Dave Sullivan, a fellow podcaster from The Roofer Show, joins us on the AOC with tips for growing your business, making more money and having more free time - roofing style.
While Dave’s podcast is geared towards the roofing industry; his advice applies to all small business owners and contractors. Dave shares how to set up systems and processes so that you own your business, not work your business. Moreover, if you have ever thought about what it might take to have a company you can sell for a profit, Dave has the answer.
Dave has been a successful roofing contractor for more than 30 years with over $150 million in sales, and he’s here to show you what he’s learned. In 1979, Dave graduated from the top-ranked business school at the University of California. His plan was a long summer of travel and adventure before joining the family roofing business.
Dave was looking forward to working with his father and learning the ins and outs of running the business. His dad was looking forward to his retirement and finally relaxing and traveling himself, something he could never do while he was “chained” to the business. However, those plans were all cut short when he suffered a heart attack from the long hours and stress of running the roofing company for all those years. Suddenly, Dave had to step up and take the reins of the family business. But, without his father’s “real world” guidance, it didn’t take him long to run the business into the ground.
It turned out Dave wasn’t that smart. He knew he needed help, but like so many contractors, he let his pride get in the way. After finally setting his big ego aside Dave started the long climb out of the hole he had gotten into. But he didn’t do it alone. Dave hired a business consultant and it changed his life. With the consultant’s help, Dave designed a plan to take him where he wanted to go. Dave knew he didn’t want the stress of doing everything himself and grinding out a living working 14 hour days. He’d seen first hand how that works out.
Dave wanted to travel while he was still young and have the time to watch his 3 boys grow up. Essentially, he wanted to be able to do whatever he wanted to do. Dave wanted to enjoy life. He wanted to have a business that worked for him, not just a job where he worked for his company and that’s exactly what Dave did. Over the years he built a wildly successful roofing business that allowed him to step away from the stressful day to day decision making and live the life he wanted.
Professionals and Links Referenced in Show
