Born in San Diego and raised in Denver, Todd Jackson admired his brothers-in-law for whom he worked in construction, but he wanted to get away from winter weather. So he moved back to San Diego and at age 20 started his own construction business.

Fast forward to 2007. Now 39, he has grown his one-man shop into Jackson Design and Remodeling, a 25-employee company that will earn $7 million this year doing residential remodels.

“This is the easiest and quickest type of business to come into because you really don’t need much capital,” he says about his early success. “And I love what I do, especially the instant gratification of when the client is there at the end and they’re happy.”

Jackson says customer satisfaction has been the key to his success.

“Long after we’ve earned the dollars, if we don’t have that client for life we’ve made a mistake,” he says. His company was the only San Diego County firm named to Remodeling magazine’s 2005 Big 50 list, which recognizes those that set the industry standard for integrity and professionalism.

“This is a great business because at the end of the day you can stand back and say you’ve accomplished something,” he says.