Meet John Andrew | Owner of Level-Up Home Improvement

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Andrew and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I never really thought I would be the one to start their own business. I always believed I would work for one company over the course of my career. As my career continued, I realized that when working for someone else, the company always cared more about the company and not as much about the employees. This really came to light during the Covid pandemic and I realized it was time to start on my own adventure to start my own business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Out of college I worked for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. I was there for almost 3.5 years, learning customer service, sales, marketing, and how to run an office as I worked my way up to become a Branch Manager. From there, I went to work for a couple of companies in industrial sales which helped me continue to grow my sales as well as ordering products. Once I realized I no longer wanted to be in sales, I moved over to residential construction as a Warranty Representative with Toll Brothers. Here I was able to hone in my customer service skills even more, start to gain my knowledge in residential construction, working with subcontractors, and earning my degree in Construction Management. When my wife and I decided to move to San Diego, I was able to work as a Project Engineer for Dynalectric in the estimating department. This helped me learn how to write up bids and understand the cost of the jobs and how to make a profit.

Being that I thought I would work for one company my entire life, this was not an easy road for me to travel, especially when switching my career path from sales to construction. When making that transition in Seattle and most recently in San Diego, I was told no a lot which really affected me mentally, thinking I was only good enough to be in sales, which I knew I didn’t want to get back into. Luckily, Dynaletric also took a chance on me, even though my construction knowledge was strictly residential and not commercial. Working for Dynaletric helped me again realize my potential but also made me realize I enjoyed residential and working directly with customers, which is when I decided to start Level-Up Home Improvement.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Let’s say it’s summertime, which is obviously the best season, we would start off by hitting up some Padres games because you have to take advantage of seeing the team they have put together. Next, we would go to North Park and bar hop while hoping to catch a show at The Observatory. The beach up in Encinitas would be out next stop to make sure we soak up the sun and getting a good swim done, preferably without the sharks haha. On one of the days, we would sneak in a round of golf at one of the many courses down here. Lastly, we would finish the trip off with a good brewery tour. There are way too many places to name but we would at least go to Stone, Ballast Point, Belching Beaver, and many of the other great breweries San Diego has to offer.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to start off with my wife, Kelsey. She always always been there to love, support, and encourage me to do something that is rewarding and where I don’t feel like my skills are being taken advantage of. When I came to her with the idea of starting my own business, she jumped right onboard. Throughout the last year and a half of being in business, she has been supportive of me working long days, even sacrificing much needed “us” time to put my company and customers first. She has been there through the highs and lows and is always there to congratulate me on my wins and pick me up through the losses and hard times.

My family is the next group I would like to thank. All have also been extremely supportive of me starting my own business and happy that I was able to find something I enjoyed. Going into home remodeling and interacting with customers is something they feel is a strength of mine and have also been there to support me through the highs and lows not only with my business but in life as well. I don’t think there is enough words to put to say how extremely grateful I am for them.

Last but not least, Aaron Corless. Aaron was my boss when I worked in warranty for Toll Brothers in Seattle. He was extremely patient with me starting as a Warranty Representative with little construction knowledge. He took a chance on me when nobody else would when I was ready to move from sales over to residential construction. Aaron helped teach me the construction knowledge I needed to know and was always around whenever I had questions to move the projects along to close out.

Website: https://levelupsd.com

Instagram: @leveluphomeimprovement_SD

Facebook: @leveluphomeimprovementsandiego

Other: Thumbtack – Level-Up Home Improvement Houzz.com – Level-Up Home Improvement

Image Credits
Fernando & Xochil, AR Coatings, Salsons Stonemarble, Jeff Ruiz, Apex Service & Repair, Surface Solutions, Rick Olinger Electric, Don McKay