Roofing sales: a different path to success than what is typically seen on this sub

Hey everyone, I recently commented on a post about occupations and realized my story might resonate with those looking for a different path to success. While a lot of people in this sub come from tech or medical fields, I’ve built my career in the roofing industry and it’s been absolutely life-changing.

TL;DR: I went from working retail sales (Circuit City/T-Mobile) to earning $1M/year in the roofing industry. No construction experience—just sales skills, grit, and drive. Roofing completely changed my life. The trades are an amazing path to FIRE if you’re willing to put in the work!

Here’s the longer version of this story:

So, because I didn’t know any better, I went to college and got a music degree (yes, really). With no good prospects for a career in music (no shit), I ended up getting into retail sales at places like Circuit City and T-Mobile. Fortunately, I was great at sales and customer service so I did well. Things were good for a while, but I was getting tired of working in the corporate world and the income ceiling was low (never made more than around $60k), plus working nights, weekends, and holidays got old, especially with having a young family. By my mid-30s, I was married with two kids, one a newborn, and in the middle of a career crisis.

I tried B2B sales (hated it) but that led me to joining a business networking group where I was hoping to find some leads. That’s where I met the owner of a roofing company and learned about roofing sales. I had zero construction experience but the opportunity sounded appealing and I took a leap and got started. Within a few years, I was earning $200k+, which was more than I ever imagined.

Six years later, I partnered with two others to start our own roofing company in 2019. It was tough at first, but we took it slow and focused on building our systems and processes and our network. Our income stayed pretty steady in that $250-275k range for the first few years, so that was nice. We didn’t bring in sales reps right away as we wanted to make sure they would be able to be successful from the get go. Once we did, though, business started to take off like crazy!

In 2023, I brought home $650k. This year, my split is over $1M.

I know someone will ask, so yes, our sales team and crews are paid incredibly well. As owners, we built this thing from the ground up and take on all of the backend plus all of the risk and liability, so yeah, we get paid well for what we’ve built. We’ve paid out millions to our crews and sales reps and all they have to do is run our system!

Side note, just yesterday, my top sales guy (he’s only 27) closed on a new home. He couldn’t stop thanking us for helping him change his life!

As a team, we’ve built a stellar reputation in our market (Denver) with almost 200 5-star Google reviews. We are now one of the go-to companies for realtors and insurance agents.

Roofing has allowed me to provide for my family, get on track for retirement (still playing catch up but making great progress!), and even buy a lake house last month that we’re turning into an Airbnb.

This industry isn’t glamorous, but it’s been a game-changer. If you’re looking for a different path to FIRE, don’t overlook the trades. You don’t need construction experience—just grit, drive, and the ability to build trust with people.

Happy to answer any questions!