Starting Your Own Gutter Company

Feb 16 / Noah Lantz
Starting a gutter company looks simple from the outside. Buy a machine, get a trailer, hang some gutters, collect a check. And in some ways, it is that simple. That’s one of the reasons so many people are drawn to the trade.

But what most new owners discover—usually the hard way—is that the gutters themselves aren’t the difficult part. The real challenge is everything around them: pricing, marketing, hiring, sales, systems, and cash flow. Those are the areas where companies either gain momentum or quietly stall out.
To help new contractors avoid the most common mistakes, the Rain Gutter Association hosted a mastermind forum called “Getting Started in the Gutter Game.” The group included veterans running multi-million-dollar companies, owner-operators in their first few years, and even someone just getting their first set of gutter guards.

This article pulls together the most practical, actionable lessons from that conversation. If you’re in your first year, thinking about starting a gutter company, or trying to grow past the one-man-show phase, these are the principles that can save you years of trial and error.

Watch the talk here or read the highlights below.

Let’s start with one of the biggest traps new owners fall into.

1. Don't Grind Yourself Into a Low-Price Corner

Early on, it’s normal to obsess over installs—long days, weekends, nonstop. That hustle is normal. But several veterans pointed out the trap: if you don’t build a brand and price for growth, you’ll stay “busy” instead of profitable. That becomes a problem when it becomes your business model instead of a temporary phase. Vitaly Voloshin of Royal Gutters in OR summed up this early mistake as being too install-focused and not charging enough to grow.
 “We were sunrise to sunset installing… I wish I had focused more on branding and marketing—making ourselves look more valuable and charging more and making more money. If you charge 20% more, you can work two days less and make the same. That’s what I wish I did earlier.” 
Underpricing yourself isn’t a one-time mistake either. Once you start lowballing to win bids, it creates a self-perpetuating cycle that’s hard to break out of. The customers you attract at rock-bottom prices tend to refer more of the same, locking you into a cycle that’s difficult to break free from. You have to make the bold decision to raise your prices…existing customer base be damned.

Vitaliy continued: “Once you start attracting cheap customers, they’re going to refer more cheap work over to you… it’s really hard to get out of that loop. Once you start raising your price, which you naturally have to do, a lot of those customers fall off. I remember when we raised our prices. When we went to do our taxes, our accountant was like, ‘wow you guys made double the revenue this year.’ I'm like, yeah, we did that just by raising prices. We lost a lot of customers. But at the end of the day, we're making the same amount of money, we’re just working a lot less.”

It’s a hard pill to swallow, especially when you’re starting out. But the sooner you build your pricing around the business you want, the sooner you stop digging yourself into a hole you’ll have to climb out of later.

As Tim Crouch of Mothers Gutters and Gutter Growth later affirmed: “I recommend charging right from day one… most companies don’t grow because they’re not priced to grow. I’d rather have a 50% close rate and be priced right than 75–80% and be priced wrong.”

Actionable takeaway:

Price your jobs so you can afford the next stage of growth—office help, sales support, marketing, and real profit. If you price like a one-man show, you’ll stay a one-man show. 

Charging more sounds easy enough - but how do you still win customers when you’re not the cheapest solution around? Well…

2) Stop defending price—start defending value

Charging more is pointless if you can’t win bids. And every new gutter company runs into the same buzzsaw: “The other guy is cheaper.” And if you respond by arguing about numbers, you’ve already lost. The best operators don’t debate price—they change what the customer is comparing.

Zachary Cain of Liquid Exteriors in TX put it plainly. In his market, the price gap can be dramatic—and homeowners will challenge you on it:
“Not everybody is your client. We try to stick to $13 a foot. Our competition might be at nine. When they ask why we’re more expensive, we have to be able to explain why we’re worth it.”
So what do you do when you’re not the cheapest bid?

Solution A: Sell the problem, not the product

Price shoppers are usually comparing gutters like they’re comparing gas stations—same thing, different number. Your job is to remind them they’re not buying “gutters.” They’re buying the outcome that gutters protect against.

Aster Harrelson of Rivertown Seamless Gutters explained how he reframes the conversation by uncovering the homeowner’s real concern and sticking to it:
“Uncover their need… it could be fresh mulch floating away, dirt washing from the foundation… address that concern. Stick with that.”
When the customer feels like you actually get the problem, the price stops being the only thing they can measure.

Write your awesome label here.

Write your awesome label here.

Write your awesome label here.

Concepts like this are explored in more detail in our sales certification track for gutter salespeople and employees.

Solution B: Differentiate your language so you’re harder to compare

If your estimate looks and sounds like everyone else’s, the homeowner will treat you like everyone else—and the only lever left is price. Vitaliy Voloshin of Royal Gutters shared a simple but powerful trick: stop using the same commodity labels your competitors use.
“Don’t call it 5K and 6K… call it extra-large gutter or heavy-duty gutter… when the homeowner can compare you, that’s when they’re looking at price.” 
This isn’t “word games.” It’s positioning. If you package your offering like a premium solution instead of a line-item commodity, you give the homeowner a new way to evaluate you beyond dollars per foot.

Actionable Takeaway:

If you don’t take control of the comparison, the customer will—and they’ll compare you on the one thing that makes you easiest to replace: price. Your job is to make the conversation about outcomes, trust, and differentiation—then the number makes sense.

3) Marketing when you’re broke: pick one lane and do it relentlessly

When you’re starting a gutter company, marketing can feel overwhelming. Google Ads, Facebook, SEO, yard signs, mailers, truck wraps—it’s easy to freeze up because you don’t know where to start. 

The reality is simple: you don’t need ten marketing strategies. You need one that you execute consistently.

This call had two clear “starter lanes” that work when cash is tight:

Lane A: Door-to-door business cards (slow burn, steady)

Aster Harrelson of Rivertown Seamless Gutters got real traction simply by being consistent:
“I put about 200 business cards a week on doors… ring doorbells, introduce myself, free estimate. I park my vehicle, I go into subdivisions, I walk around, I put cards, I introduce myself, let them know it's a free estimate, no obligation. We're just looking for work. That's what I've done for the last three years. I’ve paid for very little advertising. With that approach. “It took close to a year and a half to two years for my phone to start ringing from people I never door-carded. ”
There’s nothing flashy about this approach—but it works if you’re disciplined. Most new companies don’t fail because the tactic is bad. They fail because they stop after two weeks. Consistency beats creativity in the early stages.

Lane B: Contractor outreach list (faster repeat work)

The second lane is more outbound and relationship-driven. Instead of chasing one-off residential jobs, you build a base of contractors who send you steady work. As Tim Crouch relayed to the group:
“Get a list broker… for $400–$500 you can get a list of like a thousand contacts. Ask for roofing companies, builders, property managers. If you do 50 calls a day for four weeks you’ll get through the list. And even at a 1% response you end up with 10 contractors. Upload the list into your CRM… create a packet… include work comp or liability so they know you’re legit…and send like 25 a day so it doesn’t all go to spam.”

Actionable Takeaway:

If you need consistency, roofers and contractors can become your “base load” and help provide a steady stream of consistent work while residential homes help provide more margin. Pick one lane, commit to it for 90 days, and let consistency—not complexity—drive your growth.

4) Where to spend ad money first (when you do have the budget)

Once a gutter company has a little cash flow, the next big question usually comes up: Where should I spend it? Facebook? SEO? Mailers? Yard signs? There are a hundred options, and most of them promise to “explode your leads overnight.”

But when the group talked about paid marketing, one channel kept coming up again and again: Google Ads. Not because it’s flashy, but because it lines up with how homeowners actually behave.

Tim Crouch of Mothers Gutters in Florida explained it in simple terms:
“Think about your own buying behavior. When you want a product or a service, nine times out of 10, you’re probably not going to Facebook to search for it. You’re probably just going to go to Google. So I find that Google Ads in most areas work well—unless you’re in a really rural area where there’s just not the search volume.”
In other words, Google captures intent. These aren’t people casually scrolling past your ad. They’re actively searching for “gutter installation near me” or “replace gutters.” That makes it one of the most direct ways to generate leads once you’re ready to spend.

But Tim also pointed out that the real difference-maker isn’t the platform—it’s your understanding of the numbers behind it.
“What would give most people more clarity on marketing is just doing enough tracking so they know what they’re actually spending per lead and what their close rate is. That way you know what your job cost is and what your average ticket price amounts to. If you know all those numbers, it’s a lot less scary to put money into ads.” 
When you don’t know your numbers, advertising feels like gambling. When you do know them, it becomes a calculated investment.

Actionable Takeaways

Don’t just “try” ads and hope for the best. Track them like a business owner.

At a minimum, know:

  • Cost per lead
  • Close rate
  • Average job size
  • Gross margin (even a rough estimate)
  • Lead source

When you understand those numbers, you stop guessing—and start scaling with confidence.

5) Equipment: you can start professional without going broke

One of the biggest mental barriers for new gutter company owners is equipment. The machines look expensive. The trailers, ladders, tools, and inventory add up fast. It’s easy to assume you need $20,000–$40,000 in cash before you can even think about getting started.

There were multiple “real world” startup examples in the call. The takeaway: you don’t need a perfect setup—you need a reliable setup.

David Troyer of Paramount Gutters in MT had a barebones start. As he relayed to the RGA:
“There's different levels when you're looking at starting up. For me, I just had just a cargo trailer with a machine in the back: a cheap 5 inch machine. I already had the pickup truck to pull it. A guy can get into a setup really cheap.”
Aster Harrelson started his gutter company with less than $3,000 in capital, opting to finance his company with a combination of leases and credit.
“It cost me about $3,000 to start… a lease-to-own on a 7x14 trailer… KWM IronMan with financing… Lowe’s credit card for ladders and tools…a.. with monthly payments about $1,200. I could do that in two days and be profitable the rest of the month.”
Many successful companies didn’t start with big cash reserves. They used smart financing and let the jobs pay for the equipment.

Actionable Takeaways

You don’t need a perfect setup—you need one that works and can pay for itself. Many manufacturers and suppliers offer financing, lease-to-own programs, or equipment loans. In many cases, your monthly payment can be covered by one or two average jobs per month. That means you don’t necessarily need a huge pile of cash to get started.

Some rules of thumb to help:

  • If a used machine only saves you a little, go new and finance it. 
  • If used saves you a lot, keep it under about 10 years old and confirm parts and support are available.
  • Structure your financing so the equipment payment equals one or two jobs per month—then let the business fund its own growth.

6) Sales process: the biggest “starter upgrade” is same-day estimates + asking for the sale

This came up repeatedly: the gap between companies that grow and those that stall is often speed and clarity. As Tim Crouch relayed:
“I'm not really a fan of going to an estimate and then just taking down the information and say I'm going to email it to you later. An estimate should be drawn up on the spot. Ask for the job and lock the deposit in. You'll close a lot more by asking for the sale on the spot than you will putting it off and letting 24 or 48 hours go by.” -T

Actionable Takeaway 

For “standard” homes, build and present the estimate onsite. You can still follow up later—but you’ll close more often if you build a sales process and ask for their business right away.

Use tools like the RGA Estimator to quickly draw up estimates on site. 

7) Prevent call-backs with one habit: taking photos of every downspout location and gutter run before and after the install

One of the highest-return habits you can build into your process has nothing to do with tools, trucks, or marketing. It’s simply taking and marking up photos before the install.

Miscommunication about downspout locations is one of the most common causes of call-backs. The homeowner pictured it one way. The installer interpreted it another way. Now you’re back on the job, moving downspouts for free—or worse, arguing about what was originally agreed to.

That entire situation can usually be avoided with a few minutes of documentation. As Noah Lantz of Gutter Hunks and the RGA explained during the call:
“We mark where all the downspouts are going to go… this eliminates call-backs to change a downspout. It also saves your ass if they accuse you of breaking something or damaging their home. With the photos, you have all the documentation in-hand.” 
Customers don't always mean to rip you off. They usually don’t. They might just not be looking at that part of the house and now they have brand new gutter on it. They go out there and look at that part of the home for the first time in several years and think to themselves "Oh, wait. I don't remember it being that way."

That odd piece of siding or misaligned fascia might not be your fault as the gutter installer, but if you don't have photos to prove you're not at fault, you're setting yourself up for a free repair or a headache.

The habit of taking photos and marking them up does more than just prevent disputes. It gives the homeowner a clear visual of what they’re buying, which builds trust and reduces second-guessing after the job is complete.

Actionable Takeaways

Before every install:

  • Take photos of every elevation of the home.
  • Mark the gutter runs and downspout locations on the photos.
  • Send them with the estimate and get explicit approval.


Not only does this protect you from call-backs and disputes, it also doubles as a sales tool. When customers can clearly see what the finished system will look like, it gives them another reason to choose you over the competition.

8) Easy marketing wins: shirts, hats, and local vendor fairs

Not every marketing tactic has to be complicated, expensive, or digital. In fact, some of the simplest, most old-school methods can produce surprisingly strong results—especially in smaller markets where relationships and visibility still matter.

During the call, two “small town” strategies kept coming up: branded apparel and local vendor events.

Branded shirts as walking billboards

Instead of spending heavily on traditional ads, some contractors focus on turning their customers—and even their crews—into moving

advertisements. Zachary Cain of Liquid Exteriors in Texas shared his philosophy:
“I’d rather give away $800 of t-shirts a month than spend thousands on billboards. T-Shirts are walking billboards."
When someone wears your shirt to the grocery store, the gym, or their kid’s baseball game, your company name is getting exposure in the exact neighborhoods you want to work in. And unlike a digital ad, it doesn’t disappear after a few seconds.

Comfortable, good-looking shirts tend to stick around in people’s closets—and on their backs—for years.

Local vendor fairs for cheap, high-quality leads

Another overlooked tactic is setting up at small local events—community festivals, chamber of commerce gatherings, or neighborhood vendor fairs.

Aster Harrelson of Rivertown Seamless Gutters has seen consistent results from these types of events:
“Vendor spot can be like 50 bucks… better return than anything else besides cards on doors. I probably get somewhere between seven to 12 jobs out of it. At a local event, you are probably the only gutter company there.”
The advantage is simple: you’re not competing with ten other gutter companies in the same room. You’re often the only one there, talking directly to homeowners in your target area.

Actionable Takeaway

Skip the giant home shows until you’re ready. Start with small, local events where you can be the only gutter company in the room—and let branded shirts, hats, and giveaways turn your customers into everyday advertising.

9) The “one rule” veterans would give new gutter company owners

At the end of the call, the veterans were asked a simple question: If you could give a new gutter owner just one rule to follow, what would it be?

There were dozens of possible answers—marketing, sales, equipment, hiring—but two themes kept surfacing. If you get these two things right, almost everything else becomes easier.

Rule #1: Know Your Numbers

Plenty of new contractors run their business by gut feel. They check the bank balance, see money coming in, and assume things are fine. But without clear financial visibility, it’s easy to stay busy while quietly losing money.

David Troyer of Paramount Gutters in Montana emphasized the importance of understanding the financial side of the business from the start:
“Know your financials… profit, P&L, cash flow… job costing—how much you’re actually making on every job.”
To put this in further perspective, David meets with his accountant every other week so he understands his numbers - where they are, where they're going, and where they need to be. Without that clarity, everything else gets harder.

Rule #2: Hire for Attitude

Technical skills can be taught. Work ethic, communication, and attitude are much harder to fix.

Zachary Cain of Liquid Exteriors in Texas learned that lesson the hard way during his first year in business:
“Hire based on attitude… I went through like eight people my first year… once I found good guys who communicate, it made a huge difference in my operation."
One or two bad hires can drag down your schedule, your reputation, and your sanity. But the right people—ones who show up, communicate, and take pride in their work—can change the entire trajectory of your company.

Actionable Takeaways

If you focus on nothing else in your first year, focus on these two things:

1. Know exactly how much money each job is making you.
2. Hire people for attitude first, and train them for skill.

Get those two right, and the rest of the business becomes much easier to build.

Conclusion: You don’t have to figure this out alone

If there’s one theme that ran through this entire discussion, it’s this: most mistakes in the gutter business aren’t technical—they’re strategic.

Very few companies fail because they couldn’t hang gutters straight. They fail because they priced too low, marketed inconsistently, hired the wrong people, or tried to figure everything out the hard way. And in an industry where most owners are working alone or with a small crew, it’s easy to feel like you have to solve every problem by yourself.

That’s exactly why the Rain Gutter Association exists.

The RGA was to give gutter contractors—especially new ones—a place to learn from people who have already made the mistakes, fixed the systems, and grown real companies. The advice in this article didn’t come from theory. It came from operators doing millions in revenue, running crews, and dealing with the same challenges you’re facing right now.

When you join the RGA, you get access to:

  • Mastermind calls like the one this article was based on
  • Sales and estimating training built specifically for gutter companies
  • Proven scripts, processes, and templates
  • A network of contractors who are open about numbers, strategies, and real-world results
  • Tools and resources designed to help you grow faster and avoid costly mistakes
  • Certifications and training for gutter installers and salespeople.

Instead of spending three to five years learning everything through trial and error, you can shortcut the process by learning from people who’ve already done it. The gutter industry is full of opportunity—but it rewards the contractors who build real businesses, not just busy jobs.

If you’re serious about growing a gutter company the right way, consider joining the Rain Gutter Association and surrounding yourself with people who are pulling in the same direction.

Your future company will look a lot like the conversations you’re part of today.
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