One of the main problems with starting a roofing business is the skills needed to be able to successfully put a new roof on a house. Another problem is that these skills are usually not taught in any school, so you have to find someone that is experienced in this area, and mentor under them for some time before you are able to perform the task on your own. Good employees can also be very hard to find to work in the roofing business. The job is very demanding, and has to be performed in extreme heat and extreme cold, so it takes a special type of person to be tough enough to perform this job.
As if these problems were not bad enough, another obstacle to starting a roofing business is trying to acquire enough capital to get started. Since many of these roofing businesses fail for the reasons above, banks and other lenders are sometimes wary about loaning money to a startup roofing business. Even if you are one of the lucky roofing businesses to get funded, you still have the problem of developing a customer base. Many consumers will not hire a roofing business unless they have quite a bit of experience and many references. It is hard to get experience and references if you can not get a job in the first place.