From Tax Resolution to Roofing: Andy Taylor's Success Journey

Andy Taylor's journey from the tax resolution industry to his role as a senior project manager at Red Rock Roofing is a story of pursuing purpose over mere profit. Although financially successful in his previous career, Andy longed for work that allowed him to sleep better at night, knowing he was genuinely helping others. Seven years ago, he began building his expertise from the ground up, canvassing neighborhoods, managing projects, and filing insurance claims. His growth mirrored the industry's evolution, particularly in navigating the complexities of insurance claims, which account for 80% of their storm-related work. "No insurance company is exactly the same... it's a game that you have to play every single day," Andy shares, reflecting on the adaptability required to succeed in the field.

One of the most unexpected yet impactful aspects of Andy's career shift was reconnecting with his faith through Red Rock's Christian-based company culture. This spiritual foundation has been a source of strength during high-pressure situations, reinforcing his commitment to serving Colorado homeowners with integrity. Andy also shares practical insights on productivity and work-life balance, emphasizing the importance of morning routines to boost energy and mental clarity. His candid advice about common insurance pitfalls, like high-percentage deductibles that can leave homeowners covering up to 75% of roof replacement costs—shows his dedication to customer education and protection. As Red Rock continues to expand its team and marketing efforts, Andy remains grateful for a career that aligns with his values, supporting both personal growth and community impact. Connect with Andy and Red Rock Roofing to experience their customer-focused approach, whether you're gearing up for storm season or recovering from damage.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Andy Taylor
• 1:43 Career Journey in Roofing
• 3:43 Finding Faith and Balance
• 6:20 Morning Productivity and Work-Life Harmony
• 9:14 Industry Evolution and Insurance Challenges
• 12:55 Growth Plans for Red Rock Roofing
• 15:06 Gratitude and Closing Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

What's up everybody. This is Ryan Van Ornum and another edition of Scaling Up Success. Today I have Andy Taylor with Red Rock Roofing. Andy, how are you, my friend?

Speaker 2: 0:13

I am doing amazing man, life is good. I am just blessed to be here.

Speaker 1: 0:17

Man, we were just talking about this before we started. But, man, you have the amazing view that you got going on right now. Where are you at?

Speaker 2: 0:23

you have the amazing view that you got going on right now. Where are you at? I'm in Boulder, colorado, right by the South Boulder rec center. We are directly underneath the Flatirons here and I'm right by the high school and, again, the rec center. It's just a. It's a great place to be able to stop and come out to a bench and and be able to visit with you.

Speaker 1: 0:42

What a beautiful, beautiful background to have this conversation, because you're in the roofing business, absolutely crushing life. Love what you're doing out there, man. So tell me a little bit about Red Rock Roofing and how'd you get your start in it.

Speaker 2: 0:55

Well, I used to be in a tax resolution industry, and it's where I met the owner of Red Rock Roofing. He left the resolution industry a little bit earlier than I did. I kind of stuck around. When you're stuck in something, you're making good money, you don't necessarily want to leave. When you start realizing, though, that you're not sleeping as well as you should at night, you're not helping people the way that you really want to be helping people in life, you start to kind of think about the what ifs and what's the next step. You know, do I stay here forever, or do I make the jump to being not only more successful, but, in the light of where you should be and truly helping people is, is it's good stuff?

Speaker 1: 1:38

Well, that is. That is really cool. So how long? How long have you been with Red Rock?

Speaker 2: 1:44

I've been doing this almost seven years now and I obviously started from the bottom. I had to start by running projects and managing jobs, canvassing and knocking doors and creating business, and when my day came, I got the opportunity to be a senior project manager, and from there, sky's the limit.

Speaker 1: 2:05

Love it, man, and you're doing big things. I got the opportunity to be a senior project manager and from there sky's the limits. Love it, man, and you're doing big things. I love what you guys are doing up there in the Denver area. You guys are doing amazing work. So you've been in it for seven years now, man. I'm telling you, like I know from the real estate side, the roofing industry has changed a lot in that time. So like what, what industry changes? Have you been a lot in that time? So like what, what industry changes? Have you been a part of that? You've that, you've seen.

Speaker 2: 2:29

You know we see a lot of changes in insurance. You know it's still tear a roof off and you know, make sure everything is up to code and then put a roof on, make sure that we're doing everything up to the standards of manufacturers and whatnot. But when you're dealing with 80% of insurance after a storm, that's really where you can kind of see the differences. No insurance company is exactly the same, although they kind of all operate on the same parameters. They're just different, Whether it's the way that they draw a 10 by 10 square on a roof, or the way they hire an outside source, a third party, to come and do the adjustment, whether they bring their office to the site and write the estimate right there in front of you. You know it's, it's a game that you have to play every single day.

Speaker 1: 3:20

Man, that that's such a valuable thing and so many different you know, like whether it's in your industry or so many other people's industry is just understanding how to kind of be flexible with the opportunities that you're facing on that daily basis, right?

Speaker 2: 3:35

Yes, sir.

Speaker 1: 3:35

Absolutely Very cool. What are you most proud of in your journey into your career that you're in right now, into what into your career that you're in right now.

Speaker 2: 3:45

Well, obviously, the aspect of actually helping people is a big piece for me. Being in a lot of different industries where you're just trying to make money whether you're in sales or retail or you know the restaurant industry, whatnot I believe that when you can sit down in front of somebody and they can look you in the eye, see your heart, that's a big way to spend your day, and I work a lot of hours during the day. I think my biggest accomplishment on this is going through the ranks, starting from the very bottom and then making my way up to where I am now. Being successful should be everyone's goal, but when you get to be successful, you've got to always be learning and you've got to always be trying to get to the next level, always have higher and better goals that kind of get you to where you really want to be. Stagnant in life is not good.

Speaker 1: 4:37

And I love that. I love that complacency is the killer of all business, right, you know? Just because, like a lot of people, they get to a certain level and they feel like I can coast from here, and what usually happens is, oh, if I'm just staying at this level, they actually start regressing, it's true. So I mean, I see you out and about all the time doing all kinds of amazing projects, making, making great connections. What are some of the unexpected opportunities that you've had since being being a part of Red Rock?

Speaker 2: 5:08

Um, unexpected. You know, a couple of years ago I found my faith again and that was really big. When you, when you do as big of things as Red Rock is doing, a lot of the times it comes with stress in this area, stress, in that way, problems and when you have, you know, something to really know, backs you up and you can kind of give that to them and just strive further instead of having to worry about what's going on behind you. That's been really one of the most unexpected things and I probably never would have done so if I hadn't gotten into roofing. So we are a Christian-based faith company and it's just been amazing. It's been amazing.

Speaker 1: 5:55

That's awesome, man. I love hearing that and just that value set. It's great to be able to know that you have those people within your your, your, your company, that that have your back. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2: 6:11

Yeah, it's been. It's been amazing to have those that you can fall on and and those that can depend on you.

Speaker 1: 6:18

Awesome. So what um? What strategies or habits have been so critical for your success and what you've been doing? What strategies or habits have been so critical for your success and what you've been?

Speaker 2: 6:25

doing Um. Funny you. You may have heard this, you may not have heard this, um, but a lot of the times, you know, I work a very long day and then at the end of the day I'm exhausted but I still have sometimes an hour of paperwork to do.

Speaker 2: 6:41

Um, I find that one of the best strategies is to um Fill out your calendar and then get your sleep and wake up nice and early and then really accomplish so much more. Because when you're exhausted at the end of the day, you make mistakes, you know you don't think exactly correctly the way that you should, and a lot of the times you're just trying to force through it versus in the morning, you know, you get up, you have your coffee, you get into your emails, you start working, you start setting a little bit more of your calendar. Before you know what, your day is full and you're able to just go through the way things should, and then obviously again at the end of a long day, you've got a bunch of emails that you weren't able to address. Whether you're on roofs doing inspections, sitting in homes with people doing demonstrations, signing contracts, filing claims, all of that. I just find you also have to have time for your family.

Speaker 1: 7:39

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2: 7:39

So that's a big part of it as well. So I like to you know, never put off today what you can never put off for tomorrow what you can do today. But if you're exhausted it's sometimes not the best time to do some of that stuff.

Speaker 1: 7:55

How do you manage that? I mean, I don't really think of it this way, but like some people call that work-life balance, Like I feel like it's almost like a pendulum swing. Like for me that's just my personal point of view. Like if I'm with my kids, like I'm giving them everything I can, I'm being present, but like, do you feel like there's a way to have a good work-life balance?

Speaker 2: 8:23

Yeah, I think it's. It's really important to be in the moment, especially when it calls for it, but when it's go time, it's it's go time.

Speaker 1: 8:33

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 8:33

You know, when we get a storm, I I am blessed to have a wife that understands that when the storm hits, I'm going to, I'm going to go 110%. But she also knows that when it's time to back off and give her that, that presence, that I'm going to be there for her.

Speaker 1: 8:57

Man, that's that I love that dude. And then just being being a hundred percent or you know, like whatever you can give during that time to that, to your people, whether it's at the work side or on the, on the, on the family side, you're, you're doing everything you can and you're, you're a good man because of it. Appreciate what you've been doing with, with everything, andy. Good job man. Yeah, man, thank you. Man. I kind of touched on this a little bit, but you probably remember this back in the day the T-Lock shingles, you know like. You know how far has the industry came?

Speaker 2: 9:26

Industries come a long way. T-lock was one of the best shingles ever made. You'll you'll notice that there are still T-locks out there, like Longmont still has a ton of them. Uh, colorado Springs still has a few out there as well. Pueblo has a ton of lock. Um, it was kind of a shingle they made too well. But now the T-lock has what's called the one and done, because you can't replace a shingle on a T-lock. You can't do a repair for that. If there's a shingle that's been ripped off due to wind or something's happened where part of the roof is gone, you get insurance involved. They have to replace it. Again, it's called the one and done. So I love when I see a T. Again it's called the one and done. I love when I see a T-Lock and it's in great shape. But I love it even more when it's missing one shingle.

Speaker 1: 10:22

I love that, my friend.

Speaker 2: 10:24

That's just being honest with you. Oh, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 10:27

Absolutely Everybody's got business to handle, my friend. So, with the current economic status and the socioeconomic environment that's happening right now, like, how has that impacted your business, man? Like the changes in, you know, like the industry, the changes in, like our economy, how has it, how has it affected the roofing industry?

Speaker 2: 10:48

So where we see it mostly affecting is deductibles, deductibles that are changing someone that's grandfathered in and they haven't filed a claim in however long you know, and they still have a thousand dollars, even $2,000, every now and again you, they still have $1,000, even $2,000. Every now and again you'll see a $500 deductible, but so many deductibles now are, you know, 5,000 or 1% or even a 2% deductible and then a lot of the times, even just to kind of weather, the storm, no pun intended, um, but you've got to take a lower principle which gives you a higher deductible, which most people aren't expecting. They're going to get hit with a storm and then they do and realize they're paying for, you know, 70, 75 plus percent of their roof out of pocket and that can really hurt. So when I am advising anybody on insurance, I always say, like I understand when you need to save a few bucks every month, maybe save a few bucks on the Starbucks, save a few bucks on the smokes, you know, save a few bucks on that one night eating out a week, on that one night eating out a week, and make sure that your premium is not too low, that you can get a decent deductible because you have that opportunity to choose in most cases, uh, 2% deductible.

Speaker 2: 12:15

You're. You're kind of maybe looking for a different company to have a lower deductible. Um, everybody needs insurance. That's, that's a must, you know. And if you don't have insurance, you're going to feel it sooner or later. Insurance man, you know what I'm talking about.

Speaker 1: 12:35

Oh, absolutely, I mean, it's like the necessary evil. So, uh, shout out to all her insurance agents out there.

Speaker 2: 12:45

I'm not trying to hate on you.

Speaker 1: 12:49

So what's next for Red Rock Roofing coming up, man, where are you guys looking to?

Speaker 2: 12:53

grow. You know we've just hired a. Well, we've moved a few guys through the process and we've got a few more senior associates here in the company. So we are growing, which is really nice to see, because if you're going to get to the next level, you've got to grow. You can't expect just a few guys to be able to take the company to the next. You know millions and millions of dollars of business and if we get the largest hailstorm that we ever have, we need guys to be able to, you know, help customers.

Speaker 2: 13:24

Although I'm able to help a ton of people, I want to make sure everybody in my company is successful and with that it takes a. It takes a village to to make it all work. So that's essentially it. Next steps, man. That's a. That's a good one. Now you're always doing more marketing to make sure that you're getting out there and getting known. So we have a. We have a radio commercial that we do for, I believe, thanksgiving, for Halloween, for Christmas. I think there's one playing out there right now I think it's KYGO and a couple other of the sports stations as well. My, my owner's a big sports guy, big Nuggets fan, big Broncos fan. They love the abs and everybody.

Speaker 1: 14:10

Sounds like you got a bunch of stuff already happening and just continuing growth. Man, I'm all about it. Man, I love seeing you guys grow.

Speaker 2: 14:18

Yeah, I appreciate that Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 14:20

Absolutely so, before we sign off for on this, on this podcast today, like if you could summarize your journey, uh, in where your trajectory is gone, uh, what would that be?

Speaker 2: 14:40

you know I'm doing something that I love, so I'm just I'm doing something that I love, so I'm just, I'm just happy for the opportunity and for the people behind me supporting me the uh the roofing industry provides a lot, and it's helped a lot of guys to be successful, get out of trouble, buy homes, have kids.

Speaker 2: 15:06

So I'm just, I'm just blessed to be here doing what I do and I I again, I'm just grateful for everything that's come my way, everything that I have and just, uh, you know, meeting people like yourself and and, and having people that want to spend time with me and allow me to do what I do best, which is the lack of a better term get out there and crush.

Speaker 1: 15:29

Well, I, andy Taylor. You're a heck of a roofing contractor and anything better of a of a person and a man. Certainly appreciate your time today and, uh, all of your socials and all of your tags and everything are tagged down below in this video. Thank you so much for coming on the Scaling Up Success podcast today. Really appreciate your time.

Speaker 2: 15:49

Yeah, Ryan, thank you again and I appreciate it. I hope to come in and sit with you again and do this again soon.

Speaker 1: 15:54

Absolutely Enjoy your day. Take care everyone.

Speaker 2: 15:58

Yeah, take care, Ryan, I appreciate you brother.