Roof Revival Shows Homeowners Where Every Dollar Goes with Will Welborn

A roofing quote can feel like a black box: one big number, a handshake, and a lot of faith. We wanted to pull that curtain back, so I brought on Will Wellbourne from Roof Revival to explain a model that challenges how most roofing contractors sell, price, and recommend work. His promise is bold: shockingly transparent pricing, plus a mindset that starts with repair first, explores renewal when it makes sense, and saves full roof replacement for when it’s truly necessary.

We also get real about why this approach is showing up right now. Insurance deductibles are rising, more roofs are covered on an actual cash value basis, and homeowners are treating their houses like long term assets. Will walks through how those forces break the “replacement only” script and why itemised pricing matters. He explains how Roof Revival shows materials down to the penny, labor at the installer’s price, and then adds a flat fee that doesn’t change based on shingle choice or add ons, so you can see where every dollar goes.

The conversation goes beyond roofing into the everyday reality of entrepreneurship: the hard lesson that customers care most about what benefits them, the myth that owning a business automatically means easy money, and the systems that let an owner step away without the company stalling. Will shares how they hire for character and integrity, how they stay engaged with their team during stressful seasons, and the “find the gap” advice that guides their next phase of growth across the Upstate of South Carolina and into nearby markets.

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Bill

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Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_00 0:57

Good day, everyone. Welcome to this week's episode of Epic Entrepreneurs. I am Cliff McRae with Action Coach Business Growth Partners, where we work with local business owners to turn big ideas into real scalable growth. Today I'm excited to be joined by Will Wellbourne, Roofing by Roof Revival. Will, thank you for being here. How are you doing today?

SPEAKER_01 1:18

I'm doing great. Thanks for having me. Uh look forward to getting to know about you and uh and uh just talk about roof revival and what we're doing in the marketplace.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

All right. Sounds great. Yeah, perfect, perfect. Yeah, so we're very excited to have you. So let's go ahead and jump right in. So for those of you who may not know it yet, who are you, Will? Who is Will Wellbourne and what is roofing by Will Wellbourne?

SPEAKER_01 1:41

Well, so I've been in the industry about seven years now. And my business partner, Jeff Johnson, and I actually worked together on a large regional reefing company. Spent 21 years in the insurance world. Uh my partner, Jeff, spent many years in the commercial medical field by managing large teams. And after being in this business for like six, six years each and working together for

Will’s Background And The Business

SPEAKER_01 2:07

four of those, we just saw a lot of things that were changing in the roofing game, especially as it relates to insurance and the way homeowners were looking at their home a lot more as a long-term asset than just something you live in for a few years have lived. So we launched Roof Revival and are doing things drastically different than other roofing companies in the area, and we think even across the country. So it's been a fun few months here, and we're excited to get to share that with you today.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

Yeah, no, that's that's that's exciting stuff. So, you know, be honest, what what makes roofing by Will Wellbourne different from other roofers out there?

SPEAKER_01 2:46

So, and I'm gonna I probably should have said this earlier. So, Roof Revival is a company name. Roofing by Will Wellbourne is sort of my personal brand behind the scenes. So our company, yeah, our company Roof Revival, the way that I've that we have designed it differently, is our our motto is that we are radically rethinking roofing with shockingly transparent pricing to every customer. So most roofing companies, they want to replace roofs, they want to come meet with the homeowner, find damage, and show them a reason to either file a claim or to replace the roof. And our our

Repair First With Transparent Pricing

SPEAKER_01 3:20

system is much different. So we cut we say repair first, renew when possible, and replace only when necessary. So we've got great technicians that can do minor repairs to get that roof safe and secure for that homeowner. We also do a full cleaning and rejuvenation process, which can add life to the roof in a case where the roof is not damaged, but does need some maintenance, and that homeowner wants that roof to last a lot longer and look a lot better. And then if we do have to replace the roof, we do something radically different than the other roofing company. We actually present a price to the homeowner with the materials itemized out down to the penny with no overhead or markup added. We show them the labor price from a certified installer. Again, no overhead or markup added. They pay the actual install labor. The only thing we add to the price is our flat fee, which does not change regardless of what type of shingles they choose, if they add other trades or other work to the job. So it's a fully transparent pricing model for that homeowner. They know where every penny of their project is going at all times.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Nice, nice, nice. So, you know, take us back to the very beginning. Obviously, this is hypothetical, but what what made you say, you know, yep, I'm doing this, I'm starting a I'm starting that particular business?

SPEAKER_01 4:36

So I had owned my own roofing company in what we call the traditional model, uh, and I joined a large family-owned company locally. It's a fantastic company, great leadership, a really good company, but it's not really the companies, even the great, really, really well-run companies in the market today. There's just something missing. So Jeff and I, uh we we we talked and met.

Why Insurance Changes Drove The Model

SPEAKER_01 5:01

Who came out of the sales side? I came out of the leadership side, and we just realized that the way insurance is changing, deductibles are getting much higher. A lot of reefs are covered on an actual cash value basis, not replacement cost. It was just changing at a pace that was uh outrunning most of your traditional companies. They were still operating the same way. They're presenting replacement only options, and when they do present that replacement estimate, it's this big one number, and everything's lumped into it. The the homeowners really can't tell where all that money is going. So we decided we decided to do something different. It's it's it's been a learning curve, uh, and we still have to uh think through some things every every day when we talk to a homeowner. But so far it has been fantastically received by every person we've talked to because they love seeing where they love seeing where their money is going and what they're getting for every dollar.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Nice, nice. No, I love that. I love that. So, you know, and again, it's just hypothetical. If you had to start again from absolute scratch, you know, let's say you had no brand, no clients, no safety net, what would you do differently the second time around? Or would you do anything differently, honestly?

SPEAKER_01 6:17

Well, I think like any anything else, you know, part of running any business is is your systems and your processes you set up. So, you know, hindsight's easy to look back and go, hey, I wouldn't have used that software, I would I would have used a different one. Or hey, I'm I might not have chosen that website provider, I would have chosen this one. But I I don't know, I don't know how you look back that way because you you don't learn you don't learn what was the best way to do it until you do it a way that maybe is not the best way. So you know, I think probably the the easy answer was we would have started this sooner. I I do think, you know, this the market was changing a year to 18 months ago, and I think we would have captured, you know, a little more momentum. But right now, uh as far as we know, we're the only company doing exactly what we're doing. So we're still way ahead of the game in our in our opinion.

SPEAKER_00 7:10

Nice, nice. So what would you say is a lesson you learned the hard way as a business owner that no one really prepares you for?

SPEAKER_01 7:20

I think anybody that goes into business when you're dealing with residential homeowner customers, is I think you believe that they care about you and your story and all that cool stuff, which which is usually good information. What they really care about is what's in it for them. I don't mean that, I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just learning how to present solutions to that

Customer Value Lessons And Money Myths

SPEAKER_01 7:47

homeowner and to that customer that highlights exactly what they get out of it and how they benefit. You know, I I think myself and a lot of business owners spend a lot of time early on telling their story and spending too much time on on us and not enough time on that end user, that customer, and showing them exactly what they how it's gonna help them. Because when it when it comes right down to it, that's what they care about. Yeah, I think that's one thing I could you could you could have learned a lot earlier in the process.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

Okay, okay. So what would you say is one common myth people believe about running a business that makes you laugh now when you hear it?

SPEAKER_01 8:28

Oh, that if you just work hard, you make a lot of money.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

Yep, everybody believes that. Yeah, and where's the Lamborghini and you got this big old, you know, mansion and all these things make a lot of money.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

Yeah, when you tell somebody like if somebody asks about the company, you say, Oh, it's my business, they immediately assume like, yeah, there's just cash falling out your pockets. You know, and and we've been very blessed. Uh, we do we do run a profitable business, but you know, just just because you work hard and and own a business does not mean yeah, that you you're living in the mansion to have and all the toys. It's it's it it is it is definitely a process and a growth growth process at that.

SPEAKER_00 9:07

Yeah, no, I agree. So be honest, are you naturally more of an entrepreneur or an employee at heart?

SPEAKER_01 9:15

Naturally more of an entrepreneur. So I've I've been you know a W-2 level employee for periods of my life, very early in my career and throughout sometimes. But I've always been happiest and most successful when it's you know when it's based on performance and you know, what I bring to the table. So whether it's being a commission-based producer for a company for many years in the insurance world, you know, my my compensation was based on production or in entrepreneurship with you know, owning, owning and running a company where, yeah, everybody else gets paid first and you have to do a really good job so that there's money left over for you and Lynn. And so, yeah, my of my 40, 30 something years in in business, you know, 80% of that spend on the entrepreneurial self, you know, uh self-production area of that. So, yeah, definitely been on the entrepreneur side for most of my career.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

Okay. Okay, so how do you personally handle stepping away from the business, you know, like taking vacations or unplugging an evening?

SPEAKER_01 10:25

Well, you know, one one one thing that, you know, in the past, you know, when I had my first company, my roofing company, it was just me. That was a lot harder. Now, Jeff Johnson's he's my business partner and a good friend. One thing we have that's that's really nice is we can you know we can support each other. So yeah, if if Jeff's gonna be out of town, I'm gonna be out of town, one of us has something with our family we want to actually unplug for

Unplugging Through Partners Systems And AI

SPEAKER_01 10:51

the evening, uh, it makes it easy because we've got we've got that support system there. And then a lot of it today is uh you know not to use technologies to crutch, but there's a lot of things today that that we've learned that allows you to to unplug and and to sort of step back, you know, at times and know that if you put your systems in place and your processes in place, that you that can handle a lot of the day-to-day uh operations in your company. You know, even if it's even if it's just answering some questions from the sales team. So, you know, we we've we've built some internal systems, you know, using AI that allows our sales team to ask some general questions and get some feedback that normally would have been a phone call to one of us, and now they can go in there and you know ask questions with a with an AI agent that's actually trained on our information. So, you know, if they're trying to get some basic pricing, present to a customer, you know, ask about some products that we typically sell. We've actually built some systems that allow them to do that, so it helps us unplug a little bit. But the the real the real the real key is having you know having you know a system in place you're confident in so that when you do step away, you you know that the business itself is still running smoothly.

SPEAKER_00 12:04

Mm-hmm.

unknown 12:04

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 12:05

So you know, and you do have employees, correct?

SPEAKER_01 12:09

Yeah Yeah, we have we have uh several uh sales members and then are that are production-based sales members, and then we also have uh three installation crews. You know, it's the reefing world, so our our crews are subcontractors, but they work exclusively for us in many cases, and we only use those guys for uh for our installations. Uh so they are independent contractors, but they you know they're like family to us. They're they know what make our business roll. And then our sales team, yeah, our sales team are out there and they're spreading the word and introducing, you know, root revival to homeowners and business owners all across the upstate of South Carolina.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Okay, okay. So when you're building a team, you know, you're you're getting ready to hire an employee to work for you, what traits matter more to you than what's on someone's resume.

SPEAKER_01 12:58

So a business partner, Jeff, he always talks about like, you know, our passion should be helping the homeowner first. And then if that is good for the business, then that's then that's a blessing. And that you know, that's really what we look for. We look for people who have a passion to help other people. A lot of our, you know, several of our sales roof advisors, they come out of the ministry. They some were

Hiring For Character And Clear Ethics

SPEAKER_01 13:22

pastors, so they have a natural inclination to help people. We have uh a lady who spent you know a lot of evenings as a single mom. She's not now, but you know, she she dealt with having to juggle a lot of things throughout the day, and she's phenomenal and we're gonna help homeowners and walk them through processes, you know, especially if it's a situation where you you've got a a mom making the decisions, and she's really great at that. So we look we look a lot more for the character of the person and how they interact with the with the with the customer. You know, and are they really seeking what's a great solution for that customer versus you know what college degree they have, how many years of experience they have in sales, any of that. It's it's really about the person and how they treat our customer.

SPEAKER_00 14:10

Yeah. So it sounds like it's really about honesty and integrity. Those are kind of the the the front, right? At the front floor is what you're looking for.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

You know, again, it goes back to our you know, our our motto that we are going to be shockingly transparent in everything we do. You know, we want our and we want our sales team to be that way, be fully transparent with everything going on with that homeowner so they make the right decision.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

Mm-hmm. Okay, okay. So what would you say is one thing you do intentionally to keep your workplace positive, motivated, and productive, especially during like a stressful season or stressful time?

SPEAKER_01 14:47

Yeah, so um I think the uh the easiest answer to that is just stay involved with your team. So you know, we're we're still a small team, so but the really the main thing is, you know, especially if we're if it's a stressful time, maybe it's a little sl a little slowdown in sales, is stay engaged with your team. You know, be in the field with them, don't just you know, don't just sit

Staying Positive During Stressful Seasons

SPEAKER_01 15:10

in the office and expect them to go out and and and do all the work. You know, be out there with them on a daily basis, stay you know, stay in touch with them, encourage them. Because, you know, and at the end, we are in a sales environment, you know, for a homeowner to report to repair the roof, replace the roof, you know, rejuvenate the roof, we've got to talk to them, we've got to present pricing, we've got to move them along that sales process, and they've got to at some point hand us a check or you know, pay us for the services. So, you know, that that process, you know, if you're if somebody's having a little slow week, slow month, it's really about staying with them and making sure they understand you're walking along that with them and not just expecting them to do it on their own.

SPEAKER_00 15:53

Yeah, no, I like that. I like that. All right, yeah. So I appreciate that. So we're gonna head into what's called the quick fire round. So basically how this works is I'm going to give you one word and I want you to tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear that word in regards to running your business, and then get into the reason why you picked that that word or that phrase to answer that question. Does that make sense? All right. So the first word is education. Always.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

And so, you know, if you're running a business, you should always be learning. And so you you that you never know everything you need to know.

Quick Fire Entrepreneur Mindsets

SPEAKER_00 16:32

Next word is planning.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

Think ahead. So you know, a lot of times in in business, like I've done it, everybody's done it. We get re reactive. Things happen, then we plan to have to deal with what happened. So yeah, if you're if you're an entrepreneur running a business, you know, really looking ahead and trying as best you can to figure out what's coming around the bend and plan for it, that's that's a big part of making your life a lot easier and making yourself team a lot more productive.

SPEAKER_00 17:00

Inspiration.

SPEAKER_01 17:04

The people around you. So a lot of people you know take inspiration from you know, speakers, you know, even you know, financial success, things like that. I really believe the people you surround yourself with are whether you get whether you get your inspiration. If you surround yourself with people that are always complaining, you're not gonna be very inspired. If you surround yourself with people that are trying to make themselves better and are looking to help people, uh, it won't be very hard to get inspired every day. Commitment required. So, you know, when we're on an epic entrepreneurs podcast, if you're gonna be an entrepreneur and you're not committed, it's not gonna last. There's gonna be hard times. Yeah, there's gonna be hard times and things aren't gonna go right, you know, it's and it's being committed. Discipline daily. So, you know, I I love to exercise. I've you know, I love being around people that like to like to do that, and you it's it's just something you have to do every day. Whether it's exercise, you know, train yourself team, communicate with your with your your customers, whatever it is. You've got to it's just gotta be something you do every day. Risk. Part of the game. I almost said fun, but my wife would say that's my wife would say that's not fun. So yeah, like, you know, it's again, you know, we're sitting here on the Epic Entrepreneur Podcast. You know, it the risk is part of the game. Doesn't mean you have to be silly or you know, mortgage you know, your house for something that's a crazy idea. But yeah, risk is part of the game. And so, you know, the rewards of of running a business always come with some levels of risk uh involved in that. Execution systematic. So I know that when we have systems in place that allow us to work a process from start to finish where we can execute that on on a high level, usually successful. If we're just winging it, sometimes you get it right and sometimes you mess it up loyally.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

Okay. No, I like that. I like that. Yeah, and I appreciate you getting through that quick fire around there. So now just to wrap things up with a couple more questions, you know, let's say, you know, I've I was a small business owner and I'm listening to the Epic Entrepreneurs podcast episode today, and let's say I'm I'm feeling stuck or overwhelmed, or I'm just having a bad start to 2026. What's a piece of advice you would give to that person that's listening today?

SPEAKER_01 19:52

Go back to your why. So it's really easy to get down to things aren't going the way you think when you think about what you know, what you're

Advice For Stuck Owners And Growth

SPEAKER_01 20:03

doing, when you're doing it, and all of those things. But you get back to why you are doing what you're doing. If you really believe in why you are doing what you're doing, you'll figure out a way to get through that rough spot. And it may mean a complete change of direction. I don't, it doesn't know, I don't know what it would mean exactly to everybody. But like if you believe in in why you're doing what you're doing, I I think you know that's the case. Yeah, we've we've had some some rough patches as we've gotten started here, but you know, we we believe that what we're doing is important and that we're making a difference. And if you can keep that, you know, in the in front of you, I think that's for uh for an entrepreneur going through a a struggle or just starting out, that's that's the most important thing.

SPEAKER_00 20:53

I like that. I like that. I think that's some good nuggets there. So any w uh wise words of advice you would give to those business owners looking to grow? Any any any tips or hints?

SPEAKER_01 21:07

I would say if you're an entrepreneur and you're looking to grow, find the gap. So look around at what you're doing, what whatever industry you're in, it doesn't matter. Find the gaps. Find something that people want or need that you or your competitors right now aren't providing for some reasons. You know, it could be uh technology technology hasn't caught up to that yet, or it could just be nobody's ever really sat down and said, hey, this is not being solved, let's let's do that. I mean that that's what we did. We're we we saw a gap. And so you know our our model is let's go fill that gap. Let's be the first, if the first if we can, if not the first, and one of the first uh to fill that gap.

SPEAKER_00 22:02

All right. Well, so what's next for Roof Revival? What should people be excited about coming up in the near future for your company?

SPEAKER_01 22:09

So uh, yeah, we are we are entering a time of growth. So we have spoken with some great people around the area. So we're located in the upstate of South Carolina. We serve you know that entire upper end of the state. Uh, we and we've talked to some great folks in Georgia, some great folks in North Carolina that that we're looking to bring into the team. So, you know, the exciting part of this is now beginning to scale what we're doing uh into other markets and helping people that are entrepreneurial-minded like us that want to be part of a team.

Finding The Gap And Scaling Up

SPEAKER_01 22:43

Um, because being an entrepreneur doesn't just mean you're out there on your own doing it by yourself. You can be very entrepreneurial-minded, very self-sufficient, and be part of a team and you know, gro grow as a grow as a team and grow individually. So that's that's where we're headed. We're you know, we're expanding our team and expanding our territory and looking to take this model uh into a lot of other markets.

SPEAKER_00 23:07

Nice, nice. So, yeah, expansion. Okay, great. So finally, what's the best way for someone to connect with you or learn more about what you do?

SPEAKER_01 23:15

Easiest way is to go to our website, and that's roof-revival.com. Roof-revival.com. That's the easiest way to get in touch with us. And then if you're on the socials, you can also find us at roofrevival on Facebook and myself, Will Wellmorn on Facebook. If you want to do a little social connection, be happy to connect with anybody.

SPEAKER_00 23:41

All right, perfect. All right, well, well, yeah, thank you.

Best Ways To Connect Online

SPEAKER_00 23:44

This has been fantastic. Yeah, thank you so much for sharing your story, your perspective, and your real behind the scenes of building your business. Really was a privilege having you on today.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

Well, man, I appreciate it. Thank you for having me on. It was it was great to speak with you.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

Yeah, thank you very much. Have a great day. All right, thank you, sir.