Paul Beattie, 39

Two years shy of 30, in 2009 Paul Beattie made what many, at the time, thought was a big mistake: giving up a decent full-time job to start a one-man construction and remodeling firm, during the housing bust and recession. The cries of idiocy followed.  “Everyone thought I was nuts,” Beattie says. “Particularly my wife, who was pregnant.”

Beattie has beaten back the doubters. Today his company, Cape Coral-based Beattie Development, is a full-service custom and semi-custom homebuilder and remodeling firm with nearly 70 employees across five divisions and at least $15 million a year in revenue. The company has built more than 300 homes, ranging in price from $190,000 to more than $2 million, and has averaged annual sales growth of 20% to 40% over the past three years. Other in-house units under the Beattie Development brand include plumbing, realty, roofing and countertops. He also has plans to expand to electrical and HVAC work.