450: Why I Walked Away From a $100M Roofing Goal — And Built a $10M Lifestyle Business Instead cover art

450: Why I Walked Away From a $100M Roofing Goal — And Built a $10M Lifestyle Business Instead

450: Why I Walked Away From a $100M Roofing Goal — And Built a $10M Lifestyle Business Instead

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Summary / Intro

For a long time, I thought bigger was always better.

More revenue. More locations. More chaos.

In this episode, I explain why I intentionally walked away from a $100M roofing goal — and why building a focused, profitable $10M lifestyle business turned out to be the smarter move.

This isn’t an anti-growth conversation. It’s about intentional growth, profit, freedom, and building a business that actually supports your life instead of consuming it.

Show Notes

In the roofing industry, growth is often treated as the ultimate scoreboard — but revenue alone doesn’t equal success.

In this episode, Dave Sullivan shares the real story behind walking away from an aggressive $100M growth target and choosing to build a highly profitable, well-run $10M roofing business instead. He breaks down the hidden costs of chasing scale too early, including stress, operational breakdowns, thin margins, and losing control of your time.

Dave explains why many contractors feel trapped despite strong sales numbers, and how growth without systems, leadership, and financial clarity often leads to burnout rather than freedom. The conversation focuses on aligning business goals with personal goals — something most contractors never stop to consider.

This episode challenges the idea that “bigger is always better” and offers a different framework: build a business that’s profitable, stable, and capable of running without you at the center.

If you’ve ever questioned whether your current growth path is actually worth it, this episode will help you think differently.

Takeaways
  • Revenue alone is not a measure of success
  • Growth without systems creates stress, not freedom
  • Profit and control matter more than top-line numbers
  • Lifestyle goals should drive business decisions
  • A smaller, well-run business can be far more valuable
  • Intentional growth beats uncontrolled expansion

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction

04:32 – The $100M Goal and Why It Looked Attractive

10:18 – The Hidden Cost of Scaling Too Fast

18:44 – What Contractors Don’t See About Big Growth

26:11 – Redefining Success in Roofing

34:27 – Building a Lifestyle Business on Purpose

42:06 – Profit, Control, and Freedom

49:55 – Final Thoughts on Intentional Growth

Links Referenced in This Episode

https://theroofercoach.com

https://theroofercoach.com/resources

Companies Mentioned

Ruby Receptionists

SMA Support

Proline

👉 Download the Roofing Business Success Audit at

theroofercoach.com/resources

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