The Roofer Show

What does it take to build a $20 million roofing company—and what happens when you sell it?John Buxton built Legacy Roofing into a $20 million roofing business with 130 employees before selling to private equity.In this episode of The Roofer Show, John joins Dave Sullivan to share what he learned about growing a roofing company, building business value, and preparing for a successful sale.Whether you're running a $1 million roofing company or a $20 million operation, these lessons can help you build a more profitable business that doesn't depend entirely on you.In This Episode, You'll Learn:Why revenue alone doesn't determine what your roofing company is worth.What private equity buyers look for when purchasing a roofing business.How EBITDA, profitability and clean financial statements affect business value.Why accurate job costing and strong systems matter.How to build a roofing company that operates without the owner.What contractors should understand about earnouts, equity rollovers and cash at closing.Dave's TakeawayBuild your roofing business like you're going to sell it someday—even if you never do.You'll have a more profitable company, more freedom and more options when the time comes.THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BYSMA SupportRunning a roofing company shouldn't mean doing everything yourself.SMA Support provides virtual assistants who help roofing contractors handle customer calls, scheduling, follow-up and administrative tasks so owners can spend more time growing their businesses.Learn more: https://theroofercoach.com/smasupportProLine CRMA roofing company becomes more valuable when it has systems that don't depend entirely on the owner.ProLine helps roofing contractors manage leads, automate follow-up and track sales activity so opportunities don't fall through the cracks.Learn more: https://theroofercoach.com/prolinePromo code: DAVE50 (where applicable)FREE 2027 ONE-PAGE ROOFING BUSINESS PLANWant to build a more profitable roofing business that doesn't depend entirely on you?Download Dave's free 2027 One-Page Roofing Business Plan and start mapping out your revenue, profits, people and priorities for the coming year.https://theroofercoach.com/plan ABOUT THE ROOFER SHOWThe Roofer Show helps roofing contractors make more money and have more free time.Hosted by Dave Sullivan, a former roofing contractor who built and sold his own roofing company, the show focuses on the business end of the roofing business.Website: https://theroofercoach.com

After 30 years in roofing and 500 podcast episodes, Dave Sullivan shares how a one-page roofing business plan gave him the freedom to travel and enjoy his family, and what he didn't plan for when he finally sold his company. Plus, get his free 2027 One-Page Roofing Business Plan.In this episode about building a roofing business plan around the life you want, Dave Sullivan celebrates 500 episodes of The Roofer Show by telling his own story.It started with a reel from Tommy Mello of A1 Garage Door Service, standing in front of his bucket list map, asking people to share their favorite spot in the world.Watch it here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc1NVylEhX7/Tommy's got a bucket list. Dave's got a been-there list.Growing up in the family roofing business, Dave watched his father stay chained to the business and never get to enjoy the retirement he'd dreamed about. Dave was determined to do things differently.With help from a business coach, a One-Page Business Plan, and the right people and systems, he built a profitable roofing company that ran without him. He spent a month or two at a time in Maui with his family, checking his "Maui Report" of KPIs each morning over coffee.Then life threw him a punch in the mouth. Health problems meant he could never get on a roof again, family circumstances changed, and an opportunity to sell came sooner than expected.After selling the company, he discovered something he hadn't planned for: he missed the people, the culture, and the sense of purpose the business gave him. That led to The Roofer Show, coaching roofing contractors, and 500 episodes.In this episode, you'll learn:Why every roofing contractor needs a One-Page Business Plan, and why the planning matters more than the planWhy Dave never wanted to be the biggest roofer in town, just the most profitableThe Three-Legged Stool: Sell Work, Do Work, Keep ScoreThe Two-Week Vacation Test, and how it turned into months awayHow the "Maui Report" let Dave run his company from the beachAlways be recruiting, always be training, always be retainingHow a spring carnival for employees' families became his best recruiting toolWhat Dave learned from selling his roofing companyWhy having a purpose matters just as much as financial successCHAPTERS00:00 Tommy Mello's bucket list map02:47 Show intro03:10 500 episodes and the lessons that cost me04:59 "What do you want?" The question that changed everything07:10 Plans are worthless, but planning is everything09:41 The One-Page Business Plan walkthrough11:56 Not the biggest, just the most profitable12:23 The Two-Week Vacation Test13:24 The Maui Report14:45 Thanks to ProLine CRM15:36 Punched in the mouth: vertigo and the people I loved18:38 Selling the business20:59 Getting to the top and not liking the view21:41 500 episodes and a new purpose22:57 Thanks to SMA Support Services23:45 Your free 2027 One-Page Roofing Business Plan24:18 Thank you, John DeLaurier24:54 Don't wait to put pins in your mapFREE DOWNLOAD: 2027 ONE-PAGE ROOFING BUSINESS PLANStop reacting to everything happening in your roofing business and start building a company that supports the life you want.Get the free planning guide and fillable worksheet:https://theroofercoach.com/planTake an hour, work through the plan, and identify your three most important priorities for the coming year. Then send it to Dave. He'd be happy to take a look and offer feedback.WORK WITH DAVE SULLIVANRoofing Business MentoringGet personal guidance from someone who's built and sold a successful roofing company. Dave helps contractors improve profitability, understand their numbers, build better systems, develop their people, and create a business that doesn't depend on the owner for everything.https://theroofercoach.com/mentoring/Roofing Business Health CheckNot sure what's holding your roofing company back? Dave's Roofing Business Health Check identifies problems in your sales, operations, profitability, financial management, and leadership. Walk away with clear priorities and a practical action plan.https://theroofercoach.com/health-check/THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORSProLine CRMManage roofing leads, estimates, customer communication, and follow-up in one system. Stop letting profitable opportunities fall through the cracks.https://theroofercoach.com/prolineSMA Support ServicesChris Diroll and his team help roofing contractors with inside sales, customer follow-up, administrative support, and implementing systems that free up the owner.https://theroofercoach.com/smasupportA SPECIAL THANK YOUTo John DeLaurier, longtime co-host of The Roofer Show, former coaching client, and co-founder of The Roofer Mastermind. John joined Dave for a couple hundred episodes while building, rebranding, and eventually selling DeLaurier Roofing before becoming a co-founder of ProLine.And thank you to the guests, roofing contractors, coaching clients, and listeners who have made these 500 episodes possible.ABOUT THE ROOFER SHOWHosted by Dave Sullivan, The Roofer Coach, The Roofer Show helps roofing contractors build more profitable businesses, improve roofing sales and operations, understand their numbers, and create more freedom in their lives.Website: https://theroofercoach.com/Don't wait until you sell your roofing company to start enjoying the life you've worked so hard to build. And when you finally get to the top of the mountain, make sure you're going to like the view.

Review On Apple Podcasts Follow on Socials Get This EpisodeWhat if you could build a $10 million roofing business, make good money, and work less than 20 hours a week?Scott Tibay of Rain Stoppers Roofing did just that. But his original goal was to build a $100 million roofing company.So what changed?In this episode of The Roofer Show, Dave Sullivan talks with Scott about building a profitable roofing business, changing priorities, and creating a company that doesn’t depend on the owner being there every day.Scott is a former coaching client and member of The Roofer Mastermind. He shares what he’s learned about growing a roofing company, marketing, building a strong team, and deciding what success really looks like.In This Episode:Why Scott changed his $100 million growth goal.How he built a roofing business that allowed him to work less than 20 hours a week.Why more revenue doesn’t always mean more profit.What roofing contractors should know about private equity.Lessons from rebranding to Rain Stoppers Roofing.How SEO, organic marketing, and branding support business growth.Building a roofing company that can run without the owner.Ready to Build a More Profitable Roofing Business?If you’re working too many hours and wondering where the money is going, Dave’s Roofing Business Health Check can help you identify opportunities to improve your profitability and get your time back.Learn more at https://theroofercoach.comThanks to Our SponsorsScott uses both ProLine and SMA Support in his business.ProLine helps roofing contractors manage leads, estimates, sales follow-up, and customer communication.ProLine CRMSMA Support helps roofing contractors with phone answering, lead follow-up, CRM management, and day-to-day operations.SMA SupportRemember, it’s not how much you make. It’s how much you keep.

Your roofing company is doing millions in revenue. You're selling jobs, keeping your crews busy, and working harder than ever.So why isn't there more money in the bank? And why can't you take a two-week vacation without worrying about the business?More leads and more sales aren't necessarily the answer.In this episode of The Roofer Show, I sit down with John DeLaurier from ProLine and Chris Diroll from SMA Support to talk about what really makes a roofing business profitable.All three of us have owned roofing companies, and we know firsthand what happens when sales, operations, and financial performance aren't working together.It comes down to three things:Sell Work. Do Work. Keep Score.When one of those legs is weak, the whole business suffers.What You'll LearnSell Work: Why speed to lead, better proposals, and consistent follow-up can produce more sales without spending more on advertising.Recover Lost Opportunities: How to turn open estimates and neglected prospects into additional revenue.Do Work: Why clear responsibilities, better handoffs, and consistent processes matter as your roofing company grows.Keep Score: The financial numbers every roofing contractor should understand, including close rate, gross profit, job costing, cash flow, and the quick ratio.Protect Your Margins: How I discovered a consistent 5% to 8% material-cost problem through job costing.Avoid the Growth Trap: Why growing from $2 million to $10 million in revenue won't solve a business that isn't profitable today.Get Your Freedom Back: How to build a roofing company that can operate while you take a two-week vacation.The discussion comes back to one important question:What's really holding your roofing business back?Before you hire more people, buy more software, or spend more on marketing, you need to identify the problem, fix it, measure the results, and keep improving.That's how you build a roofing business that's profitable, predictable, and doesn't depend on you for every decision.Not Sure Where Your Roofing Business Is Stuck?That's exactly why I developed my Roofing Business Health Check.We'll look at your sales, operations, financial statements, job costing, and cash flow to identify what's holding your business back.You'll receive a written Roofing Business Health Record and the three priorities I'd focus on over the next 90 days.You can see a sample Health Record and schedule a free 15-minute introductory call here:https://theroofercoach.com/healthcheckResources MentionedThe Roofer Coach and Roofing Business Health CheckProLine CRM SMA Support The Roofer Show About the GuestsJohn DeLaurier, ProLineJohn is a former roofing contractor who now works with ProLine, helping roofing companies improve their sales processes, customer follow-up, and CRM reporting.Chris Diroll, SMA SupportChris is a former roofing contractor who now helps roofing businesses improve their operations, accountability, administrative support, and processes so owners can focus on growing their companies.About Dave SullivanDave Sullivan spent more than 30 years as a roofing contractor, built and sold a successful eight-figure roofing company, and now helps roofing business owners improve profitability, cash flow, and operations through The Roofer Coach and The Roofer Show.The Roofer Show: Helping roofing contractors grow their businesses, make more money, and have more free time.

Stop cutting your roofing prices. On a job with a 30% gross margin, a 10% discount means you need 50% more jobs just to earn the same gross profit.As you look at this year’s results and plan for next year, I walk through 12 essentials for a more profitable roofing business: pricing from your costs, following up with prospects, protecting profit in production, and keeping score. Pick the one or two you need to work on first, then use the free One-Page Business Plan to put your priorities on paper.Free One-Page Business Plan: https://theroofercoach.com/planSMA Support: https://theroofercoach.com/sma/ProLine: https://theroofercoach.com/proline/