Every time a hurricane hits Florida a guy I know wires $200,000 in 0% credit card money to a roofing crew and makes half a million dollars in 90 days He doesn't own a roofing company. He doesn't own a ladder. He can't name a single type of shingle. He's a middleman with a phone, a credit stack, and absolutely zero shame Here's the play. When a Category 3+ hurricane hits, every house in a 50-mile radius needs a new roof. Insurance covers it. But the homeowner has to pay the deductible ($5,000-$15,000) and front the contractor costs before the insurance reimbursement arrives. That reimbursement takes 60-120 days The homeowners are desperate. Their ceiling is leaking. Mold is growing. They need a roof NOW, not in 4 months when State Farm finally cuts the check He shows up 48 hours after the storm. Knocks on doors. "I'll coordinate your entire roof replacement. I handle the contractor, the insurance claim, the supplement negotiation, everything. You pay your deductible and sign an Assignment of Benefits. I do the rest" The Assignment of Benefits (AOB) transfers the insurance payment from the homeowner to his company. When State Farm cuts the check 90 days later, it goes directly to him His cost structure per roof: Roofing crew (subcontracted): $8,000-$14,000 depending on size Materials (purchased on 0% business cards): $6,000-$10,000 Permit and inspection: $500-$800 Total cost: $14,500-$24,800 per roof Insurance payout per roof (after supplement negotiations where he argues for more money from the insurer): $28,000-$45,000 Average profit per roof: $15,000-$20,000 In 90 days after a major hurricane he completes 25-35 roofs. At $17,500 average profit: $437,500-$612,500 The 0% credit cards fund everything upfront. Materials on Chase. Crew deposits on Amex. Equipment rentals on Capital One. He's floating $150,000-$200,000 at any given time. The insurance checks arrive 60-120 days later and pay the cards to zero His annual income depends entirely on how many storms hit. A quiet hurricane season: $200,000. An active season: $800,000+. The year Hurricane Ian hit Fort Myers he cleared $1.1 million in 5 months "isn't storm chasing predatory" The alternative for the homeowner is calling 40 roofing companies who are all booked for 6 months, living under a tarp, watching mold eat their drywall, and fighting with their insurance company alone. He shows up within 48 hours, puts a crew on the roof within a week, and handles the insurance nightmare so the homeowner doesn't have to His Yelp reviews are 4.8 stars. The homeowners love him. The insurance companies hate him because he's too good at supplement negotiations (arguing that the damage is worse than the adjuster estimated, which it usually is) "what about when there's no hurricane" He does the same play with hailstorms in Texas and tornado damage in the Midwest. There's always a natural disaster somewhere. He follows the weather like a hedge fund follows earnings reports He has a weather app that sends alerts for any storm system with destructive potential. When it hits, he's on a plane within 12 hours with a laptop and a stack of business cards (both kinds) "this has to require a license" Depends on the state. He holds a general contractor license in Florida ($300 + exam). In Texas he operates as a "roofing sales organization" which has different requirements. In some states he operates as a public adjuster ($1,000 license). He holds whatever license the state requires to legally write the contract His crew is a team of 8 roofers from Guatemala who've been with him for 4 years. They travel to whatever state just got hit. They can roof a house in 2 days. He pays them $4,000-$6,000 per house and they do 30 houses per storm He told me "everyone acts like disaster recovery is charity work. It's not. It's the most profitable trade in America and it happens on a schedule published by the National Hurricane Center. I just read the schedule" Mother Nature is his lead generation. State Farm is his customer. Chase is his bank. The homeowner gets a roof. He gets $500K. The only loser is the insurance company who priced their premiums too low lmfaooo