Building a successful roofing company isn’t just about selling more roofs. It’s about creating a business that gives you freedom, generates predictable profits, supports your team, and allows you to enjoy the journey.
In this episode of the Roofing Success Podcast, Jim Ahlin sits down with Kody Landals, founder of Reimagine Roofing and Reimagine Your Sales, to discuss the lessons he learned while building, scaling, and eventually exiting his roofing company. From overcoming near-disaster moments to pioneering virtual roofing sales, Kody shares practical insights that every roofing contractor can apply today.
From Solar Sales to Roofing Innovation
Kody’s journey into roofing wasn’t planned.
After serving in the Marine Corps and earning a degree focused on renewable energy, he built successful solar sales teams generating more than $100 million in annual sales. However, he continually encountered the same challenge: finding reliable roofing partners capable of supporting solar projects across multiple states.
One experience became the breaking point. A roofing contractor demanded full payment midway through a project before finishing the work. That moment convinced Kody there had to be a better way.
Rather than complain about the problem, he decided to solve it.
What started as a mission to create a more efficient roofing partner for solar companies evolved into an entirely new business model.
“A lot of times it’s plugging a couple of holes, getting better visibility on your numbers, and making some tweaks that can have outsized impacts on the business.”
Creating a Faster Roofing Sales Process
One of Kody’s biggest breakthroughs came from recognizing that speed matters.
In solar sales, waiting days or weeks for a roofing quote often killed deals. Homeowners who were ready to move forward lost momentum during the delay.
To solve this problem, Kody built a system capable of delivering roofing quotes in under 15 minutes. Using virtual assistants, satellite imagery, and a streamlined pricing model, his team could provide pricing almost instantly.
The result was a major competitive advantage.
While many roofing companies were taking days to respond, Reimagine Roofing became known for speed and simplicity.
This lesson still applies today. The companies that respond fastest and remove friction from the buying process often win more business.
Why Virtual Roofing Sales Work
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of Kody’s business was his virtual sales model.
At a time when most roofing companies relied heavily on in-home presentations, Kody believed homeowners increasingly preferred convenience over lengthy sales appointments.
His reasoning was simple.
Consumers buy shoes, cars, electronics, and countless other products online without needing face-to-face interactions. Roofing, he argued, is no different.
By leveraging technology, educational videos, and phone-based consultations, his team maintained strong close rates while dramatically increasing efficiency.
One sales representative could handle 10 to 12 appointments per day instead of the traditional three or four.
The results were difficult to ignore.
Reimagine Roofing maintained an average close rate of approximately 34% while operating with significantly lower overhead and greater scalability.
For roofing contractors, the takeaway is clear: homeowners are increasingly comfortable buying with less friction. Companies that adapt to changing consumer behavior may gain a significant advantage.
The Secret to Predictable Revenue
One of the biggest challenges in roofing is the lack of recurring revenue.
Most contractors live project to project, lead to lead, and month to month.
Kody believes the solution starts with understanding your numbers.
He frequently references a quote from marketing expert Dean Jackson:
“Good marketing turns your business into a vending machine instead of a slot machine.”
Many roofing companies treat marketing like a slot machine. They spend money hoping for results without truly understanding what’s working.
Instead, Kody encourages contractors to focus on a few critical metrics:
- Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
- Gross profit per job
- Appointment set rates
- Demo rates
- Close rates
- Lifetime value to customer acquisition cost (LTV:CAC)
When you understand these numbers, marketing becomes predictable rather than emotional.
Rather than guessing, you can confidently invest in the channels producing profitable results.
Financial Discipline Creates Freedom
One of the most valuable parts of the conversation centered on financial management.
Kody believes many roofing contractors don’t truly know whether their businesses are profitable.
The reason?
They’re not reviewing accurate financial statements regularly.
According to Kody, every roofing owner should review their profit and loss statement monthly and understand the difference between cash accounting and accrual accounting.
Accrual accounting provides a clearer picture of actual business performance because it recognizes revenue and expenses when work is completed rather than when money changes hands.
This becomes especially important when preparing for growth, securing financing, or pursuing an exit.
When private equity eventually acquired Reimagine Roofing, Kody’s organized financials helped accelerate the process.
When buyers requested documents, he already had them prepared.
That level of discipline built trust and increased confidence in the business.
Why Most Roofing Companies Need Higher Margins
One of Kody’s strongest messages involved pricing.
Many roofing contractors are afraid to raise prices because they worry about losing deals.
Kody believes that fear is often misplaced.
In his experience, homeowners are not simply buying a roof. They’re buying confidence, trust, and peace of mind.
If your company delivers a superior experience, stronger communication, better warranties, and greater professionalism, many homeowners are willing to pay more.
He recommends regularly evaluating pricing and looking for opportunities to increase value alongside price increases.
Even small improvements in pricing can create massive impacts on profitability.
For a $5 million roofing company, improving gross margin by just a few percentage points can add hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit annually.
Building Accountability Without Drama
As companies grow, accountability becomes increasingly important.
Kody encourages roofing owners to create clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and measurable expectations.
Too often, leaders manage based on emotions rather than objective performance.
Instead of asking whether someone is working hard, ask whether they are achieving clearly defined outcomes.
Successful organizations establish measurable expectations and predetermined consequences.
This removes ambiguity and makes difficult conversations far easier.
When everyone understands what success looks like, accountability becomes less personal and more professional.
Build a Business You Actually Enjoy
The most important lesson from this episode may be the simplest.
Too many roofing owners build businesses that create stress rather than freedom.
They focus on surviving instead of thriving.
Kody challenges contractors to think bigger.
Profit isn’t just about making money. Profit allows you to reward employees, invest in growth, create better customer experiences, and build a company culture people want to be part of.
As he puts it, the goal shouldn’t be to build a business that merely pays the bills.
The goal is to build a business that you genuinely love running.
When your systems, financials, pricing, accountability, and leadership all work together, that’s when a roofing company becomes something truly valuable—not just to buyers, but to the owner who built it.
