Right or wrong, I have a passion. All day every day I hope to absorb anything beyond my understanding of roofing. I’m a smart kid from the ghetto that made good and was probably saved by an honest living that roofing had to offer.
I never could understand selling drugs or pimping or any other illegal means, because to me it seemed that no matter what you could gain it could all easily be taken either by the law or by the illegal. I was physically ready and mentally open to any other means than an illegal way of life. That was when I was 17.
Now, I’m 30 years old and my one constant in life is roofing. I love it. And either you do or you don’t. I eat, breathe, and sleep roofing. I always like being the underdog, and roofing gave me the legitimate means to prove everyone wrong. And without all the brown nose bs, here I stand, a man. My executive sister once told me to work at McDonalds and was infuriated with me that I wouldnt take 4 dollars an hour to make ends meet, but I never asked for loans and here I am. My bills are paid and I get very few thank you’s. Not to mention my roofs aren’t leaking.
I go out in the freezing cold in the winter and the burning days in the summer. Had to chase contractors for money, chase employers for money. I’ve been robbed by employees for everything I owned. I’ve had to take losses to do what I know was right. But here I am. Unrelenting. I will continue to go at this for as long as it takes to make sure my kids are not roofers.
None of us here are perfect. Many of us are very intelligent and very educated, thats all you can ask. I don’t regret a day of my life, I feel I am gifted for the day to day operations of roofing and that sole fact inspires me. But I wouldn’t wish the associated misery on my worst enemy.
When I see a new roofing entrepeneaur, I can’t help but laugh in disgust, but it’s because I know I’m thick-skinned and don’t think the average man can handle this. Owning a roofing company is so much of a gamble. I’ve at times alienated everyone in my life and stuck to my guns despite them all to finish this job. And its finished when I’m a rotted corpse.
To date, I’m not getting rich roofing. I’m making a living now. I can pay my bills now. I combine roofing with some other abilities I’ve learned along the way, and the way I see it, other things are now paying for this roofing company. But man do I love this! My only challenge nowadays in roofing is how to turn a profit with it. Thats sad when I see myself performong 3 times the work in a day as my associates and theyre making nearly what I do. Do we wonder why I’ve regressed to just me and my best friend/partner to do all the work?
Warren said it nicely in a P.M. to me… we’ve become a big box consumer type nation that wants everything easily and fast. But what does it all mean?
I’m just a roofer and I love life. Isn’t that good enough? Your positive and negative opinions are eagerly awaited.