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:
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In this episode of The Hard Knocks Podcast, Jay Miller is the one being interviewed instead of hosting. He opens up about the darkest chapters of his life and the exact moves that took him from repeat incarceration to building Miller Storm Roofing & Reconstruction into a company chasing $27 million this year.

Jay talks about a childhood that started with his first arrest at 12 years old and kept him on probation for 19 straight years. He was locked up more than a dozen times and faced an initial offer of 15 years after an aggravated assault charge involving a knife. He explains why selling pills felt like his only way to provide for his son, and describes the phone call from jail where his son said "Daddy" and his own voice wouldn't work. He shares how reading the Bible and a strict daily routine of pushups and cleaning gave him peace behind bars, and how he walked out determined to never go back.

From there, Jay explains what "locked in" actually looked like once he got into roofing while living in a motel. He knocked doors from 8am to 8pm with zero days off for six months straight, hit $15,000 a month by month six, and closed his first year with $145,000 in income and $1 million in metal roofing sales. He also talks about the mistakes: blowing through $38,000 in commissions in 16 days right before Christmas, including paying cash for his wife Taylor's breast augmentation, then nearly going broke weeks later when his pipeline dried up. He tells the story of the North Richland Hills church deal that taught him the hard way how little he knew about commercial insurance claims.

Jay also talks about what it actually takes to keep a marriage and a business partnership intact. He and Taylor hold non-negotiable weekly date nights with phones on do not disturb, and he lives by a "God first, wife second, kids third" framework.

He talks about raising five kids with a lifestyle he never had growing up without creating entitlement, and the friendships and time he's sacrificed to build the company. Miller Storm today has 47 sales reps, 11 of them million-dollar producers, and a $27 million goal for the year.

We go over: • 19 years on probation and 16 arrests before he turned his life around at 31 • The phone call from jail where his son said "Daddy" and he couldn't speak • How reading the Bible and daily discipline gave him peace behind bars • Knocking doors 8am to 8pm for six months straight to build his first year in roofing • Going from $145,000 his first year to leading a company chasing $27M • Nearly going broke after blowing $38K in commissions before Christmas • What he learned the hard way about commercial insurance claims • Building a marriage and business partnership with his wife Taylor • Raising five kids without raising entitlement • Codependency, self-awareness, and why comparison isn't the enemy of joy

Whether you're in roofing, sales, entrepreneurship, or rebuilding your own life from the ground up, this is one of the most personal and unfiltered episodes The Hard Knocks Podcast has ever done.

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 Evan Goodwin to unpack one of the most powerful career journeys in the roofing industry. Evan shares how he went from working grueling oilfield shifts in West Texas to earning his first $36,000 roofing commission check, becoming a top producer, and then getting fired by the very mentor who helped shape his career. What felt like the worst day of his life ultimately became the turning point that changed everything. The conversation dives deep into ego, leadership, company culture, mentorship, coachability, and why no one is bigger than the brand. Evan opens up about the lessons he learned after becoming a top performer, how getting humbled transformed him as a leader, and why relationships have been the greatest asset in his career. You'll also hear how he built an $8 million book of business from scratch at Beacon Building Products, why his former boss became his biggest customer, what he learned from working with roofing companies across DFW, and why he ultimately walked away from a comfortable six-figure career to become a partner at Holster Roofing. Whether you're a sales rep, entrepreneur, business owner, or someone trying to level up in life, this episode is packed with lessons on personal growth, leadership, reputation, risk-taking, and building a life that's bigger than comfort. 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 Garrett Moore, one of the youngest roofing company owners in the country, to discuss what it really takes to build a successful business before most people have even started their careers. Garrett shares his journey from selling over $1 million in roof sales during his first year to launching RoofGo and becoming the youngest licensed roofing contractor in Mississippi. Along the way, he opens up about leadership, hiring the right people, building company culture, creating systems, and why recruiting is the true engine behind scaling any business. The conversation goes far beyond roofing. Jay breaks down the importance of personal development, defining your "why," building core values that actually matter, and learning how to delegate instead of trying to do everything yourself. They also discuss books that changed their lives, leadership lessons, reverse engineering your goals, and why becoming the right person always comes before making the right amount of money. One of the most memorable moments comes when Garrett shares the deeply personal story of his late father, a promise to buy his sister a GT Mustang, and how that promise became one of the driving forces behind his success. It's a powerful reminder that the strongest motivation often comes from something much bigger than money. Whether you're in roofing, sales, entrepreneurship, or simply looking to level up your life, this episode is packed with practical advice, mindset shifts, and leadership lessons that can help you build a better business—and a better version of yourself. 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 Quentin Hill to break down how he generated more than $2.8 million in roofing revenue without knocking a single door.

After spending years as one of the top producers in the roofing industry, Quentin explains why he shifted away from traditional door-to-door sales and focused on building relationships, personal branding, social media, and networking with real estate agents. The result was a business that consistently generated opportunities through trust instead of cold outreach.

Throughout the conversation, Jay and Quentin discuss why the roofing industry is evolving, how to create a personal brand that attracts customers, the power of networking events, why authenticity is becoming the most valuable currency in business, and the biggest mistakes new sales reps make. They also dive into time management, relationship building, consistency, leadership, personal development, and how successful entrepreneurs create opportunities instead of waiting for them.

Whether you're in roofing, sales, entrepreneurship, or any relationship-driven business, this episode is packed with practical strategies that can help you generate more business, build a stronger reputation, and create long-term success.

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 the man who helped change the course of his life—his very first roofing mentor, Robert Lampasona.

Together they revisit the early days when Jay was living in a motel, struggling to find his footing, and learning the roofing industry one door at a time. Robert shares what stood out about Jay from day one, why work ethic will always beat talent, and the lessons every new sales rep needs to hear before stepping into the field.

The conversation dives deep into mentorship, accountability, company culture, door knocking, positive energy, relationships, leadership, and why the best salespeople focus on serving people instead of chasing commissions. They also discuss the legacy of Stacy Beer, the importance of giving back, evolving as a leader, and building organizations where people come before profits.

Whether you're in roofing, sales, business, or simply looking for motivation to keep pushing through difficult seasons, this episode is packed with timeless lessons on resilience, discipline, and becoming the kind of person others want to follow.

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/