No building can exist without a roof, whether it’s the White House, a palace, a school, or a church. Roofs are essential in the construction of any building structure. However, they’re not built to last forever. This can be excellent news for roofers, as it means they’ll never run out of a job.
If you want to use this information to your advantage, starting a roofing business is for you. But unfortunately, it’s not that easy—startups in the roofing industry tend not to last very long. The reason: many of them didn’t start the right way. Luckily, you can take steps to actively avoid that fate.
In this simple guide, you’ll learn how to start a roofing business successfully. Read on to find out more. If you’re thinking about starting a roofing business, consider also investing in roofing CRM software to streamline processes.
How to create a roofing business
To help you start a successful roofing business, we’ve put together this simple guide to help you. These tips are easy to follow and are sure to yield positive results.
Create a business plan
Every business needs a solid plan to thrive. A business plan defines a starting point and can help you secure funding, especially if you’re needing to secure a loan. The section below covers some important factors to consider and include in your business plan.
- Business name: What will you call your business?
- Vision: What’s the aim of your business? What problems are you solving?
- Values: What principles and values guide your business?
- Mission statement: This is a formal declaration of your business’ purpose.
- Business description: What are the key details of your business? What areas do you specialize in? What is your unique selling point?
- Goals and business targets: Who’s your target market?
- Cost and pricing of materials: What services are you offering, and how much will you charge for them? How will you get your materials? Who will be your suppliers?
- Estimates and financial projections: An accountant can assist you with this. You’ll need estimates of your day-to-day expenses, fixed and unfixed costs, and so on.
- Marketing and advertising strategies: How do you intend to promote your business? To whom? Who are your competitors? What’s your plan to outdo them?
- Profit plan: How much are you investing in your business? What’s your profit target? How can you increase profit margins?
Considering the above ensures you’ll be set in starting a successful business.
Hire an accountant
It’s best to have an accountant iron out the technical details of your business’ finances. They’ll help you organize and track details of your roofing projects, from the initial estimate to the final invoice. This ensures that a standard quality of work is maintained, with seamless and on-time delivery.
Get the necessary tools and equipment
As a small business, you’ll only need to purchase the most essential tools. As your business blooms, you can invest in more robust tools for more complex jobs. Some turn to used tools and equipment, provided they’re still of good quality. Compared to new ones, they’re cheaper and more accessible.
Here are some essential tools you’ll need to start your roofing business:
- Roofing nail guns
- Roofing blade or utility knife
- Roofing hammer or hatchet
- Roofing boots
- Drill
- Ladders
- Generator
- Protective equipment like safety harnesses
- Magnetic sweeper
- Truck
Work out the cost of everything with your accountant and draft a purchasing plan.
Register, license, and insure your business
You can register as a sole proprietorship, partnership, or limited liability company. You should obtain a license of operation from the appropriate agency. This solidifies you as a legal entity and permits you to begin operating.
Next, insure your business properly. Insurance saves you and your business from unforeseen pitfalls, safeguarding your capital and preventing you from bearing the brunt of unpredictable losses. You will also need to hire a lawyer to help you with your business start-up to ensure the legalities, and insurances are all correctly applied. Lawyers such as Cliff Schneider specialise in new businesses, helping you get off the ground as smoothly as possible.
Set up an official business location
You don’t need to necessarily purchase a building or rent out an office space. A spare room in your house, garage, or basement works fine as well. A simple workspace, including a desk, chair, and computer can do. Consider getting a business phone and an official email for your roofing business. If you want to attract customers from a younger generation, it would also be worth contacting a roofing website design company to discuss setting up a website for your business. This can include the aforementioned phone number and email address, as well as customer testimonials and images of previous work you’ve done in order to convince potential customers you’re the best choice in the area.
To keep your business organized, make use of roofing CRM software. A roofing CRM (customer relationship management) software is a versatile system that combines customer service, marketing, sales, and analytics on an easily accessible platform. It’ll make things infinitely easier for you, giving you more time for strategy-inclined duties.
Choose your suppliers
Before selecting your primary roofing material, consider your budget and target market. Once you’ve decided on the type of roofing material you want to work with, find suppliers in your neighborhood and look for favorable prices based on your business’ needs.
Hire your employees
You won’t be able to run a roofing business independently. If you have colleagues who are willing to work with you, hire them. Ask your suppliers for recommendations too, as they’ll likely know a few roofers willing to work part-time or full-time with a new roofing company. You can also run hiring ads online.
Create a sales kit
A sales kit is a compilation of your services and their costs. To create a sales kit, consider the following:
- The total cost of expendable materials like cement and clay
- The cost of equipment
- Your target market
- Any competition
- The wages or salaries of your employees
Discuss with your accountant the best approach to take. The trick is to set your sales kit at a level where you can make a reasonable profit while also being a better option than your competitors.
Advertisement and promotion
After you set up your roofing business, spread the word! You don’t have to break the bank to raise awareness for your company. You can do things as simple as:
- Sign up your business on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
- Design business cards and fliers and hand them out to people
- Launch a simple website
Businesses require time to grow
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither can a thriving roofing business. The following steps outlined above will cement the foundation for your business and prepare it for success.
Remember that starting a business can be easier than maintaining one. As such, it’s advisable to consistently monitor progress and assess whether you’re meeting your business targets.
