Guest: Andy Keys, FoxHaven Roofing Group
Host: Jim Ahlin, Roofing Success Podcast
Listen to the Episode: https://roofingsuccesspodcast.com/podcast/podcast-podcast-ep-279-scalable-roofing-company/
Links:
https://foxhavenroof.com
https://www.instagram.com/foxhavenroofing
https://www.facebook.com/foxhavenroofing
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pkM6f-6toklxvpWCZ6jNQ
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https://roofingpod.com/chatgpt-279
From Halfway House to $25M Roofing Empire: The Leadership Journey of Andy Keys
Andy Keys didn’t start with a business plan, a loan, or an office. He started in a halfway house with a hammer, a second chance, and a drive to rebuild his life. Today, he leads FoxHaven Roofing Group, a $25M+ powerhouse known for its systems, leaders, and scalable structure.
In this powerful episode, Andy breaks down exactly what it takes to grow from surviving job to job to leading a true company, one that thrives with or without you.
From Rock Bottom to Roofing Leadership
Andy’s story begins in Philadelphia, where he grew up around roofing through his father’s business. But his journey took a sharp turn through addiction and recovery before landing him in Florida, where roofing became more than just work—it became his redemption.
By the end of 2018, he launched FoxHaven Roofing Group. Within six years, he scaled it to $25M in annual revenue. But what’s most impressive isn’t the number—it’s how he built the infrastructure behind it.
“Every year, what I focused on changed, and that’s why we never stopped growing.”
From $800K to $2M to $5M and beyond, Andy’s focus evolved each year:
- Learning to train and replace himself in sales
- Building production systems that could handle growth
- Creating marketing funnels that truly measured ROI
- And finally, empowering managers to run the company without him
Why It’s Getting Harder for the Small Guy
Andy’s quick to admit it’s tougher today for small roofing companies to compete. Not because of bad luck, but because the industry has changed.
“The more we move into a digital world, the harder it gets for the guy running around in his truck trying to do everything himself.”
Technology and marketing have created a wide gap between small, hands-on operators and larger, tech-savvy companies. CRMs, PPC, automation, and retargeting campaigns now play a central role in success, and those who ignore them fall behind.
Andy’s advice? Hire early for technical talent, even if it feels premature.
“Even if you’re small, hire a technical specialist. You can’t hold agencies accountable if you don’t understand the tools.”
This one hire helped FoxHaven take control of their marketing, master retargeting, and measure true return on ad spend, not just revenue, but gross profit per channel.
Stop Outsourcing the Soul of Your Business
Outsourcing can sound like a shortcut, but Andy calls it what it often is: a trap.
He’s especially vocal about roofing owners who outsource their books and lose sight of their own numbers.
“I’ve done seven QuickBooks Zooms in two weeks. Most of them didn’t even have their login. And they all said, ‘My bookkeeper’s good.’ Based on what? You don’t even know your own numbers.”
Andy believes financial control is leadership control.
If you want a $100M company, you can’t outsource your decision-making. You need to understand your numbers—gross profit, overhead, and return on ad spend—because those metrics dictate every other move.
He recommends doing bookkeeping in-house from the start, structuring your P&L to reflect the realities of your business (not generic categories a bookkeeper invents). This means:
- Breaking out marketing subcategories (PPC, Meta Ads, Branding)
- Tracking roofing labor separately from other subcontractors
- Understanding real gross profit, not inflated numbers based on delayed invoices
Building Leaders, Not Assistants
Andy’s company began to truly scale when he stopped hiring assistants and started developing leaders.
“You can call someone a GM, but if you’re still doing their job for them, they’re not really a GM.”
He learned that the moment he stopped being the problem-finder and let his team own their metrics, the company leveled up. His managers became accountable not just for results but for identifying problems before he did.
This required trust, communication, and a clear framework:
- Defining KPIs and scorecards for each role
- Training leaders to have hard conversations
- Creating SOPs and video libraries in Notion so everyone knows how to lead
Systems That Scale: SOPs, Tech, and Multiplication
FoxHaven’s efficiency didn’t come from flashy software, it came from organization.
Using Notion as a “CRM for managers,” Andy built a searchable video library of every standard operating procedure (SOP). Using AI-powered transcription and tools like Tella.tv, his team can instantly find instructions on anything from sales scripts to install checklists.
“Your team doesn’t even have to know what they’re looking for. They can just ask the system, and it finds the training video for them.”
This kind of structure turned chaos into clarity and multiplied productivity across every department.
From Working in the Business to Owning the Business
Andy doesn’t buy into the myth that you simply flip a switch and start “working on the business.”
For him, it’s a progression, first nights and weekends, then training managers, and eventually, replacing yourself.
Now, FoxHaven runs smoothly even when Andy works remotely.
“When you have real leaders, people who own their roles, you can leave the office and everything still runs. That’s when you know you’ve built something real.”
Sharing Ownership and Building Legacy
Instead of selling to private equity, Andy chose a different path, giving equity to his team.
“I asked myself, ‘For what? I have an amazing team. Why do I need to sell?’”
He gifted equity to key managers who had been with him from the start and plans to continue expanding ownership in the future.
This decision didn’t just motivate his team, it multiplied their output and deepened their commitment.
“When you share the burden of the business, everything gets 1000 times better.”
Competing with Private Equity Without Becoming Them
Private equity doesn’t intimidate Andy. In his eyes, their advantage isn’t roofing knowledge, it’s capital and systems. And those can be learned.
“They’re not operators. They need people like us. We can become just as sophisticated and still keep the heart of the business.”
FoxHaven now mirrors that sophistication through tech, data, and leadership without losing the culture that built it.
Final Reflection
Andy Keys’ story proves that real growth doesn’t come from easy buttons or overnight success. It comes from pain, process, and people.
If you’re still wearing all the hats, still fielding every call, still stuck in sales, this episode is your wake-up call.
You can’t build a scalable roofing company alone. But you can build one that grows with or without you if you build the right team, the right systems, and the right mindset.
FAQs: Roofing Business Takeaways from This Episode
Topic: Operations-Management
Q: How can I tell if I’m the bottleneck in my roofing business?
A: If you’re the only one who knows how to do certain tasks or if work stops when you’re unavailable, you’re the bottleneck. Start documenting your processes, creating video SOPs, and training your team to take ownership so the company can function without you.
Topic: Technology-Innovation
Q: Why is hiring a technical specialist important for roofing companies today?
A: A tech hire helps you manage CRMs, PPC, retargeting, and analytics. They ensure your marketing agencies are accountable and your systems are optimized, something most owners don’t have time or expertise to handle.
Topic: Finance-Accounting
Q: Why shouldn’t I outsource my bookkeeping?
A: Outsourced bookkeepers often lump expenses together and delay vendor entries, giving you false profit numbers. In-house bookkeeping gives you real-time visibility into gross profit, overhead, and ROI so you can make smarter growth decisions.
Topic: Growth-Expansion
Q: What should my next focus be as my roofing business grows?
A: Pay attention to what’s breaking in your business. Pain points show you what to fix next, whether it’s sales, production, or marketing. Each new phase requires a new system and mindset.
Topic: Marketing
Q: What are the most important marketing metrics for roofers to track?
A: Focus on qualified appointments and return on ad spend (ROAS) based on gross profit, not revenue. These numbers reflect the true health and efficiency of your marketing.
Topic: Education-Training
Q: How should I train my team on SOPs?
A: Use screen-recorded videos and searchable AI tools like Notion or Tella.tv. This makes it easy for new hires and managers to access training anytime without you having to reteach the same processes.
Topic: Leadership-People
Q: What’s the difference between hiring a manager and a real leader?
A: A manager executes tasks, a leader finds and solves problems. A true leader owns KPIs, holds their team accountable, and has tough conversations that move the business forward.
Topic: Finance-Accounting
Q: How should my P&L be structured for better insights?
A: Break down costs into meaningful subcategories, separate roofing labor, marketing channels, and suppliers. This clarity allows you to calculate true profitability per department or campaign.
Topic: Growth-Expansion
Q: When is it time to give equity to team members?
A: When you have key people who’ve proven loyalty, leadership, and impact on the company’s success. Equity creates buy-in and helps distribute responsibility, reducing stress on the owner.
Topic: Customer-Service
Q: How does strong leadership impact customer satisfaction?
A: When your managers truly own their departments, fewer mistakes reach the customer. A self-sufficient team ensures consistent quality, faster response times, and better communication across all projects.
Topic: Operations-Management
Q: What’s the best way to transition from working in the business to working on it?
A: Start small by dedicating nights or weekends to system building. As you promote leaders and document processes, you’ll gradually shift into strategy and vision instead of daily firefighting.
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