How Sej Deribin Built Systems That Let Her Roofing Company Grow Without Constant Firefighting
Growing a roofing company isn’t just about generating more leads. It’s about building a business that can operate without every decision, customer question, or emergency landing on the owner’s phone.
When Sej Deribin first joined Capitol Roofing after leaving a successful corporate banking career, the business depended heavily on her husband, Eric. Every phone call, customer question, scheduling issue, and operational challenge seemed to require one of them to step in. Years later, the company looks very different.
In this episode of the Roofing Success Podcast, Sej shares how Capitol Roofing transformed from an owner-dependent business into a company built on systems, communication, and the right people. The journey wasn’t about finding one magic solution. It was about making hundreds of small improvements that compounded over time.
Building the Right Team Takes Longer Than You Think
Many roofing contractors expect hiring to solve their problems overnight. Sej’s experience says otherwise.
Over the past several years, Capitol Roofing cycled through multiple office administrators before finding the right solution. Rather than continuing to struggle with inconsistent attendance and constant turnover, they eventually partnered with a virtual administrative service that specializes in training administrative staff.
That decision became a turning point.
Instead of spending valuable time recruiting, hiring, and retraining office staff, the company gained a dependable front office that consistently answers phones, follows established processes, and provides customers with a professional first impression.
“Being able to pivot quickly was huge. When something wasn’t working, we stopped trying to force it and found a better solution.”
One of the biggest lessons from Sej’s journey is that building the right team isn’t about perfection. It’s about continually improving until you find the people and systems that fit your business.
Great Customer Communication Is the Best Marketing
While many roofing companies focus heavily on advertising, Sej believes communication is one of the strongest marketing tools a contractor can have.
Every customer interaction at Capitol Roofing follows a carefully designed communication process. From the initial phone call through project completion and even years afterward, customers know exactly what’s happening.
Their team sends appointment confirmations, reminder texts, proposal follow-ups, production updates, daily job summaries with photos, warranty information, maintenance reminders, thank-you gifts, and even holiday cookies.
The goal is simple: never let a customer wonder what’s happening.
One company standard drives everything they do.
Every customer receives a response within 24 hours.
That consistency has become one of the company’s biggest competitive advantages and one of the most common themes mentioned in customer reviews.
As Sej explains, communication builds trust long before the roof is installed.
SOPs Should Continue to Evolve
Standard Operating Procedures aren’t documents you create once and forget.
As Capitol Roofing added new employees, Sej noticed something important. Team members performing the work every day often found better ways to complete tasks than the original processes outlined years earlier.
Instead of protecting outdated procedures, the company encouraged employees to improve them.
Today, many of Capitol Roofing’s SOPs have been rewritten by the people actually performing the work every day.
That continuous improvement mindset keeps operations moving forward instead of becoming stagnant.
Buying Back Time Through Strategic Outsourcing
One of the biggest themes throughout the conversation is outsourcing with intention.
Rather than trying to do everything internally, Capitol Roofing outsourced functions where outside experts could deliver better results.
Administrative support.
Marketing.
Website management.
Bookkeeping.
For Sej, outsourcing isn’t about avoiding responsibility. It’s about eliminating tasks that prevent owners from focusing on growth.
She still oversees every major function of the business, but she’s no longer responsible for completing every task herself.
Instead of working inside every process, she’s leading the people responsible for those processes.
That shift has allowed both Sej and Eric to spend more time developing the business rather than constantly reacting to it.
Strong Operations Create Better Customer Experiences
Adding a dedicated bookkeeper and production assistant dramatically changed how the company operated.
Previously, production scheduling, permits, bookkeeping, material orders, customer communication, and financial reporting all landed on Sej’s desk.
Now those responsibilities are distributed across specialized team members.
Production managers stay focused on crews and job sites.
Office staff keep projects organized.
Bookkeeping stays current.
Customers receive consistent communication.
Instead of rushing from one emergency to another, leadership can focus on improving the business.
It’s a reminder that operational improvements don’t just help employees. They directly improve the customer experience.
Networking Beats Expensive Advertising
Although Capitol Roofing maintains an online presence, Sej believes their strongest marketing channel isn’t social media.
It’s relationships.
She invests heavily in networking through organizations like National Women in Roofing, Professional Women in Construction, local chambers of commerce, community events, schools, and neighborhood organizations.
Those relationships consistently generate referrals because people know, trust, and remember Capitol Roofing.
Rather than spending heavily on advertising that may or may not produce quality leads, the company focuses on becoming the first name people think of when someone asks for a roofing recommendation.
For Sej, trust is built person-to-person long before someone needs a new roof.
The Moment Everything Changed
Perhaps the most memorable story from the episode came when Sej described a morning at home.
Years earlier, Eric’s phone would begin ringing before 7:00 every morning with problems requiring immediate attention.
One day, the phone didn’t ring.
Instead of celebrating, Eric wondered if something was wrong.
That’s when they realized something important.
Nothing was wrong.
The systems were working.
The team was handling the business.
Customers were being taken care of.
That quiet morning represented years of hiring, documenting processes, improving communication, and trusting other people to lead.
For Sej, it became proof that the business was finally becoming scalable instead of completely owner-dependent.
Final Thoughts
Scaling a roofing company isn’t about removing yourself from the business overnight. It’s about gradually replacing chaos with systems, replacing uncertainty with communication, and replacing owner dependence with capable people.
Sej’s journey demonstrates that growth rarely comes from one breakthrough moment. It comes from making small improvements every day, documenting what works, finding the right people, and being willing to pivot when something no longer serves the business.
For roofing contractors who feel trapped by constant interruptions, endless phone calls, and daily firefighting, her advice is simple:
Keep going.
Continue improving.
And don’t be afraid to outsource the tasks that prevent you from leading the company you’ve worked so hard to build.
