Your Roofing Business Plan: Where to Start and How to Build It

Reflecting on the mistakes roofing contractors make, starting with their business plan—if they have one at all.

By Jill Bloom, Executive Director, Roofing Contractor, Art Aisner, Editor-in-Chief, Amparo Sancen

Establishing an identity as a roofing company is a challenge that goes beyond just consistently hitting deadlines and passing inspections. Discovering and promoting what each roofing contractor is about begins with a proper business plan, says Amparo Sancen, founder of Latinos en Roofing and CEO of Sancen Contracting.

In this exclusive video with RC, Sancen explains that the business plan not only provides a sense of purpose for employees, but creates a pathway for growth and success – if executed properly. The need is especially different in the Latino contractor community, where business experience is often outweighed by skill and eagerness.

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The Blueprint for Roofing Success

Amparo Sancen, founder of Latinos en Roofing and CEO of Sancen Contracting, reflects on the mistakes she sees roofing contractors make, starting with their business plan—if they have one at all.

“They know how to roof, how to install, how to do everything, but the biggest mistake they make is that they don’t know about running a business. The need to have a business plan,” she explained. “If we don’t have a business plan, it’s just building a house without blueprints and we’ll make a lot of mistakes.”

Sancen said it may sound basic, but it’s the basics that, once mastered, establish the foundation for a strong business. One that’s in position to grow and take advantage of the market or the economic climate when the opportunity arises.

“The basic things make the big difference, and if we want to have a business, and we want to scale our business without touching the basic things?” she said. “That's how we start building a strong company.”

Watch the full video here.

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Jill Bloom is the innovative Executive Director of Roofing Contractor, Walls & Ceilings, Building Enclosure, Roofing Supply Pro, and the highly regarded Best of Success event. With a deep commitment to advancing the roofing, construction, and building enclosure industries, Jill oversees a robust portfolio of publications, podcasts, and events that empower professionals with knowledge, inspiration, and connections.

Her brands deliver exceptional value across multiple platforms, including:

Techos y Más, the Spanish-language newsletter of Roofing Contractor.
Safety Advisor, a newsletter focused on critical resources for jobsite safety.
Thermal Talk, a newsletter focused on insights and news for the insulation contractor.
eRock, a leading newsletter for drywall contractors.
The Enclosure Experts podcast, offering architects deep insights into building enclosure technologies.
If Walls Could Talk, a podcast dedicated to exploring trends and innovations for the wall and ceiling contractor.
The Best of Success Podcast, providing thought leadership and practical advice for roofing professionals.

Jill’s passion for professional development and fostering industry connections is exemplified by the Best of Success event, a premier gathering of contractors, suppliers, and thought leaders for unmatched education and networking.

Art Aisner is Editor-in-Chief of Roofing Contractor and Roofing Supply Pro. He spent the bulk of his career as a multi-media journalist for newspapers and television stations before joining the RC team in 2015. He is the driving force behind the publication’s content development, editorial strategy and other initiatives that serve growing audiences in the roofing space.

Amparo Sancen is the founder and CEO of Sancen Contracting, based in Plano, Texas. Sancen’s story of grit is a classic American tale of triumph over adversity. Sancen, who founded her company in 2006, experienced what many first-time business owners face — struggles — requiring retrenchment. After setbacks and years of performing subcontracting work, she relaunched her efforts in 2018 and hasn’t looked back.

Now, she’s bringing the Latino community on her journey through Latinos en Roofing, the advocacy group she founded in 2022, which seeks to provide resources and information to the next crop of first-generation Latino entrepreneurs wanting to make their mark in the roofing industry. With the help of her two daughters, these women are blazing a trail for America’s fastest-growing labor force segment — Latinos and native-speaking Spanish entrepreneurs.

Amparo Sancen es la fundadora y directora ejecutiva de Sancen Contracting, en Plano, Texas. La historia de perseverancia de Sancen es un clásico ejemplo del Sueño Americano de sobre la adversidad. Sancen, quien fundó su empresa en 2006, vivió lo que muchos propietarios de negocios primerizos enfrentan: dificultades que requieren reajustes. Después de contratiempos y años realizando trabajos de subcontratación, relanzó sus sueños en 2018 y no ha mirado atrás.

Ahora, está ayudando a la comunidad Latina en su camino a través de Latinos en Roofing, el grupo de programas de capacitación que fundó en 2022, que busca proporcionar recursos e información a la próxima generación de emprendedores Latinos que desean dejar su huella en la industria del techado. Con la ayuda de sus dos hijas, estas mujeres están abriendo un camino para el segmento de fuerza laboral de más rápido crecimiento en América: los Latinos y los emprendedores Hispanohablantes.