How He Built a $100 MILLION Roofing Company (ft. Josh Jerge)

Josh paid himself almost nothing for the first four years, reinvesting everything — the discipline of getting clear financials early and knowing 'the minimum I can pay myself' is what let Smart Roof scale from a negative bank balance to over $100M in eight years.

The business is just a collection of people — nothing is proprietary except your team. Put people first (Josh wouldn't buy a new truck until every technician had one); putting profits or your own lifestyle first stunts growth.

Reward great behavior instead of punishing bad — the best sports locker rooms and sales floors focus on 'how do we win,' not a coach screaming; the old 'loser board' approach breeds fear and kills ideas.

Financial clarity doesn't solve problems, it tells you where to focus — dial in your top five KPIs so you're not 'gambling every day.' A strong CFO renegotiates vendor terms, stretches payables 30→90 days, and drives forecasting; you owe that clarity to your team.

Recruiting top talent starts with a vision big enough that everyone's personal dreams fit inside it — align the business with what people want personally and professionally, and A-players will beg to work for you.

Take the training wheels off: let smart people make decisions and support them when they fall (as Josh's investors told Tommy). Founders who can't let go of the reins become the bottleneck that caps their own growth.

Nobody actually wants the cheapest option — 'I want a lower price' means 'I don't believe your value is worth the price.' Take everything off the salesperson's plate except the sale, stack value, and give options (not ultimatums) instead of racing to the bottom.

Sell like a doctor: diagnose the person before the problem, ask lots of questions, present a menu of options (Tommy's six garage-door packages), price-anchor high, and remove affordability with financing tailored to no-interest, low-interest, or low-payment buyers.

Culture is created for you if you don't create it — and it usually turns negative. Leadership must constantly, openly talk about what makes the company different, and build real friendships (breaking bread, Halloween parties) because people don't quit jobs where their best friends work.