The Struggle of Maintaining High-Quality Work as You Scale Your Roofing Business

When you start a roofing business, it’s typically just you or a small team on the tools. The quality is high, the clients are happy, and you’re in control of every detail. But as your business grows, that quality becomes harder to maintain. So, what happens next?

You need to bring in more help, right? Whether you hire employees or subcontractors, the pressure ramps up. You’ve got more work, more clients, but also a new set of challenges. One of the big ones? Maintaining the same high standards when you’re not on the job site every day.

Let’s be real: It’s tough. You can’t be everywhere, and as much as you'd like to think that your subcontractors will pick up on the standards you've set, it doesn’t always work that way. You’ve worked hard to build your reputation on top-notch quality, but once the crew expands, you’re putting that at risk.

You might even feel like you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. You want to keep up with demand and take on bigger jobs, but doing so could mean sacrificing quality if you don’t have the right systems in place. And no one wants that.

So, what do you do?

One thing I see a lot is business owners trying to do it all. They take on more work but still try to keep that hands-on approach—visiting every site, checking every detail. That’s great, but it’s also not sustainable. Time gets lost in commuting, overseeing the work, and managing the team. It's a huge drain, and let’s be honest—there are only so many hours in the day.

So here’s the reality: How do you keep the quality high when you can’t be on every job?

The key lies in setting up a system that can ensure quality even when you’re not physically there. It's about getting the right processes in place so that the crew, whether it’s employees or subcontractors, can work to the same standards you’ve set without you needing to supervise them directly.

But here's the catch—coaching and upskilling are essential. However, in the roofing industry, you can’t afford to take your employees and subcontractors off the job for extended periods of training. It’s cost-prohibitive, especially when your need is to get in, get out, and finish as quickly as possible.

That’s why it’s crucial to build a system that reinforces learning and guides trades while they work. This way, they’re constantly improving, closing knowledge gaps, and developing new behaviors and standards to work by.

Industry Best has helped small roofing companies grow their teams of subcontractors without sacrificing quality by taking this approach. Instead of pulling your crew off-site for long training sessions, you can offer real-time upskilling as they work, ensuring they continue learning while meeting your high-quality expectations.

This isn't just about keeping your standards intact—it's about scaling them effectively as your business grows.

How are you tackling this in your business. Is it working for you? Or are you struggling with this issue too?