I started my roofing company last year when I turned 23. I’m not married, no girlfriend, no kids. I thought it would be the perfect time to start my company and be able to give it full attention. Hopefully by the time I have my family I’ll be somewhat established and be able to have time for them. Stories like these really motivate me. Amazing interview!
A personal deep intentional relationship with Jesus Christ is the key to all success! Mad respect for this owner to make himself vulnerable for this interview. Fire builds character!
Process and systems is very important, and I agree with him that that is one of the reasons he has the stress that he has, I know personally because I have had a lot of stress during our building of processes and systems. The new symptoms we have in place really make life easier but, still a stressful Business, anytime you’re working in and on someone’s house.
In these times, this video will help many contractors keep a level head. What I took out of this was, there's always a way back. "For me, bankruptcy was not an option" ... that's a winners mindset. Thank Dimitry and Peter!
I really like how you've recently started weaving the work/life balance stuff in, Dmitry. Most everyone is concerned about go go go in this industry. It's refreshing to see a focus and reminders on whats important within the whole picture.
This video brought a tear to my eye. I’m only 26 started sub contracting roofs at 25. With only knowledge was installing. It’s been a crazy year. I’m stressed feel like I have so much to learn about the business. But Dimirty your videos and roofing insights keeps me pushing for a better me and better roofers in my community.
Good interview as always. I love the part 6pm-9pm no cell phones. I need to work on it. My wife is going to appreciate that for sure. Thank you Dmitry for this interview. God bless you.
Good interview. I am so happy. That I don’t have any of this problems. I don’t drink any more. I spent. Wayyyyy more time with my family. I pay all my suppliers and subs every week So happy that I didn’t had to failed to learn
I love these interviews. The power of vulnerability can’t be understated. Roofing is a such a calloused industry and it’s refreshing to see the guards being brought down and the hard topics discussed openly. Great job Roofing insights.
Great video! Never give up keep chugging, weather business or just life at another job. It’s not always highs, you have lows. It’s all a roller coaster 🎢. 60k is damn 6 roofs gross. I don’t work in an insurance kind of market because we are retail but shit get after it! I also started my business at 22 I’m now 25 and of course your gonna learn and make mistakes along the way. keep your head up find great mentors people are out there! Gotta learn to take things with a grain of salt #greatcontent. Roofing insights keep it going
Great interview! I appreciate Peter's honesty, and humility. It's great to see someone always willing to get up and reinvent themselves better and stronger!
I definitely agree with you. It takes a strong guy to lay it all out on the table like that. It takes an even stronger person to do what he and Dimitry have done and not only lay it all out there, but work their way out of it. Hope we all make it!
I had a million dollar a year client file bankruptcy... so I have had the pressures of a bank cutting off my line of credit and having to pay that down. It worked out in the end but it was a long haul. Among all the so called rules of owning a private business, if self reliance is ever in question, you are either highly life unbalanced or in it so adversely deep, it’s become destructive. Having a strong character pushes you to take the high road. If you are compelled to take the low road you have to ask, is the business right for you? If the answer is yes, then you need coping mechanisms to get you through this. Coping starts with personal health which recognizes how important a good nights sleep is, addressing fitness, avoiding abuses with food, alcohol, etc. It’s far better to ask for help, be it business advise from another similar business and also having console to keep your head on straight. Fear is a weird thing, it causes overreacting. It’s not a character flaw, it’s a normal evolutionary reaction. The cave man survived this way and it’s hardwired. Couple fear and an ego too large and you have a spiraling down situation in modern life. When you need help, find a way to get it. Bad times will happen. Most of the time these are temporary. It’s about balance, heavy refocus on the right things and most important, it’s about keeping your demeanor pleasant. Sure there will be bad days. But If you find your politeness being impaired a lot, you need some professional help to get through it. Not taking care of your health physically and mentally is taking the low road and will impact your capability of recovery of your business. If you need a pill prescribed by a professional to get to sleep, so be it. This is when you need to be strong and do a reset. If you find you are unpleasant, you are not obtaining enough resources to take the high road. If your ego is stopping you, you need to get past that as quickly as possible. Politeness and manners to your family, friends and who you do business with is vitally important. You see big businesses doing bankruptcy and they come out strong. Don’t assume you are the same. Often a small business can’t afford bankruptcy unless it’s lights out. You would be surprised at how much you can negotiate if you hang tough. We called our suppliers every week to work out paying old orders to get new materials. Don’t wait for the suppliers to call you. Whomever picks up the phone first, has the higher weight on that call. Suppliers are far more willing to work with you if you contact them first. Why, because they see you trying and that is a character trait they can appreciate. Never play that stupid game of the checks in the mail. Don’t commit to anything you can’t follow through on. Once you cross the line of honesty and follow through, it’s game over for that supplier.
JR- It is remarkable to me how many intelligent ppl that share the values you mention and know how they should be approaching their lives yet end up in that downward spiral. I echo the simple advice you remind us of re: honesty. I only say simple because we’re all born with that trait, or it was taught to us all at some point during early childhood. Crossing that line professionally can be a backbreaker for life. As you point out, if one keeps a cool head & refrains from overreacting they’ll likely save themselves from crossing the line into their own demise. There is a reason the degree of difficulty is so high for anyone working to achieve sustained balance. Few things have the ROI that balance can afford. Thank you for the reminders JR.
@@randywatson9585 Randy. You are welcome... as is everyone it might help. Barbra Corkrin from Shark Tank has some interesting videos about understanding personalities. One thing she said was, the best entrepreneurs she has seen is when they are flat broke never giving up and take a bad hit and not dwell on it, moving forward and just put it out of their minds. It was said based on “how long” people people dwell on the hit itself is the difference of character. I can say I really learned from that.
Masonry is a tough biz to make money at especially if your not the guy doing the work. Being a mason is an art form. I’m a really good mason and it’s a rough business to be in
I started out as a roofer and later joined the brick/block layers union. Long story short, I’m back dong roofs. That’s a tough trade and I didn’t have the touch for it. It’s definitely an art!
No disrespect to the roofers, I’ve done both but since my father is a high end stone mason and I’ve been involved in it my whole life I always seem to end up with a trowel in my hand. We are both the baddest motherfuckers on the planet. But what I was saying is roofing is a little more standard when coming up with prices for the work, where with masonry especially with repairs and restoration work or custom stonework the numbers can have a lot of variables where you can lose your ass if you don’t price it right. Much respect to all of us working men who provide for our families!!!
I'd like to know, 20 starting a roofing company been doing it for 3 years, im a little in debt trying to pay off tools and stuff but i know itll pay off when i start reinvesting in my business and teaching my self more.
There are so many ways to get in debt. Trucks, new offices, new employees. Sometimes, you get one bad client that does not pay up for whatever reason. You still need to pay your debts and move on.
looks like he still has excuses to be unsuccessful. he claims he failed because he was in the business by himself. I been by myself since I started the company at 18 years of age. Its already been 7 years in business and I'm still pushing through by myself. no sub contractor, no accountant, no sales people, no finance person . Just me my dump trailer and 6 roof installers. I can still get 5 roofs installed in a week . During the week I'd still have enough time to sale contracts, dump trash , pickup materials from supply store. I don't see how he is blaming his company failure because he doesn't have employees. If you are a one man show you have to have a company system. Only reason I can be super productive is because I rely on technology a lot. I can literally run the who business in my laptop without having to run around like crazy. my estimates are given online not in person. contracts are also sent out online and customer send it back to me online. My customers also pick a roof color online or they can drive to home depot to look at colors in person. my customers don't waste my time, they know things get done according to my procedures or they can hit the highway. nobody has complained about it. you just have to get creative to do as many things as possible just being 1 person handling everything. I don't see how hes going to succeed. when you are a company owner , you will run across a lot of lows and you have to come up with a plan to get it resolved and not give up. it's part of being the owner. nothing will get handed out to you . If you dont chase your dream it will not happen !!!!
I started my roofing company last year when I turned 23. I’m not married, no girlfriend, no kids. I thought it would be the perfect time to start my company and be able to give it full attention. Hopefully by the time I have my family I’ll be somewhat established and be able to have time for them. Stories like these really motivate me. Amazing interview!
Keep working hard, but also remember that you have a life outside of work that you will value just as much as your business.
Diesel Supreme I couldn’t agree more with you.
Hey Diesel, how’s your roofing company been so far? It looks like your a year into it now? Where are you located? @DieselSupreme
A personal deep intentional relationship with Jesus Christ is the key to all success! Mad respect for this owner to make himself vulnerable for this interview. Fire builds character!
Process and systems is very important, and I agree with him that that is one of the reasons he has the stress that he has, I know personally because I have had a lot of stress during our building of processes and systems. The new symptoms we have in place really make life easier but, still a stressful Business, anytime you’re working in and on someone’s house.
Respecting both of you ...honestly is the key to success in business and life as well !
In these times, this video will help many contractors keep a level head. What I took out of this was, there's always a way back. "For me, bankruptcy was not an option" ... that's a winners mindset. Thank Dimitry and Peter!
I really like how you've recently started weaving the work/life balance stuff in, Dmitry. Most everyone is concerned about go go go in this industry. It's refreshing to see a focus and reminders on whats important within the whole picture.
Thank you for the feedback, Randy. Business is important, but I've also learned that committing time to my family each day is of equal importance.
This video brought a tear to my eye. I’m only 26 started sub contracting roofs at 25. With only knowledge was installing. It’s been a crazy year. I’m stressed feel like I have so much to learn about the business. But Dimirty your videos and roofing insights keeps me pushing for a better me and better roofers in my community.
Good interview as always. I love the part 6pm-9pm no cell phones. I need to work on it. My wife is going to appreciate that for sure. Thank you Dmitry for this interview. God bless you.
You're welcome, Alex. It's always important to make time for family.
Legion roofing coming to Chicago . See you soon my friend
Good interview. I am so happy. That I don’t have any of this problems. I don’t drink any more. I spent. Wayyyyy more time with my family. I pay all my suppliers and subs every week So happy that I didn’t had to failed to learn
Happy to hear that, Rey!
I love these interviews. The power of vulnerability can’t be understated. Roofing is a such a calloused industry and it’s refreshing to see the guards being brought down and the hard topics discussed openly. Great job Roofing insights.
I agree. There is so much growth that can come from admitting where we fall short as contractors and business owners.
What a time to see this video.
Thanks
We strive to consistently make engaging and relevant content.
Another great honest interview.
I like the 6-9pm commitment.
Balance is important.
Looking forward to the next one.
Chris Cox Touchstone Roofing
Glad you enjoyed it, Chris!
Great interview ! Thank you . Very real, relatable problems .
Glad you enjoyed the interview, Ben!
Good topic I need to work on this !!
Thank you, Jared!
Family first!
I agree. Family is irreplaceable!
Great video! Never give up keep chugging, weather business or just life at another job. It’s not always highs, you have lows. It’s all a roller coaster 🎢. 60k is damn 6 roofs gross. I don’t work in an insurance kind of market because we are retail but shit get after it! I also started my business at 22 I’m now 25 and of course your gonna learn and make mistakes along the way. keep your head up find great mentors people are out there! Gotta learn to take things with a grain of salt #greatcontent. Roofing insights keep it going
Thank you!
Great interview! I appreciate Peter's honesty, and humility. It's great to see someone always willing to get up and reinvent themselves better and stronger!
I definitely agree with you. It takes a strong guy to lay it all out on the table like that. It takes an even stronger person to do what he and Dimitry have done and not only lay it all out there, but work their way out of it. Hope we all make it!
Great story!
Great interview. Insightful and honest.
Thanks Timmy, we need more honest guys in this industry like Peter
I had a million dollar a year client file bankruptcy... so I have had the pressures of a bank cutting off my line of credit and having to pay that down. It worked out in the end but it was a long haul.
Among all the so called rules of owning a private business, if self reliance is ever in question, you are either highly life unbalanced or in it so adversely deep, it’s become destructive. Having a strong character pushes you to take the high road. If you are compelled to take the low road you have to ask, is the business right for you? If the answer is yes, then you need coping mechanisms to get you through this. Coping starts with personal health which recognizes how important a good nights sleep is, addressing fitness, avoiding abuses with food, alcohol, etc. It’s far better to ask for help, be it business advise from another similar business and also having console to keep your head on straight. Fear is a weird thing, it causes overreacting. It’s not a character flaw, it’s a normal evolutionary reaction. The cave man survived this way and it’s hardwired. Couple fear and an ego too large and you have a spiraling down situation in modern life.
When you need help, find a way to get it. Bad times will happen. Most of the time these are temporary. It’s about balance, heavy refocus on the right things and most important, it’s about keeping your demeanor pleasant. Sure there will be bad days. But If you find your politeness being impaired a lot, you need some professional help to get through it. Not taking care of your health physically and mentally is taking the low road and will impact your capability of recovery of your business. If you need a pill prescribed by a professional to get to sleep, so be it. This is when you need to be strong and do a reset. If you find you are unpleasant, you are not obtaining enough resources to take the high road. If your ego is stopping you, you need to get past that as quickly as possible. Politeness and manners to your family, friends and who you do business with is vitally important.
You see big businesses doing bankruptcy and they come out strong. Don’t assume you are the same. Often a small business can’t afford bankruptcy unless it’s lights out. You would be surprised at how much you can negotiate if you hang tough. We called our suppliers every week to work out paying old orders to get new materials. Don’t wait for the suppliers to call you. Whomever picks up the phone first, has the higher weight on that call. Suppliers are far more willing to work with you if you contact them first. Why, because they see you trying and that is a character trait they can appreciate. Never play that stupid game of the checks in the mail. Don’t commit to anything you can’t follow through on. Once you cross the line of honesty and follow through, it’s game over for that supplier.
Your insights will provide tremendous value to whomever reads this. I appreciate you taking the time to write it.
JR- It is remarkable to me how many intelligent ppl that share the values you mention and know how they should be approaching their lives yet end up in that downward spiral.
I echo the simple advice you remind us of
re: honesty. I only say simple because we’re all born with that trait, or it was taught to us all at some point during early childhood. Crossing that line professionally can be a backbreaker for life. As you point out, if one keeps a cool head & refrains from overreacting they’ll likely save themselves from crossing the line into their own demise.
There is a reason the degree of difficulty is so high for anyone working to achieve sustained balance. Few things have the ROI that balance can afford.
Thank you for the reminders JR.
@@randywatson9585 Randy. You are welcome... as is everyone it might help. Barbra Corkrin from Shark Tank has some interesting videos about understanding personalities. One thing she said was, the best entrepreneurs she has seen is when they are flat broke never giving up and take a bad hit and not dwell on it, moving forward and just put it out of their minds. It was said based on “how long” people people dwell on the hit itself is the difference of character. I can say I really learned from that.
Masonry is a tough biz to make money at especially if your not the guy doing the work. Being a mason is an art form. I’m a really good mason and it’s a rough business to be in
I started out as a roofer and later joined the brick/block layers union. Long story short, I’m back dong roofs. That’s a tough trade and I didn’t have the touch for it. It’s definitely an art!
No disrespect to the roofers, I’ve done both but since my father is a high end stone mason and I’ve been involved in it my whole life I always seem to end up with a trowel in my hand. We are both the baddest motherfuckers on the planet. But what I was saying is roofing is a little more standard when coming up with prices for the work, where with masonry especially with repairs and restoration work or custom stonework the numbers can have a lot of variables where you can lose your ass if you don’t price it right. Much respect to all of us working men who provide for our families!!!
how do you guys get in debt so bad is it lifestyle or what ? I'm not busting chops. I'm truly curious. Please tell me why this happens so much.
I'd like to know, 20 starting a roofing company been doing it for 3 years, im a little in debt trying to pay off tools and stuff but i know itll pay off when i start reinvesting in my business and teaching my self more.
Gamble, drinks, women,
Debt, just mean living, roofers can die anytime.
There are so many ways to get in debt. Trucks, new offices, new employees. Sometimes, you get one bad client that does not pay up for whatever reason. You still need to pay your debts and move on.
looks like he still has excuses to be unsuccessful. he claims he failed because he was in the business by himself. I been by myself since I started the company at 18 years of age. Its already been 7 years in business and I'm still pushing through by myself. no sub contractor, no accountant, no sales people, no finance person . Just me my dump trailer and 6 roof installers. I can still get 5 roofs installed in a week . During the week I'd still have enough time to sale contracts, dump trash , pickup materials from supply store. I don't see how he is blaming his company failure because he doesn't have employees. If you are a one man show you have to have a company system. Only reason I can be super productive is because I rely on technology a lot. I can literally run the who business in my laptop without having to run around like crazy. my estimates are given online not in person. contracts are also sent out online and customer send it back to me online. My customers also pick a roof color online or they can drive to home depot to look at colors in person. my customers don't waste my time, they know things get done according to my procedures or they can hit the highway. nobody has complained about it. you just have to get creative to do as many things as possible just being 1 person handling everything. I don't see how hes going to succeed. when you are a company owner , you will run across a lot of lows and you have to come up with a plan to get it resolved and not give up. it's part of being the owner. nothing will get handed out to you . If you dont chase your dream it will not happen !!!!
Let's get it, I've worked on crews like that for the last 2 years, starting it on my own now. Keep on burnem down