Q. give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
A. Right Now Roofing is about providing unparalleled customer service in the roofing industry. Our mission is to interrupt the status quo in contracting and provide a superior service on all levels. We are located in Tulsa Oklahoma, Pensacola Florida and Port Charlotte Florida.
Q. give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
A. My name is James Roberts. I have been in the roofing industry since 1995. I have held roofing licenses in 12 different states and been responsible for well over 12,000 roof installs. I have been named a top 10 in the nation roofing contractor based on volume of installs. Currently, my company hold a “Diamond Contractor” status with Atlas Roofing Manufacturing. This prestigious designation takes 4 years to obtain and allows us to off unprecedented warranties from the best rated for quality roofing manufacturer.
Q. What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
A. After working for a few roofing companies, it became clear that that the industry needed a culture overhaul. I felt like I could offer a superior service based experience and so far that has proved true.
Q. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
A.
◦ Whatever skill you bring to the table when you start a business, you need a different set of skills to run the actual business.
◦ Never stop learning, whatever industry you work in, be on the forefront of changes.
◦ Learn the difference between working in the business and working on the business.
Q. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
A.
◦ A “Can do” attitude.
◦ Determination
◦ Relentless pursuit of improvement of systems and operational quality.
Q. How many hours do you work a day on average?
A. 10
Q. To what do you most attribute your success?
A. God’s blessings
Q. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
A.
◦ Online, (Facebook, Google My Business, Yelp, Angies list etc..)
◦ Door to door
◦ Billboards
◦ Television commercials
◦ Yard Signs
◦ The most successful marketing depends on if there is a hail storm or hurricane and what phase of each storm we are in.
Q. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
A. Self financed.
Q. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
A.
◦ Not being complacent
◦ Being very competitive
Q. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
A.
◦ Multiple offices in various states
◦ Very defined systems
Q. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
A. Telsa
Q. How important have good employees been to your success?
A. Very important, employees are the best and worst part of owning a business
Q. How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
A. Depends on the idea. Long enough to see if it is working as intended.
Q. What motivates you?
A. Competitive spirit
Q. What are your ideals?
◦ I love improving the quality of peoples lives and how they go about life. My companies have done this for many people over the years. We have trained people who have gone on to own their own companies or who stay in this industry long term.
Q. How do you generate new ideas?
A. I am an idea guy. It is part of my make up. New ideas come naturally.
Q. How do you define success?
A. Having a company that runs itself.
Q. How do you build a successful customer base?
A. Continued commitment to customer satisfaction and experience.
Q. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
A.
◦ Financial rewards and flexibility of life.
◦ Also, the joy of building new things.
Q. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
A. Seeing a large organization built out of nothing. Small beginning to large functioning organizations.
Q. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
A. Innovative spirit and relentless drive to better their own life or the lives of others.
Q. What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
A. We have a competitive culture as well as a customer service based culture.
Q. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
A. Adventurous
Q. If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
A. Be more focused on employees and how to train them better with an eye to attracting better talent.
Q. How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
A. Given me freedom to have quality family time and the ability to give my children lots of impactful childhood experiences.
Q. What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
A.
◦ Forgetting important details and letting people down
◦ I ignore it and don’t let it affect me- fear.
Q. How did you decide on the location for your business?
A. Depends on if there is a natural event that causes a influx of business. We have expanded offices based up hail storms or hurricanes. We keep the office in place as long as it is sustainable. Many times this lasts for 5 + years.
Q. Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
A. No. There are significant things that many successful entrepreneurs have in common.
Q. If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
A. Jesus. I have so many questions that He would answer with amazing answers!
Q. Who has been your greatest inspiration?
A. Lots of pioneers and entrepreneurs who overcame odds to succeed anyway. Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos etc….
Q. What book has inspired you the most? (OR what is your favorite book?)
A. Too many to count. I read a lot and I don’t have a favorite.
Q. What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
A.
◦ Not monitoring employees closely enough
◦ Not hiring the proper tax accountants
Q. How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
A. Proper systems, accountability and reporting. This makes a big difference.
Q. What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
A. I hunt, fish, travel, enjoy movies at the theater…nothing too exotic.
Q. What makes you happy?
A. My wife, kids, Jesus and being successful in my business.
Q. What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
A. Lots of extra hours and have risked personal funds that didn’t always come back to me in the various ventures I have started.
Q. If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask?
A.
◦ Would you do it all again?
◦ Do you think your sacrifices were “Worth it”
◦ Do you feel like you started with enough knowledge or should you have had more knowledge when you started?
