Business plan tips for roofing contractors

Every good business needs a business plan. It’s an essential roadmap that shows exactly where you are and where you’re going. And like an actual map, you could end up lost pretty quickly without one. 

But it’s not just about staying on track. Your business plan is one of the best ways to convince investors that your business is viable. 

In this guide, we’ll outline some simple tips that will take your roofing business plan to the next level. 

Most business plans include:

1. Executive summary
2. Company description
3. Competitor and market analysis
4. Details of organisation and management
5. Breakdown of products and services
6. Marketing and sales
7. Funding requests and financial projections

This is just a basic overview. If you’d like a more detailed description of what to put in each section, check out our other article – What to include in a business plan. 

Most business plans follow the same basic structure, but there are little details that you can include to set yours apart from the rest. 

What would you say if you had to sell your business in one sentence? That’s the core idea behind a vision. It’s less about what your business does and more about what it is.

If you asked the marketing executive at Apple what their company vision is, they wouldn’t say:

• “We sell computers, phones, and tablets… and they look really cool.”

While true, that’s not their vision. Apple’s vision is:

• “To make the best products on earth, and to leave the world better than we found it.”

This powerful statement tells you everything you need to know about their brand. It’s a selling point for customers and investors and a guiding light for the company to work toward. 

You’re a roofing contractor, yes. But think about what sets you apart from the competition:

• Are you dedicated to customer service?
• Do you provide a better quality product?
• Are you offering the most affordable prices?
• What are your business values?

Much like the roofs you’re working with, one business plan does not work for every occasion. 

You should tweak your business plan depending on who you present it to. They should all have the same basic outline, but you could emphasise and expand on different sections.

For example:

• Investors will be interested in your financial plan and strategy
• Marketing and ad companies will be interested in your target audience, product snapshots, and market analysis
• Potential business partners might be more interested in your organisation and management structure

If you’re going after investors, you can also do some research about their history:

• What sort of things have they invested in previously?
• What do they value? 
• What non-business ventures have they supported publicly?

You could even include something they’ve said before in a speech or statement to grab their attention. After all, they can’t disagree with their own words. 

Starting a business is easy, but it doesn’t mean much unless you’re committed. 

If you want to be taken seriously, your business plan needs to show that you’re committed to the future. 

• Have you invested your own money into the business?
• Have you reworked your prototype after product testing?
• Have you reduced your working hours to spend more time on the business?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, make sure everybody knows it. 

Not to sound like a downer, but even the best businesses have challenges – especially in their early days. Your business plan shouldn’t make bold promises based on dream projections. If you go down that route, anybody reading it will see that your plan is unrealistic. 

“Hope for the best, plan for the worst” should be your philosophy when it comes to things like market reach, projected sales, and general growth. If you foresee any problems, don’t ignore them – point them out and offer solutions. 

A grounded plan based on steady growth may not sound very exciting, but it’s a much more convincing strategy when it comes to business planning. 

As with any plan, the devil is in the details. Specific details will prove your dedication and forethought when it comes to your business. 

Your business plan should include exact figures about these key issues:

• Your area of expertise
• What the market is worth
• How much you’ll spend on start-up costs
• How much you’ll spend on running costs
• How your costs will change as your business scales
• Profit and loss projections for the first two years of business
• Your plan for the next stages of the business

Make sure your data is backed up with real-world evidence based on market research, product testing, and consumer feedback. 

Or a third, or a fourth, for that matter. 

Your goal should be to get as much feedback as possible on your business plan. Ask your friends, colleagues, or other business owners to review it and offer suggestions. 

If you don’t have anybody ready to help, there are plenty of ways to reach out and get help:

• Use your social media network
• Contact your local Chamber of Commerce
• Sign up to business mentoring sites like SCORE

The Countingup business account is the current account with built-in accounting software that lets you manage all your financial data from one simple app. 

With a range of useful features like cash flow insights, profit and loss projections, and tax estimates, you’ll have all the financial information you could ever need for a business plan.