New business start

TomB thanks for the response and all are valid points that I don't take lightly. My idea was to combine my life long sales and customer service skills with my roofing crews expertise to make a win/win. Is that flawed logic? I could see the dilema if I were going to roof these jobs myself but this isnt the case. I do like the idea of finding a field manager of sorts. I think that is sage advice. I don't know about contractor licensing in other states but here, you have to pass a 2 hour test on code and have three refereneces from people you have worked for/with in the field of choice. Then its a matter of being passed by the board and setting up the company with proper insurance and such.

Old School; I get understand the experience part (wish I had it) but I'll be pushing up daisies in 53 years! At least I hope so. If I do this, I will do the best I can to make up for lost time. I am a ravenous reader and while know that doesn't replace real world roof time, I hope it can help me identify pitfalls before they ocur. I will also spend time with my crews to get more practical experience. What I do know is that I am a hand shake kind of guy and no amount of money will change that.

Thanks again guys, I really appreciate the advice. I'll keep you posted.

Your a "stand-up guy and want to do things right"....That may be a true statement in your mind..... However; You've never "swung a hammer" and intend to subcontract the work you happen to sell, to a more qualified contractor? Hmmmm...... A more ethical and wiser recipe for success, may be to "partner-up" with an individual with some actual technical knowledge...I know most small type partnerships have a trendency for failure, in this case however, in you situation, (lacking any technical experience), it could very-well turn out be a win-win for a couple of guys that require each other's skills....Or get out & swing a hammer a bit, to get more of a handle on it. JMHO

Your state must be very lax on contractor qualifications to obtain a license....How can you get a contractor's license with no experience?....Unless of course there are no requirements...or the state lacks any contractor licensing, and your simply refering to a local municipality busines license?

I have been on a roof since before I was 5 years old with my dad. Been at it for over 53 years now and there are still things I learn every day. It depends on what you are looking for, and how you look. Things are changing in a hurry now a days too. Back in the day, it was tar and gravel build-up rrofing and mostly 3-1's Slate too, but that has always been a small percentage.

Insurance has changed a lot in the last decade too. good luck.

Hey, don't forget that you don't get any money until the whole roof has been paid for too. Collections can be a bitch!

Robby the Roofer Said: Do you have alot of experience truely inspecting your roofs? If you are not comfortable with this process, It might be a wise decision to hire and experience roofer to QC your liabilities part or full time (at least 15 yrs exp). This will keep your contractors honest. It is your company, your liability....protect your interest as much as possible.

I feel that I'm competant in determining wether a roof is hail/wind damaged. I know there are men with much more experience than I have. That being said, I am confident in the crews abilities I work with, and their ability to restore a storm damaged roof. I do tend to agree with having a right hand man (one with lots of years and experience under his belt), the question becomes, can I afford such an employee?

These are all the points that are going through my head. I want to make sure I address them before I rish my financial future. I'm not interested in doing substandard work just to make a buck. Robby, in your opinion, does it take 15 years experience to really get a handle on doing it right? I'm not doubting you just curious.

Thanks again

Do you have alot of experience truely inspecting your roofs? If you are not comfortable with this process, It might be a wise decision to hire and experience roofer to QC your liabilities part or full time (at least 15 yrs exp). This will keep your contractors honest. It is your company, your liability....protect your interest as much as possible.

Thank you guys for the quick replies. I am fortunate to live in an area where we have fairly regular damaging hail storms. Someone told me that in my area, the average roof lasts seven years. We still have thousands of homes with T lock shingles on them which seem to be fairly easy to get bought. Oldschool, To be honest, I'm selling plenty of jobs (even in the slow season) the problem lies with the way that I'm paid. I receive a small sign up draw when the customer commits, then I get a small "first check" draw and the balance doesn't get paid to me until all monies are collected and roof is inspected by regional. This process can take months and I have to rely on too many others in the meantime. I got to thinking a while back that with a little hard work and effort, I can learn to do everything that my company does for me. If I can do this, I can be paid accordingly and if I fail, it will be because of me and I don't have to leave it in the hands of someone else. I do understand the gravity of the economic times and the overhead that is involved. But, if I follow conservative business plans my thinking was that there is enough work to make a decent living. Again, my goal isn't to be rich and move to the Bahamas by the end of the month. I'd like to do between five and ten roofs a month. Do them the right way, and earn a comfortable living in the process. Thanks again guys for your responses, I want to make sure I'm thinking about everything before I make the leap. I love the business. I only regret that I didn't start as a kid pounding nails. I'm sure this would add credibility. I have all the respect for you guys that are on roofs every day. We'll see how it goes. Talk to ya soon

Go for it. On the other hand, don't be surprized when some of "Your" crews start to compete against you too. There is a lot of overhead in doing it right and without the abiliity to do some of the work yourself, it is going to be a hard row to hoe. Good luck!

Are you not making enough money working for the extablished company already? Why leave?