EPISODE DESCRIPTIONThinking about starting a roofing business? Or trying to run yours more professionally?

In this episode, Dave sits down with former co-host and roofing business owner John Delaurier to talk about what it actually takes to build a profitable roofing company in 2026.

They cover profit margins, speed to lead, branding, hiring your first sales rep, neighborhood domination marketing, and the key KPIs every contractor must track.

If you want to build it right — this episode is for you.

📄 SHOW NOTESHow to Start a Roofing Business in 2026: Profit, Systems & What Most Get Wrong

A lot of contractors want to start a roofing company.

Very few understand what it actually takes to build one that’s profitable, stable, and scalable.

In this episode, Dave Sullivan sits down with former co-host and former coaching client John Delaurier — who started a roofing company from scratch, built it to $3M, ran it profitably, and eventually sold it.

Now working with contractors across the country, John shares what he’s seeing in today’s market and what separates contractors who win from those who struggle.

What We Cover:

1. Why “slow market” doesn’t mean you can’t win
2. The importance of defining your “why” before starting
3. Why revenue means nothing without margin
4. Why 35% gross profit should be your minimum target (retail)
5. The 4–5M revenue sweet spot for lifestyle + profitability
6. Speed-to-lead and why seconds matter
7. Branding mistakes most contractors make
8. Why you must dominate neighborhoods
9. Why the owner should sell the first $1M
10. Hiring and training your first sales rep
11. The three KPIs that drive everything:
12. Close rate
13. Average ticket size
14. Gross profit margin
15. Why job costing must happen on every single job
16. Key Takeaways
17. You don’t grow into profitability — you build it intentionally.
18. If you’re not tracking your numbers, you’re guessing.
19. Speed to lead wins in a shrinking market.
20. Branding is about your customer — not your ego.
21. You must learn to sell before you hire salespeople.

SponsorsRuby

If your phone isn’t getting answered live, you’re losing jobs.

Ruby provides professional virtual receptionists who answer calls and book appointments so you never miss an opportunity.

👉 theroofercoach.com/ruby

SMA Support

As your roofing business grows, operations get messy fast.

SMA Support helps simplify and systemize your back-end operations so you can scale without chaos.

👉 smasupport.us

Resources Mentioned

ProLine CRM – useproline.com

Top Rep

STG (Sales Transformation Group)

KickCharge Branding (Dan Antonelli)

Brad Akers – Neighborhood Domination Strategy

Looking for Mentorship?

If you’re serious about building a profitable roofing business and want accountability and guidance…

👉 Head over to theroofercoach.com and schedule a call.

⏱ TIMESTAMPS (Chapters)00:00 – Intro

03:00 – State of the roofing market in 2025–2026

10:54 – Defining your “why” before starting

13:51 – Reverse engineering income goals

15:30 – Revenue per capita and staffing

17:00 – Why 35% gross profit matters

23:00 – Branding mistakes contractors make

32:00 – Speed to lead and instant response systems

37:40 – Neighborhood domination marketing

48:18 – Why the owner sells the first $1M

57:04 – The 3 KPIs every contractor must track

1:00:20 – Financials, bookkeeping, and keeping score