Starting A Roofing Business

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Starting your own business can be life-changing. Therefore, take your time and research the business opportunity before you start.

In this post, we will go over the steps to start a roofing business, followed by a collection of resources you can use now and when your business is up and running.

Let’s get started with the step to consider.

Steps to Start a Roofing Business

1. Make Sure Running a Business Is Right For You

Running a business isn’t for everybody. For example, someone might be good at roof repair and enjoy doing the work but unaware of what it takes to manage and run a small business.

Naturally, you can learn, but you must be sure this is what you want. Running a business is different than having a career. There’s a lot more responsibility, and small business owners work many extra hours.

For more see, Business Startup Considerations.

2. Research

Business Research

The more research you do about your business, the better off you’ll be. By being informed, you can make better decisions. There will be less second-guessing, and you will be less likely to doubt yourself.

One of the most important steps you can take is to talk to experienced people in the business. There are various ways of doing so. The link below goes into detail with all the things you can do to get the right information.

I suggest you spend some time on this exercise, which will pay off in the end.

See An Inside Look Into the Business You Want To Start for the details.

Target Audience

Understanding your target audience is one of the most important parts of running a business.

With a thorough understanding of your target audience, you’ll be able to make adjustments to cater to your customers effectively.

For more, see, How To Understand Your Target Market.

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3. Setup Considerations

Have you given any thought to how you’ll set up your business?

Below are a few questions you may want to answer:

  • Are you thinking of a one-person operation?
  • Will you be focused on roof repair or new roofing?
  • Will you focus on commercial or residential roofing?
  • Are you considering a large-scale operation with multiple crews working simultaneously?
  • Will you operate from home, or are you thinking of a commercial location?
  • Will you have a warehouse to store supplies and vehicles?

There are many ways to set up a business; when you have a vision in mind, it will be easier to start.

Naturally, as you’re doing your research, you may come across an idea that is a better fit, and that’s OK but as a starting point, figure out what type of setup you want.

4. Choosing The Right Business Location

Your service’s location is important in choosing where to locate your business. If you’re in an area with no demand, then there’s no use setting up operations.

On the other hand, if you select an area where the market is saturated, it will be difficult to gain any market share. Therefore, ideally, you want an area where there is demand and the competition is at an acceptable level.

For more, see Choosing The Best Location for Your Business.

5. Choose a Business Name

The name you choose today is the name you’ll have for as long as you own your business.

Business names rarely change, and you will probably spend thousands of dollars marketing your business, so you will not likely change your business name.

Take some time now to decide on a name that is appropriate, catchy, and available for registration.

For this important step, see How To Register a Business Name. Also, check out the latest search results offering name ideas for a roofing business.

6. Register Your Company

It’s important that before any activity takes place, your business is legal and registered.

There are many different structures you can use to set up your business, and depending on the size and type of operation you’re considering will determine what type of business structure you’ll need.

For example, if you’re a one-person operation starting from home, it would make sense to start as a sole proprietorship. Then, when the business succeeds, you can always switch to an LLC or a corporation.

For all the details, see How to Register your Business.

7. Create Your Corporate ID

A corporate ID contains many components such as a logo, business sign, business cards, website, stationary, promotional items, etc. your corporate identity is the face of your business and must have a professional design.

You don’t have to have the complete package right away. For example, you may want to start with business cards, a logo, and a business sign, then complete the other components as necessary.

See A Complete Introduction to Corporate Identity Packages for more.

8. Estimating Your Startup Cost

Estimating startup cost is a step you want to take your time on.

If you estimate too high, your business venture might look risky, and you could jeopardize getting a business loan or investors.

If your startup estimate is too low, you could run out of money before you open your doors to the public. And running out of money is a tough situation because if you don’t secure the funding necessary, you could end up losing your total investment so far.

In addition to startup costs, you’ll also want to look at monthly expenses. You should do your best to keep your monthly cost as low as possible, especially during the startup phase. Many businesses close their doors prematurely because they run out of money, and the lower your cost, the lower your chances of closing your business.

For more, see, Estimating Start-up Costs: Are you Missing Anything? Also, see, Business Expenses To Consider.

9. Writing a Business Plan

You will want to have your business plan in hand and ready to go during the early stages of planning.

A business plan is your roadmap and is a crucial document when applying for financing. A financial lender will not even process your loan application without a professional business plan.

There are many options for creating a professional business plan, such as starting from scratch, hiring a writer, or using a template. You can learn more from our article on How to Write a Business Plan.

10 Set up Your Banking

You’ll need to consider what bank you will work with and set up your account.

I think it’s more important to focus on a good relationship with a banker than the bank itself. When you have a good relationship with a banker, they can be very valuable to your business.

A banker can help with loan applications and offer valuable financial advice. They can also help you if you’re in a financial bind. However, without developing a good relationship with your banker, you’re just another customer to them, and that’s not their fault. It’s up to you to work on developing a good relationship.

Your bank account has to be separate from your personal account so you can track your finances and effectively file your taxes. In addition, it will be easier to track profits and losses with a separate account.

You’ll also want to set up a merchant account for those customers that wish to pay you using their credit card.

For more, see, How to Open a Business Bank Account and What Is a Merchant Account, and How to Get One.

11. Get the Funding for Your Operation

In this part of the startup phase, you’ll need to secure the funding to start and operate your business. So whether you’re considering using your own money, investors, or will be looking for a startup loan, now is the time.

One thing to note about banks is that you must have the collateral necessary and a solid business plan for them to consider a loan. Banks would rather lend their money to established businesses with a good track record than fund a risky startup.

Getting a loan for a new startup isn’t easy and takes preparation.

For ideas, see our article, Getting a Small Business Loan.

12. Software Setup

Now it’s time to explore the software you’ll need to help you create estimates and schedule jobs. Of course, you will also need software for a small business, such as an accounting package.

From the links below, you’ll be able to see what’s out there related to a roofing business and packages available for small businesses.

One suggestion is to review the package you’re interested in, especially if it’s not well known so that you’re sure you’re getting a supported program before entering your data into it.

13. Get The Right Business Insurance

You must have the right insurance before you start any activity at your establishment or on a client site. Any incident that may take place without insurance can be devastating. I suggest you speak with an experienced broker who deals in insurance for roofing businesses.

For more on business insurance, see What to Know About Business Insurance. You will also want to browse the latest search results for roofing business insurance.

14. Choose Your Suppliers

Choosing a supplier is an important part of running a business because whether you’re aware of it or not, a supplier has a level of control over your business.

After all, without their supplies, you can’t service your customers effectively. Therefore you want to take the time to research and find the best supplier you can.

See, How To Choose a Supplier for tips and insights.

15. Physical Setup

Layout and Organization

For this step, you’ll want to organize your work area, whether working out of a commercial location or from your home. The more organized you are, the quicker you get things done and the more productive you’ll be.

Your Office Setup

You will require office space for business management, which should be well-organized and pleasant. In addition, you’ll be performing a great deal of work operating your business from your office, so you’ll want to set it up in a way that is efficient for you.

See, Here are Considerations for The Setup of Your Office.

Your Business Sign

Another consideration with regards to your setup is your business Sign. You want one that displays your logo and is appropriate and appealing. Your business sign is one of the first things your customers will see, so you want to make a good impression.

For more, see, All About Company Signs.

16. Creating a Website

Your website is an excellent marketing tool for providing information about your service. For example, you can show before and after pictures of jobs you’ve completed. It can also be used for lead generation, quotes, etc.

When thinking of creating a website, you want one where you register your own domain name and sign up for hosting. That way, You are in full control of your website.

In addition, your website should match your corporate ID, and whoever created your corporate ID may be able to create your website.

For more, see our page on How to Build a Website.

17. Create an External Support Team

An external support team is a group of people that are not on your payroll, but instead, you pay for this group’s services as needed. You can take years to build and work on this step as you run your business.

For example, your team may consist of a lawyer, an accountant, a marketing specialist, an IT specialist, etc.

These people are your go-to when you have problems or need to expand.

For more, see, Building a Team of Professional Advisors.

18 .Hiring Employees

You may be planning to do everything yourself during the startup phase. That’s a good idea if you can keep up because the cost of payroll is one you shouldn’t take for granted. It’s a major expense for many businesses.

However, when business picks up, and you cannot keep up, you will need to hire additional help.

You must hire personnel as needed. Therefore, when it comes to hiring, I recommend only hiring for the necessary positions and hiring the proper individual for the open position.

You don’t want to just fill positions. You want the right person for the job.

For more, see, How and When to Hire a New Employee.

Next Steps to Evaluate

You now have an understanding of the steps required to start your business. Next, let’s look at how you will get customers.

Getting Customers Through The Door

It’s harder to get customers when you first start your business. So now it’s time to consider what you can do to get customers through the door.

We have a separate article outlining tips for getting customers through your door. I suggest you take a couple minutes to browse through it for ideas you can use.

For a list of tips, see our article How To Get Customers Through the Door.

Marketing Ideas

Marketing is an ongoing part of running a business. Without marketing, building a customer base will take a long time.

See our marketing section to spark your creativity for more ideas to market your business.

Pricing

You’ll need to be competitive with your pricing, and to be competitive, you have to understand the going rate in your area. So first, you can get an idea of the roofing cost, and from there, you can adjust your prices accordingly.

See the latest search results for roofing prices and tips for setting your prices.

Profit

Profit is an important part of running a business. Without profit, your business can’t survive for long. The link below offers the latest search results for the profitability of a roofing business.

Keep in mind your results will vary. Unfortunately, no one can tell you how much profit you can expect to make, and that’s because Each business’s expenses are different; therefore, you won’t be able to get an accurate estimate.

You’ll be able to tell what your profit is by subtracting expenses from your revenue. To have a healthy profit margin, you must keep your expenses to a minimum without sacrificing quality and productivity.

See, Factors Affecting Business Profit

Challenges

For every business, there are challenges. Therefore, it’s critical to be aware of the challenges before you start because you get a better idea of what you are getting into and the opportunity to address those issues before you start.

See, Challenges of a roofing business.

Resources

You have reached the resource section, where you can find more information during the startup phase and when you are up and running.

Trends and Statistics

Trends and statistics are excellent ways to study an industry. For example, you may be able to identify if an industry is on the rise or decline.

You may also be able to identify something missing in the industry that you can take advantage of.

See roofing trends and statistics for the latest.

Top Roofing Businesses

By searching for the best roofing companies, you will understand the market. You will also receive an estimate of the cost of services and warranties.

You may also discover something that is done poorly in the industry that you can improve or something lacking in the market that you can implement for your business. Refer to the link below for the best roofing companies in your area.

Spend time studying the competition to comprehend what you’re up against.

I suggest you spend some quality time studying top roofing businesses.

The Future of the Roofing Industry

By searching for the future of roofing, you may find information from people who analyze industries and get an overview of where it’s headed.

There may be new technology, and you can start preparing for it now. It doesn’t hurt to browse through the search results from the link below.

See search results related to the Future of the roofing industry.

Equipment

The link below offers the latest search results for equipment related to a roofing business.

You may already be familiar with the equipment you own or have used, but it doesn’t hurt to browse the latest search results because there could be something new that is easier and more productive.

See the latest search results for roofing equipment.

Terminology

As a business owner in the roofing industry, you must be aware of the terminology used.

Sure, you’ll pick it up in time with experience, but why not take some time to go over the terms now so that you’re aware of them before you start?

See the latest search results for roofing industry terminology.

A Day In The Life

People share their experiences in the roofing industry. You can take time to review the articles and videos available to gain insights and benefit from other people’s experiences.

For an overview of others’ experiences, see, Search results for a day in the life of a roofing business owner.

Businesses For Sale

Before starting your own business, you may want to browse the listings for roofing businesses for sale. However, there are advantages and disadvantages of buying an existing business.

The main advantage of buying a business instead of starting your own is you start to bring in revenue from the day you take over because you have existing clients. One of the disadvantages is you pay a lot of money for that customer base.

That being said, why not take a few minutes to browse through the latest listings for businesses for sale.

For more on this topic, see Buy a Business or Build One and check the search results of roofing businesses listed for sale.

Franchise Opportunities

Getting into a franchise is another alternative to just starting your own business from scratch. Of course, there are pros and cons to signing up for a franchise, but it’s worth looking into before starting your own business.

The worst that can happen is getting more ideas and a better understanding of the industry.

See What To Know About Owning a Franchise and the latest search results for roofing franchise opportunities.

Knowledge Is Power if You Use It!

I’m sure you understand the power of information. With the right information, you can make sound decisions. The information is there. You just have to use it.

Forums

Forums are one way to connect to customers and others in the industry. By joining forums, you can contribute to conversations and build relationships. You’ll also have access to trending topics.

Courses

Courses are an excellent way to learn more about roofing and the industry. However, I prefer self-study courses allowing me to learn at my own pace and return to using the information whenever I want.

Blogs

Subscribing to blogs is an excellent way to learn more about the industry. From the link below, you can access the latest search results for the top blogs about roofing.

You can subscribe to all of them on the list. Once your inbox starts filling up, unsubscribe to those that offer little value.

In the end, you’ll have a collection of blogs that offer valuable information and keep you up-to-date with the roofing industry.

Books

Books are another source of information you can use to expand your knowledge in the roofing industry. You can browse the latest books on Amazon to build your roofing library of information.

  • Books on Amazon related to roofing

News

Have you ever tried Google news to stay up-to-date with a topic? You can type in your keyword and get an instant list of topics covered by the media.

You can also set up a Google alert that notifies you anytime something new is published.

Videos

YouTube is another excellent source of information you can use to learn more about roofing.

One thing worth noting is when you’re watching a video on YouTube, you’ll get a list of related videos on your screen. You may want to keep an eye out for them because they can offer valuable information on related topics you may not have considered.