Since 2012, Charleston Roofing and Windows has strived to deliver quality workmanship and dependable service to homeowners in the Charleston, South Carolina market.
As a result, Roofing Insights and Directorii now endorse Charleston Roofs & Windows as one of their preferred contractors.
If you’re a homeowner in the Charleston area who is looking for a reliable contractor, visit Directorii today to learn how you can hire Charleston Roofs & Windows, all with the safety and security of Directorii’s $20,000 guarantee.
For now, keep reading to learn more about what makes Charleston Roofs & Windows such an efficient and reputable roofing company.
**
It’s no secret that COVID-19 had an adverse effect on businesses around the world.
In the roofing industry, COVID-19 negatively impacted companies who also sold windows because the manufacturing of windows had slowed considerably as a result of the pandemic.
For Garrett Schmelter, owner of Charleston Roofs & Windows, navigating a new window market that was less efficient than it was pre-pandemic presented its fair share of challenges.
“It’s like anything,”
Schmelter says.
“If you have a market shift, some people adapt better than others. I certainly wouldn’t want to highlight any brands being bad.”
“It’s more about personnel control. You could talk about this all day, but in windows you now have a lot less people trying to output the same thing. For example, if you have a widget that you are creating with seven steps in the widget process, and one person for each step, that works. But when COVID hit, now you’ve got three people on those same seven steps. They are great at the thing that they used to do, but then when you try to train them on something else, plus the company is worried about profitability and getting product out on time, then it’s problematic.”
Schmelter then adds that the drastic changes in the economy played a huge role in companies falling behind their regular production times.
“Companies like to shift slowly. They don’t like violent shifts in the market,”
he says.
As a result, Schmelter says his company will slowly move away from offering window installation services to their customers.
“We are probably going to be phasing out windows until we can get everything figured out with manufacturing because it’s almost impossible to run a job properly right now,”
Schmelter reveals.
“If I’m waiting 10-12 weeks to get a window in, and then we unwrap the windows when we are at a customer’s house and there’s a crack in it or something, then we have to wait another 10-12 weeks. I just can’t afford to do that.”
Beyond window installations, Schmelter says that Charleston Roofs & Windows is also moving away from siding installations, citing the toll it has had on his business.
“Siding was another thing that was a growing pain and something we were trying to learn,”
Schmelter says.
Another challenge that Charleston Roofs & Windows is facing includes determining how much of their customer service process will transition into a digital format.
While Schmelter admits he likes the idea of going completely digital, he also notes that many of his clients would dislike dealing with his company strictly in a digital format, especially as it relates to contracts.
Explains Schmelter:
“We’re moving into going as digitally as we can. Part of the challenge though is that change is tough, and then part of it is we still have a lot of older clients that don’t like going digital. They like seeing a piece of paper and one thing that we have found is that digitally signing something doesn’t seem to have the same gravity and the same impact as a piece of paper.”
As is the case for many roofing business owners, Schmelter is constantly forced to evolve because of the constant innovation that the roofing industry undergoes.
Even though dealing with these changes can be exciting and rewarding, Schmelter acknowledges that over the years he has been forced to rethink the way he conducts himself because of the impact that the roofing industry has had on his health and personal life.
“When I bought into my business I came in with a lot of steam. I was excited and I wanted to take over the world and do everything. I wanted to do windows. I wanted to do siding. I wanted to talk about doing additions and decks,”
he says.
“I really got into more of a sales mentality instead of how to build a process mentality. I ended up stressing myself out, working way too much, and it got to the point where because I was talking so much, I had issues with my vocal cords. I had to have surgery and at the time I was still running company meetings, but I had very direct orders from my doctor not to talk for three weeks. I had to take three weeks off and then after that I had to talk very quietly, so in meetings I was talking quietly while going over the agenda. That sucked. It was distracting but eventually I got to the point where I was rehabbing and was okay.”
That’s why today both Schmelter and Charleston Roofs & Windows are taking a more relaxed approach with their roofing company.
Of course, following the process that has made them successful all these years is still paramount, but there is also a focus on making sure that the business doesn’t always supersede other areas of life.
“We always try to bring a fun and positive aspect to the business,”
says Schmelter.
“We realize that roofing isn’t the sexiest thing and that not everyone wakes up in the morning and says I want to be a roof salesman or a project manager, but we try to keep things light and have fun. It’s so easy to get caught up in things, especially with customer service, project management, and dealing with subs.”
“At the end of the day, we just try not to take anything too seriously. We try to laugh as much as we can. We realize sometimes things suck, but we try to do the best with what we got and have a good time.”
Want to learn more about Garrett Schmelter and Charleston Roofs & Windows?
Join the Roofing Business School today so you can begin learning more about what it takes to run a successful roofing company!
Packages start as low as $197 per month!
