[J-Peffer]

I'm a hands on owner, I like to do the work but I am best placed at actually running the company.

I'm certainly able to out shingle anyone I've hired, but I'm constantly short handed.

I'll hire guys and pay them good money, I'm finding that you are almost better off paying them less. Treat them fair, but if you over pay them, they always seem to want more, and eventually feel they can work less.

I've had a friend helping me out, but really don't like to hire friends.

I keep my ears open at the lumber yards, but I don't like to ask either.

This tends to happen about this time of year though, every year. I have the work booked up, and end up having to hire 2 or 3 installers to finish out the season. By the time they are trained enough, that I'm comfortable leaving the job site, the season is over.

even the experienced guys in the area I've hired, can be great craftsmen, but I like to see them work before I will just leave them out there.

I was thinking of running a ad in the paper. What has worked for you guys?

 

[Mellison]

It may be a geographical thing but, especially in this economy, they seem to find me.

I will not however just leave a new employee on his own.
Either one of my more trusted guys or I will be around for a while until I can gauge his level of expertise.

 

[J-Peffer]

It may be a geographical thing but, especially in this economy, they seem to find me.

I will not however just leave a new employee on his own.
Either one of my more trusted guys or I will be around for a while until I can gauge his level of expertise.

I guess i get at least 10 calls a season of people moving to the area with roofing experience.

I generally need guys who are just detailed, and not just guys to put down shingles. We normally end up doing just as much soffit/fasica/siding/window wraps as we do roofs.

I'd like to just line up 50 nice ranch style home, single story roofs and train a bunch of monkeys, but who wouldn't? :laughing:

I think I depend too much on one guy, and just need to accept I'll be turning over employee's every 4-6 months.

 

[Mellison]

I guess i get at least 10 calls a season of people moving to the area with roofing experience.

I generally need guys who are just detailed, and not just guys to put down shingles. We normally end up doing just as much soffit/fasica/siding/window wraps as we do roofs.

I'd like to just line up 50 nice ranch style home, single story roofs and train a bunch of monkeys, but who wouldn't? :laughing:

I think I depend too much on one guy, and just need to accept I'll be turning over employee's every 4-6 months.

I hear you. Keeping your qualified and proven guys busy is one of the biggest hurdles in this business.
Good luck.

 

[MJW]

What season? Why not bid jobs all year. Expand, you learn more that way.

If and When I move out your way, I'll be looking you up for work.

Or, like you said, and like everyone else does.....just hire a bunch of monkeys and only do estimates.

 

[J-Peffer]

What season? Why not bid jobs all year. Expand, you learn more that way.

If and When I move out your way, I'll be looking you up for work.

Or, like you said, and like everyone else does.....just hire a bunch of monkeys and only do estimates.

If i did that, I'd be scared to end up like them...with no work!

I really did not come from a contractor/construction back ground though. I was raised in the restaurant business and got into construction from the real estate business. So I tend to have a different approach to things.

I try to control the "controllable s" or the controllable expenses rather than increase revenue. I'd rather make 40k off 10 jobs, than make 40k off 40 jobs because it's easier to keep 10 jobs booked in advance than 40 jobs.

When you start doing that kind of volume, you take more risk, you need more equipment, more vehicles, bigger insurance policy, probably a store front, a ware house, ext ext ext ext. All is great if you want to live off a 2 million dollar line of credit, but I like to pay cash, finance little, and have very little over head. If **** hits the fan, I'll go fishing and sleep at night!

I'd be willing to take more risk if home builders still called and just wanted that 50 square put down next week, and price did not matter.

I think I just have to consider more employee turn over to find those good ones, instead of trying to mould each one into that ideal employee.

I really feel it's not about money either. I always busted my ass, and it was to impress my boss, impress the other people I work with, it was not to get a raise, it was cause I took pride in my work and wanted that to be recognized. The money mattered, but it was not the real reason. You have to find people pleasers, people looking for top dollar will always be job hoppers, they will perform, but only until someone else offers them more.

 

[Patrick]

I really feel it's not about money either. I always busted my ass, and it was to impress my boss, impress the other people I work with, it was not to get a raise, it was cause I took pride in my work and wanted that to be recognized. The money mattered, but it was not the real reason.

I was just like that, and so were you, and so were half the people here. Thats why we have our own businesses. You have to realize that perfect worker you are looking for already quit working for someone and went out on their own.

 

[Just a Roofer]

I always had that problem myself, either they were really good at it & went on thier own or they were good & didn't have a license to drive or some other issue to make it all not worth it.

On the other hand you have guys claiming to know how to roof etc. & don't know thier a** from a hole in the ground.

The laborors (tear-off/cleanup) are a dime a dozen but of course you have to watch the newbie disastors also.

 

[Mike Finley]

I was just like that, and so were you, and so were half the people here. Thats why we have our own businesses. You have to realize that perfect worker you are looking for already quit working for someone and went out on their own.

That's the truth.

I've always found employees to be like that joke about the 3 men all missing parts adding up to a whole man.

A good employee is going to have a check list of 20 things you want in him, most really good employees will probably have 12 of them, a really great one will have maybe 15, but you'll always have weaknesses in some of the other areas that you have to work around. That's just the way it is. It just depends on which ones are the most important to you.

 

[Grumpy]

You'll never find a clone of yourself.

Pay by the piece if you can or you'll be sorry IMO.