463: Roofers Who Don’t Know Their Numbers Won’t Survive This Market

EPISODE SUMMARY

This episode was recorded during the roofing boom—when being busy hid bad numbers. Today, work is slower and margins are tighter. Dave explains why job costing is now the difference between surviving and disappearing, and why “gut feel” leaves contractors broke even when they’re busy.

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

This interview was recorded a few years ago when the roofing market was on fire. Phones were ringing, jobs were everywhere, and being busy hid a lot of sins.

Today it’s different.

Jobs are harder to get. Margins are thinner. And the contractors who don’t truly understand their numbers—what jobs actually make money, what crews are profitable, what their real labor cost is—those companies won’t survive this market.

I hear it every week:
“Dave, we’re working like crazy… but there’s never any money in the bank.”

That’s not bad luck. That’s no job costing.

Successful contractors job cost every job. Unsuccessful ones run on gut feel—and in this market, gut feel will put you out of business.

In this conversation, Dave Sullivan sits down with construction finance expert Leslie Shiner to break down the simple job costing system profitable roofers use to protect margins and make real decisions.

You’ll Learn

• Why “gut feel” lies—and cash proves it
• The real reason busy roofers still have no money
• How to calculate true labor cost (labor burden)
• Paid hours vs billable hours = labor utilization
• Why labor overruns destroy profit faster than materials
• How estimate vs actual fixes bad pricing
• How to see which crews and job types make money
• Two KPIs every roofer must track

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Why this matters now
02:20 – Gut feel vs real profit
06:20 – What job costing actually means
10:15 – True labor cost & labor burden
17:30 – Labor utilization explained
24:15 – Estimate vs actual the right way
30:25 – Fixing downtime & productivity
36:40 – Sales to production handoff
40:35 – KPIs that matter
44:15 – Improving your system

RESOURCES

Shiner Group: https://www.shinergroup.com
Free Labor Burden Calculator (on Leslie’s site)

LINKS

Work with Dave / Mentoring: https://theroofercoach.com/mentoring/

Free resources: https://theroofercoach.com/resources/

Connect with Dave!

Text Dave: (510) 612-1450

Free Strategy Call
Want to grow a more profitable roofing business?
Book a free strategy call with Dave here → davesullivan.as.me/free-strategy-call

Free Resource
Download your FREE 1-Page Business Plan for Roofing Contractors → theroofercoach.com/plan

Watch on YouTube
Subscribe for weekly tips and full episodes → @DaveSullivanRooferShow

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GUEST

Leslie Shiner – Shiner Group
https://www.shinergroup.com