Most roofing owners know how busy they are. Fewer know how they're actually doing. Busy and profitable aren't the same thing: a packed schedule can hide jobs that lost money, invoices nobody's paid and a tax bill that's coming whether you're ready or not.
You don't need to become an accountant. Set aside 15 minutes once a month, ideally the first Monday, and answer these seven questions. Do it every month and you'll spot problems while they're still small.
1. How much came in, and how much went out?
Look at the money actually collected last month and the money actually spent. Not bids signed, not invoices sent: cash. If more went out than came in, find out why. It might be fine (materials for a big job that pays next month), or it might be a warning sign.
2. Who owes me, and how late are they?
Split what's owed into not yet due, 1–30 days late, 31–60 and over 60. Anything over 30 days deserves a phone call this week. The older a balance gets, the harder it is to collect, and if you have lien rights in your state, deadlines may be running.
3. Which jobs made money, and which didn't?
Look at profit and margin on each job finished last month. You're looking for patterns:
- Is one type of job (repairs, steep roofs, a certain shingle) consistently thin?
- Did one job blow up on labor or materials? Why?
- Are your best-margin jobs the ones you're chasing hardest?
If you don't know a job's real profit because receipts and crew pay weren't tied to it, fix that first. It's the most valuable number in your business.
4. How many bids did I win?
Count the bids you sent and the ones that signed. Your win rate tells you a lot. If it drops, look at your follow-up, your price and how fast you got the bid out. If it's very high, you may be priced too low.
5. Where did my customers come from?
Referrals, Google, your website, yard signs, storm canvassing: which ones turned into signed work, not just phone calls? Put your marketing time and money behind what actually brings in jobs.
6. Am I setting enough aside for taxes?
Taxes are the bill that sneaks up on small contractors. Move a set share of your profit into a separate account every month so tax time isn't a crisis. How much depends on your situation, so ask your accountant for a percentage to use, then stick to it.
7. What's one thing I'll change this month?
Finish with a single decision: raise a rate, chase three late invoices, stop taking a kind of job that keeps losing money, or ask every finished customer for a review. One change a month adds up to a much stronger company by next year.
Tip: Put the 15 minutes on your calendar like an appointment. It's the cheapest consultant you'll ever hire.
Let the numbers come to you
Ridgewise puts all of this in one place: money collected, spent and net month by month, who owes you by how late, profit and margin on every job, your win rate, where customers came from, and what to set aside for taxes. Every report downloads to Excel for you or your bookkeeper, and a weekly profit report lands in your email on Fridays.