5 Principles for Building a Business That Thrives When the Economy Doesn’t

Tough economic times are scary for businesses and consumers, but the solution isn’t to take your foot off the gas. According to the author he opened his first Roof Maxx dealership in 2019, just one year before the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, it’s a nationally recognized residential roof restoration brand with an annual revenue of nearly $200 million in 2025.  Here are five key principles he used to guide his business decisions during those difficult years.

1. Essential problems are more important than aspirational ones.  A lot of founders focus on flashy, dramatic solutions that dominate headlines, like getting humanity to Mars or being the first to create AGI. But sometimes, those are solutions to problems that don’t really exist — or at least, that don’t exist urgently for everyday people.  Most people aren’t worried about whether they’ll ever set foot on the surface of the red planet. They’re worried about what will happen to this planet in their lifetimes, because they’re worried about their homes.
2. Affordable alternatives to big-ticket items can create new markets.  According to the author, one of the biggest challenges they faced during those early years was that no market existed for their product. Roof restoration already existed in commercial roofing, but it was for metal and flat roofs only. Everyone in the residential space was selling replacements at the time, and there was no alternative for asphalt shingles until the author invented one.  Even in the best of times, creating a brand new niche is a tall order. But the economic uncertainty of the pandemic actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. When homeowners heard that the treatments offered by the author’s company cost up to 80% less than the cost of fully replacing their shingles, it no longer mattered that they were doing something previously unheard of in the residential space. The cost savings alone were enough to convince many people to opt in.
3. Controlling your operating costs reduces your risk.  Scaling any business comes with a certain amount of unavoidable risk, which is why many companies tend to be more careful about pursuing growth during times of economic upheaval. But stagnation is an even bigger risk.  Think of it this way: If you’re climbing a volcano and it erupts, your first instinct might be to freeze. But if you stay on your current ledge, you’re probably not going to make it. As scary as it is, you have to move.  The key is to stay agile. If you were the climber, you’d probably ditch your backpack and any non-essential items so that they wouldn’t slow you down. As a business in an uncertain economy, the same principle applies: You want to become financially lean so you can scale with less risk.
4. Aging systems and infrastructure are an overlooked but essential market.  Time impacts everyone and everything. Even when budgets are tight, things still get old and need maintenance to stay functional.  For some of those things — like rooftops — putting off the work isn’t an option. 29% of asphalt shingle roofs have less than four years of usable life left, and that clock keeps ticking regardless of market conditions.  If you can build your business around servicing assets that are both necessary and depreciating, you can always count on a steady stream of customers.
5. Green solutions can be profitable as well as planet-saving.  Last but not least, we have to talk about the value of offering eco-friendly products and services. It’s a mistake to view green solutions as luxuries that people will only want to purchase during times of financial comfort.  During rocky economic periods, the last thing people want to do is waste resources. If they can save money by maintaining something instead of throwing it away, they will. And since many green solutions focus on reducing waste, these services have more appeal when the economy suffers, not less.