4 Steps to Start Your Own Roofing Business (Plus 2 Things You'll Need)

SimpleShowing, Inc. -

Building a business, including a roofing business, requires you to check several items off your checklist. While the list could be long for such a business, only four key things truly matter; the others are subsets of these.

This article highlights four crucial steps you cannot skip when starting a roofing business and two must-have things you’ll need when starting a roofing business.

Step 1: Create a plan

“Failing to plan is planning to fail” is more than just a saying; it’s one of life’s many realities. Creating a business plan is like building a support system around your enterprise because it details the business’s operational, management, and financial scope.

Creating a business plan operationalizes the whole thing and makes it easier to do things like:

  • Plan the venture’s day-to-day activities, such as bookings, dispatching, scheduling, invoicing, and customer service, to mention a few.
  • Detail how you intend to manage all the supporting systems that allow your business to run smoothly.
  • Practice sound financial planning to ensure you can manage business finances, operational budgets, overhead costs, product catalogs, strategic plans, etc.

All businesses must operate within the set federal and state laws. As such, the government expects your business to meet specific legal requirements to grant you operation rights. In that regard, two critical legal requirements are necessary when opening a roofing business: a complete professional license and establishing your business as a legal entity.

You can do both by registering your business according to state regulations and getting all the required certifications and documentation. You should also apply for a Tax ID with the IRS and acquire the relevant insurance policies.

Step 3: Build A Team

Building a team is as important as building the business itself. With a service business, you especially need to understand that your human resource is the product you are selling. Your team can be either contracted or full-time employees; the key is ensuring you have the right team, depending on which services you’ll offer.

Full-time employees are easier to manage because they are in-house, and you can monitor their performance over time. If you go the contracting route, work with a professional and reliable team that can support your business endeavors. For this, you might want to learn a few tips on how to make sure you hire a reliable contractor.

Step 4: Find Clients

Now that you have a registered business, a plan, and a team, you are ready to get down to business, but with whom? Finding clients is usually the most challenging part of the business.

Dedicate a portion of your operational budget to branding and marketing to build brand awareness and nurture leads, but also consider working with a reliable partner who can provide exclusive roofing business leads.

Besides that, you can also experiment with other ideas like digital, social media, guerilla, email, influencer, and brand marketing.

Two Things Must-Haves When Starting A Roofing Business (bonus)

Owning a roofing business means becoming a roofing contractor, which comes with critical responsibilities. For this reason, having the following two things is vital:

Roofing contractor license

A roofing contractor license is merits-based. It is a regulation document that the Department of Professional Regulation gives after passing a computer-based trade exam under the oversight of the Construction Industrial Licensing Board.

Manufacturer Designations

Most clients will want to ensure you have the qualifications and expertise to do the job. With a new business, that is challenging to prove since you don’t have a track record or experience.

Fortunately, a better way to demonstrate your ability is by using factory certification from manufacturers. Working with an established brand such as GAF gives you more credit and accreditation as a reliable contractor.

Conclusion

Starting a roofing business can be involved and challenging, but if you follow the right steps and have the right things, you can confidently get started.

With a clear plan, the right licenses, a good team, and a good marketing pipeline that consistently brings in and nurtures leads in your pipeline, you can succeed in this business.