263: The 5 Hidden Bottlenecks Stopping Your Roofing Company from Growing with Jonathan Broce
Guest: Jonathan Broce
Host: Jim Ahlin, Roofing Success Podcast
Listen to the Episode: https://roofingsuccesspodcast.com/the-5-bottlenecks-slowing-roofing-company-growth-jonathan-broce
https://jonathonbroce.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-broce-b39650186/
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The 5 Hidden Bottlenecks Stopping Your Roofing Company from Growing
With Jon Broce of Day 41 Thrive
Scaling a roofing company isn’t just about increasing leads or hiring more sales reps. If the right systems aren’t in place, growth will only expose the cracks already there. In a recent episode of the Roofing Success Podcast, Jon Broce—serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Day 41 Thrive—laid out the five hidden bottlenecks that hold roofing companies back from real, scalable success.
These insights don’t come from theory—they’re built from the ground up through Jon’s experience scaling and selling companies like Meredith Home Improvements, and now helping contractors nationwide build growth-ready systems.
The 5C Growth Framework: What You Must Master to Scale
Jon breaks the business down into five core areas: Capture, Convert, Create, Control, and Culture. Think of these as:
- Capture: Marketing
- Convert: Sales
- Create: Production
- Control: Admin & Finance
- Culture: People & Leadership
If even one of these is weak or inconsistent, you’ll struggle to scale effectively—or worse, collapse under your own growth.
1. Capture: Confusion in Marketing Metrics
Are your marketing systems clear or chaotic? Many roofers fall into the trap of chasing leads from too many sources without understanding their true cost or conversion rate. You need clarity on:
- Where your leads are coming from
- How they’re converting at each stage (lead to appointment, appointment to demo, demo to close)
- What your cost per appointment, cost per lead, and net sale per lead issued (NSLI) really are
“There’s no such thing as a bad lead—just a lack of process for maximizing every opportunity.” – Jon Broce
Roofers who are unclear about this stage often blame the leads, when the bottleneck may lie in speed-to-lead or weak appointment setting.
2. Convert: Lack of Sales Systemization
Your sales process must be simple, clear, and repeatable. That means:
- A defined sales playbook
- Training systems in place
- Micro-metrics to evaluate performance
- Leadership that doesn’t just “hire away the problem”
“If your sales system depends on unicorn hires instead of structured training, it’s not scalable.” – Jon Broce
Jon emphasizes training new reps from scratch to avoid bad habits, while using metrics like NSLI and appointment-to-close ratios to reveal where breakdowns occur.
3. Create: Production Chaos
You can’t scale what you can’t deliver. Jon is blunt about this: Production is where the money is actually made.
Your system must include:
- Dedicated project managers (not salespeople juggling installs)
- Measurable metrics like installed vs. collected revenue
- A clear pass-off from sales to production
- Capacity planning (if you’re booked 2 months out, you’ve got a backlog problem)
“Sales is for show. Production is for dough.” – Jon Broce
One standout metric Jon uses: returns. If you’re constantly returning materials or correcting orders, you’re losing time, money, and customer trust.
4. Control: Admin Systems and Financial Reporting
This is often overlooked. Admin and finance need systems just like production or sales:
- Are you using accrual or cash accounting?
- Do you have accurate financial statements?
- Are you forecasting based on historical trends?
- Are you using variable vs. fixed costs to your advantage?
“Control isn’t about who you hire—it’s about whether the backend decisions are smart, structured, and timely.” – Jon Broce
Understanding your numbers—like cost of goods sold (COGS), installed revenue, and overhead—gives you levers to pull when times get tight or when opportunities arise.
5. Culture: The Most Overlooked Bottleneck
Culture can’t be faked—and it can’t just be pizza Fridays. Jon’s team uses a blind, peer-to-peer assessment tool called AEP (Attitude, Effort, Performance) to evaluate culture objectively.
He flips the script: Mission, Vision, and Values (MVV) aren’t for customers—they’re for your people. If your team doesn’t feel valued, heard, and aligned, you can’t scale.
“Your team is your new customer. If you serve them, they’ll serve everyone else.” – Jon Broce
The Real Bottleneck: You
Even with great systems, there’s one thing that will make or break your company’s ability to grow: the owner’s mindset.
Are you ready to let go of control, trust your team, and lead through process instead of micromanagement? Jon calls this Extreme Ownership—and it starts with self-awareness.
“Most owners come to us because they’re tired. Not because they’re failing. But because they’re stuck doing it all and they want their freedom back.” – Jon Broce
A Roadmap to Scale: From Burnout to Blueprint
So how do you actually scale once you’ve assessed the bottlenecks?
Here’s Jon’s high-level roadmap:
- Mindset Shift: Do the internal work. Scaling starts with you.
- Measure Everything: From marketing to production to people.
- Build Your 3-1-90-30 Plan:
- 3-year vision (only for leadership)
- 1-year company-wide goal
- 90-day initiatives
- 30-day sprints
- Find the Right People: Focus on personality and core values over resumes. Hire for will, train for skill.
- Implement, Iterate, Improve: Don’t expect perfection. Expect progress.
Jon’s team at Day 41 Thrive walks contractors through this journey, using real data—not guesswork—to help business owners stop spinning their wheels.
Final Takeaway
If you’re wondering whether your roofing business is ready to scale, don’t look at your lead count or sales numbers. Look at your systems. If you can’t clearly measure and optimize your marketing, sales, production, admin, and culture—you’re not ready.
But here’s the good news: That clarity is possible. It starts with asking better questions, building better processes, and leading with purpose. Because scaling isn’t about growing fast. It’s about growing right.
💡 FAQ for Roofing Company Owners
Q: What metrics should I track to improve my marketing?
A: Go beyond total leads and track cost per appointment, appointment-to-demo rate, close rate, and Net Sale per Lead Issued (NSLI). These micro-metrics help you identify whether it’s a lead quality issue or a follow-up and conversion problem.
Topic: SEO for Tour Operators (adapted: Marketing for Roofing Companies)
Q: When is the right time to hire more sales reps?
A: Only when your sales process is documented, trainable, and scalable. If your current team isn’t closing at a healthy NSLI rate or you lack a sales onboarding system, hiring more reps will just increase chaos.
Topic: Tour Operator Booking (adapted: Roofing Sales Team Building)
Q: What’s a realistic growth goal for a roofing business?
A: Jon recommends aiming for 30–50% organic growth annually. Doubling is possible in early stages, but growth past $4M–$5M requires tighter SOPs and deeper leadership development.
Topic: Digital Marketing for Tour Operators (adapted: Roofing Business Growth)
Q: How do I fix constant delays in production?
A: Separate your sales and production teams. Ensure there’s a dedicated project manager, a clean sales-to-production handoff, and audit jobs before build day. Also track installed revenue weekly.
Topic: Tour Operator Website Design (adapted: Roofing Production Systems)
Q: How can I know if my team culture is ready for scale?
A: Use a blind peer-to-peer evaluation like AEP (Attitude, Effort, Performance). Culture shows up in how team members communicate, feel heard, and align with your company values—not in surface perks.
Topic: Tourism Social Media (adapted: Roofing Company Culture)
Q: What’s the most important admin KPI to monitor?
A: Understand your true COGS (Cost of Goods Sold), installed vs. collected revenue, and whether you’re using variable costs to your advantage. Weekly reports give you real control, not just year-end surprises.
Topic: monthly website maintenance packages (adapted: Admin Systems for Roofers)
Q: What does a “one-page plan” include?
A: A 3-year vision, 1-year goal, quarterly milestones, and monthly sprints. Assign metrics, teams, and accountability to each milestone. It keeps your growth plan actionable and realistic.
Topic: Marketing Tours (adapted: Roofing Business Planning)
Q: How do I stop micromanaging without things falling apart?
A: Build and document clear SOPs, then train your team to follow them. Trust comes from process. Once you build trust in the system, you can let go without dropping the ball.
Topic: Beginners Guide to Local SEO (adapted: Roofing Business Leadership)
Q: How do I know if a new hire is the “right person”?
A: Look for positive attitude, honesty, and being solution-oriented. Skills can be taught. Willingness and cultural fit matter more in long-term success.
Topic: Tourism SEO Services (adapted: Roofing Team Building)
Q: Should I measure my business weekly or monthly?
A: Weekly. Monthly is too slow to react to problems. Weekly reporting lets you spot trends early and adjust in real-time—especially around installs, collections, and lead conversions.
Topic: Digital Marketing for Tour Operators (adapted: Roofing Metrics)
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