Those with money in the bank are not in foreclosure, not in bankruptcy, and riding out the recession. All The media reports is that we are in a crisis because the banks aren't lending. The entire philosophy is that it takes debt to do anything. Debt is why we are in the crisis! Those that save have a reserve for emergencies. Those that borrow are caught short when the bottom drops out. ---The gov't is the biggest culprit. Debt service creates high overhead and has caused many businesses to fail. ---Romans 13:8 "Owe no man anything." Lanny
Not to change the subject ,but I could use a new financial backer as well !!!! :dry: :dry:
If it was a storm chasing outfit just go to the next storm with all your sales peeps and roofers and find a local business that does not have the employees to handle the calls they are getting and work out a deal. If you want to start a local company get rid of all of them except for one small crew of roofers and prepare to sell your own jobs until the business picks up enough to hire on a salesman. Why do you think your boss could not pay you or his bills? Because all of you guys were the " high overhead ". Best of Luck! :huh:
What do you need money for? Buying marketing? Investing in rolling stock and production tooling? Paying people their back wages that were not paid by the previous owner? In a service industry like roofing, you don't need lots of capital unless you're building up production capacity, buying the prospects, or transporting the whole dog-and-pony show around the country...
Financial backers, or investors, want a relatively risk-free guaranteed return on their investment. Which means you have to show you know what the risks are and how you will control them. Investors also like to protect their investment by collateral, which in your case will be what? Investor expectation of returns on their capital will probably be at least 20-30% annually given the risk profile of the business - which means that pricing will have to be high enough to generate enough extra cash to pay the interest.
Traditionally, for a service business to stand above its competition, it had to have a niche, a unique appeal, a system, that generated above-average profits. We'll assume, for sake of this discussion, that we are only considering legitimate, honest businesses that pay their employees, taxes, suppliers and backers on time and in full, and still have a profit left over after paying themselves. If you don't have such a niche, then you'll have a lot of difficulty raising capital. Which means that if your group wants to get ahead, it will have to use "sweat equity" financing to get the show rolling. And for the "sweat equity" investment to work, everybody involved needs to be on the same page. "This is how we are going to get customers, this is how we will do the production, this is how we will cover all the costs, and this is how much we will have left to share after all is said and done." Add to that: "This is how we mediate disputes, and this is how we resolve differences"... and you have a fighting chance to succeed.
Service industries usually have some value only as long as the "formula" continues to work. What guarantees does any investor have that the formula is still producing?
So how long did you work where you didnt get paid and what kind of outfit pays no one?How long was the previous owner in business and what is this a storm chasing setup?Your going to need volume for that operation,so i presume your chasing storms.
maybee i dont understand then -- get that operation operating -- You do not need money you need balls to get your people moving so you can make money (They need to produce before they get paid). Sorry if i am wrong about what you are asking?
I guess you don't understand what i am asking. I have canvassers that canvass, sales people that sell, roofing crews.....etc. We just worked at a bad place. We made the company money, he just didn't pay anyone. I am not taking his name or debts. I was just asking for advice.
JR says, Here is what I have. Sales team, canvassers, telemarketers, office management, office desk, computers, etc all I need now is the help to do it right. If anyone can give me some advise....
So you have everything you need for a roofing company--but roofers. Why do you think you're entitled to take away business from other roofing companies that actually have roofers? You have all you need to sell pyramid schemes, investments, Zhu Zhu pets, plans to get money out of Nigeria...etc. Why bother selling roofs you don't have anyone to install?
That about says it all!
"I have. Sales team, canvassers, telemarketers, office management, office desk, computers, etc"
Sounds to me you are already in over your head not a good place to start -- You got handed a monthy overhead budget you cannot make -- Unless you get them canvasers canvasing and that sales team selling --- You will have to have the balls to get them to do it--- and if they do it "right" - when, where, and how" You will need not borrow any money.
Now if the "when,where, how, is gone and the guy that handed it to you jumped ship he did it cause the storm is over and you got the raw end of the deal unless you get to the "where" with that operation.
Experience is what you get when you are looking for something else!
Woo Hoo, talk about baptism by fire. If you were one of the guys that always knew it was being done wrong, but didn't offer up the answers to fix it, good luck, you're gonna get quite an education.
Maybe it's just the help to do it right. I am trying to be very careful about things. I don't want to have high overhead and take myself out of the business in the first year. I also don't want to be listed as a rip of company. I didn't buy anything, it was handed to me in a settlement over pay.
Number one money maker- Dry Cleaner. Number one money loser- Restraunt. Do you need help with the finance or "the help to do it right". Have you bought the operation already? Just curious as you mention both.