In this episode of The Hard Knocks Podcast, Jay Miller sits down with Drew Lazeration, Sales Manager at Florida Roof Advisors, to break down what it really takes to transition from rock bottom to elite sales production and leadership.

Drew opens up about his journey from getting arrested seven times in eighteen months and couch hopping to earning $14,000 in his first 20 days in car sales at age 18. After walking away from dealership burnout, he transitioned into roofing, generating $100,000 in year one, crossing $200,000 in year two, and scaling past $350,000 in year three.

Jay and Drew dive deep into the mechanics of door-to-door sales, outworking the competition by hitting 75 to 100 doors a day, why follow-up is where most reps fail, and how to train reps through live field mock knocks. Drew breaks down the painful lessons of stepping into leadership, the mistake of handing responsibility to people before they are ready, and why true leaders count others more significant than themselves.

We go over: • How Drew went from repeated arrests and couch surfing to high-ticket sales • Leaving the car dealership grind for a $350,000 roofing career • The 1-in-4 success ratio in door knocking and why volume beats talent early • Why top producers fail as managers when they hold onto me-first mindsets • The exact follow-up system and field mock knocks used to build closers

Whether you are in roofing, sales, entrepreneurship, or leading a growing team, this episode is packed with practical advice, mindset shifts, and leadership lessons that can help you sharpen your discipline, master the doors, and lead selflessly. Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more interviews and stories from leaders in fitness, business, and beyond. No fluff. No filters. Just real stories from the front lines of roofing, sales, and leadership.

© 2026 Miller Storm. All rights reserved. Results may vary. No guarantees.

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In this episode of The Hard Knocks Podcast, Jay Miller sits down with Cory Cullather, 16+ year digital marketing veteran at WebFX and SEO.com with over 30 years of combined general contracting experience, to expose why most roofing companies burn money on marketing agencies, how to set real expectations, and what it takes to transition from pure door knocking to predictable inbound revenue.

Cory breaks down his origin story growing up in electrical and general contracting with his father before moving into marketing out of frustration with how agencies mistreated tradesmen. Jay shares his own $7,500 monthly burn stories and why he previously gave up on SEO. Together, they discuss the fundamental disconnect between contractors who expect instant results and marketers who fail to set realistic 90 to 120 day ad ramps and 4 to 6 month organic SEO timelines.

Cory explains why companies making under $3M should use a sniper approach with Google Business Profiles and LSAs in specific zip codes, while $5M to $7M+ companies aiming for $20M to $40M must invest at least 4% of gross revenue into multi-channel marketing to build the 30 to 40% inbound deal flow required by Private Equity buyers.

They also tackle the rising battle between AI and real authenticity. From cookie-cutter AI social flyers and automated review responses to sending ChatGPT messages to family members, Jay and Cory discuss why homeowners buy from real humans. Cory shares actionable tips on how door knockers can record raw neighborhood check-in videos on roofs, tag specific locations, and build dominant local presence.

Finally, they dive deep into multi-touch attribution tracking in CRMs like AccuLinks, identifying true customer journeys across yard signs, Google searches, and door knocks, and how rewarding top referral partners with high-end custom gifts (like branded pickleball sets) creates self-sustaining referral loops.

We go over:

• Why roofers burn thousands on marketing agencies due to bad expectation setting and poor tracking.
• The exact timeline for digital returns: 90 to 120 days for PPC/LSA and 4 to 6 months (270 days for peak ROI) for SEO.
• How to scale past $20M without relying solely on door knocking ("looking like the pigeon lady from Home Alone").
• AI vs Authenticity: Why automated review responses harm rankings and why raw video check-ins win homeowners.
• The 4% Rule: How much of gross revenue contractors must re-invest into digital marketing to dominate saturated markets like DFW.
• Customer journey & CRM tracking: Attributing multi-touch leads, tracking referrals in AccuLinks, and rewarding key advocates.

Whether you're in roofing, sales, entrepreneurship, or leading a growing team, this episode is packed with practical advice, mindset shifts, and leadership lessons that can help you hold marketing agencies accountable, build authentic online authority, and scale your contracting business predictably.

Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more interviews and stories from leaders in fitness, business, and beyond. No fluff. No filters. Just real stories from the front lines of roofing, sales, and leadership.

© 2026 Miller Storm. All rights reserved. Results may vary. No guarantees.

Join Our Team Today
https://www.MillerStorm.com/Team

Website, Facebook, & Instagram
https://www.millerstorm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jay.miller.282455
https://www.instagram.com/roofdoctorjay/

In this episode of The Hard Knocks Podcast, Jay Miller sits down with Kimba Garcia to talk about what it really takes to build a roofing company, navigate major life changes, and create a business that gives you more freedom, not less.

Kimba shares her journey from hairstylist to roofing entrepreneur, co-owning and scaling a $16.5M roofing company, navigating divorce, launching a new roofing company, and eventually making a successful exit from ownership.

The conversation goes deep into what it’s like being a woman in the roofing industry, why women can excel in communication, culture, business development, and leadership, and the challenges that come with building in a male-dominated space.

Kimba also opens up about losing her close friend London, how grief changed her definition of success, and why peace, purpose, family, relationships, and impact matter more than money alone.

WHAT WE COVER:

• Why sales and business ownership require completely different skill sets
• What women bring to roofing, leadership, and business development
• Why operating agreements and exit plans matter, even between spouses
• How divorce and financial misalignment can affect a business partnership
• Why the next revenue opportunity is often already sitting inside your CRM
• The E3D rule: touching every active file every three days
• How VAs and sales support roles help prevent missed revenue
• The difference between buying leads and buying qualified appointments
• How micro call centers can help roofing companies build smaller, more productive teams
• Why every appointment can become a referral, review, neighbor conversation, or future opportunity
• Selling the value and importance of a roof instead of simply selling an insurance claim
• Why roofing companies need to prepare for an insurance-retail hybrid model

Whether you’re in roofing, sales, entrepreneurship, leadership, or building a business with your spouse, this episode is packed with practical lessons about systems, partnerships, resilience, purpose, and creating a life beyond the business.

Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more interviews and stories from leaders in roofing, sales, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

No fluff. No filters. Just real stories from the front lines.

© 2026 Miller Storm. All rights reserved. Results may vary. No guarantees.

JOIN OUR TEAM:
https://www.MillerStorm.com/Team

WEBSITE:
https://www.millerstorm.com/

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INSTAGRAM:
https://www.instagram.com/roofdoctorjay/