Scaling a home service business from 2.5m to 20m in 4.5 years
Scaling a home service business from 2.5m to 20m in 4.5 years
A third generation contractor scaled his roofing and solar company from $2.5 million to $20 million in just 4.5 years. Here’s exactly how he did it and the costly mistakes that taught him everything.
The Pivot That Changed Everything
Randy didn’t choose roofing desperation did. After his construction business collapsed in 2008, he lost everything and filed for bankruptcy. A series of dead end jobs led him to roofing sales, where he discovered a simple truth: “If you can fog a mirror and knock doors, you can get a job in roofing.”
The $2.5M Foundation (Years 1-3)
Starting in 2010 with zero capital, he made three critical early decisions:
- Built a team immediately – Hired sales reps, admin support, and service techs from day one
- Focused relentlessly – Stopped trying to be everything to everyone
- Systematized sales – Developed a repeatable 7 step process
The result? $500K in the first 6 months, scaling to $2.9M by year three.
The Million Dollar Mistake
Success bred overconfidence. He expanded to a second location and watched revenue plummet by 33%.
The lesson: Keep the main thing the main thing. Master one thing before adding bolt ons.
The Systems That Enabled 10X Growth
After refocusing on his core market, he implemented the framework that took him from $2M to $20M:
The 7-Step Sales System
The Story Step: Every rep shares the company story, then connects it to their personal story. There are 5,000 roofers in my market. When I tell customers why I chose to work for this company out of all those options, that’s powerful.
Process Explanation: Detail exactly what happens after they buy permits, materials, crew scheduling. This makes people feel comfortable. They know you’re not just Chuck in a truck.
Financial Clarity: Explain payment terms, financing options, and expectations upfront. No surprises.
The Leadership Shift
To get to $1M, you have to hustle. To scale beyond that, the hustler has to die and the leader has to be born.
He removed himself from sales despite being great at it. Instead, he focused on:
- Hiring and training great people
- Building systems that work without him
- Establishing clear mission, vision, and values
Marketing Strategy
His approach was simple but effective:
- Budget-based: Allocate 3-10% of revenue to marketing
- Multi-channel: Test everything, double down on what works
- Brand-focused: Good luck competing with 590 five star reviews if you don’t prioritize your online presence
- Measurement-driven: Track every dollar spent and its return
The Diversification Play
When Denver’s hail market dried up for four years, revenue dropped from $20M to $8M. His response? Add solar.
But he did it right:
- Obtained 100+ licenses
- Hired a master electrician in-house
- Built a 6-person service team
- Created a separate solar brand
The cost? We lost money for multiple years while building it. But I’m willing to spend two years building something right because I have a 10 year vision.
The 5 Pillars of Scale
He now coaches contractors using five key pillars:
- Marketing & Branding – Build recognition and trust
- Sales & Leadership – Develop systems and lead people
- Operations – Streamline for consistent delivery
- Finance – Run by the numbers
- People – Hire, train, and develop great teams
Key Takeaways for Home Service Entrepreneurs
Start with values: You can’t hire great people long term if they don’t align with your mission, vision, and values.
Master one thing first: When you spread yourself too thin, you end up marginally average at everything.
Invest in systems early: The defining moment was when we professionalized our hiring, onboarding, and sales training.
Think long term: it’s not about the money I can make tomorrow it’s about setting up a life for everyone in the organization.
The Blueprint
This contractor’s journey from bankruptcy to $20M business wasn’t about luck it was about systems, leadership, and the patience to invest in long term growth over short term gains.
His advice for contractors stuck at $2-3M? “You got to duplicate yourself. Build systems that work without you, hire great people, and keep the main thing the main thing.
The blueprint works. The question is: are you willing to do the work?