We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joshua Escandon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Joshua thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s go back in time a bit – can you share a story of a time when you learned an important lesson during your education?
There are certain lessons you don’t learn from a textbook, you absorb them slowly, almost without realizing it, until one day you recognize they’ve shaped the way you move through the world. The most important lesson I learned in school came not from a curriculum, but from a person.
Her name was Mrs. Schock.
I had her as a Spanish teacher three separate times, freshman year, junior year, and again for AP Spanish as a senior. To me, Spanish wasn’t just another subject. It was a bridge. My grandmother, who was from Puerto Rico, spoke primarily Spanish, and much of my family was bilingual. Learning the language felt like learning how to belong more fully to that side of myself. And Mrs. Schock, in a way, became the person who helped me walk between those two worlds, academic and deeply personal.
But like most teenage boys, I wasn’t exactly a model student. I had a tendency to test boundaries, to joke around, to fall short of what I was capable of. That often landed me in detention, her detention. What should have been a punishment quietly became something else. It became time.
Time to sit. Time to talk. Time to be seen.
She never approached those moments with frustration or disappointment in the way you might expect. Instead, she asked questions. Real ones. Why are you here? What’s going on? Why aren’t you living up to who you could be?
Those conversations stuck with me more than anything we ever conjugated on the board.
During my time in high school, Mrs. Schock was diagnosed with cancer. I remember the shift, not just in her physical appearance as she went through chemo, but in the awareness that someone so full of life was now carrying something incredibly heavy. As a teenager, it’s hard to process that kind of reality. But what struck me wasn’t the illness itself.
It was that she showed up anyway.
Every single day.
Same presence. Same energy. Same care.
There was no announcement, no need for sympathy, no visible surrender to what she was going through. She walked into that classroom with a quiet resilience that said more than any lesson ever could. And at the same time, I was dealing with my own struggles at home, things that made it easy to check out, to give less, to justify not showing up fully in my own life.
But she never gave herself that out.
Senior year, I had a study hall. Most days, I didn’t stay where I was supposed to. I found myself walking down the hall to her classroom instead. We’d sit and talk, about life, about challenges, about things that felt bigger than school. She knew I was going through a lot. I knew she was too.
And still, she showed up.
What I learned from her wasn’t something she ever explicitly said. It wasn’t written on a whiteboard or tested on an exam. It was lived.
Perseverance isn’t loud. It’s not dramatic. It’s not reserved for perfect moments when everything aligns. It’s quiet. It’s consistent. It’s choosing to show up, especially on the days when it feels impossible.
That’s what builds character.
Mrs. Schock passed away in 2014. But in a very real way, she’s still here. In the moments where things feel heavy. In the seasons where it would be easier to quit, to step back, to give less. I still hear those conversations. I still feel that example.
And every time, I come back to the same lesson she taught me without ever needing to say it:
Keep going.
Only forward.
Joshua, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Josh Escandon, and I’m the owner of Sunset Restoration, a company built around the idea that a home is more than just a structure. It’s where people feel safe, where families grow, where life happens. Everything I do, both personally and professionally, is rooted in serving and protecting that.
I didn’t get into this industry by accident, but I also didn’t follow a straight line to get here. My path has been shaped by a combination of hard work, life experience, and a deep desire to build something meaningful. Early on, I realized I was drawn to work that allowed me to help people in real, tangible ways, especially during moments when they felt overwhelmed or uncertain. That naturally led me into restoration, particularly insurance-based roofing and exterior work, where homeowners are often navigating one of the most stressful situations they’ll face with their home.
What started as learning the trade evolved into something much bigger. I saw a gap, not just in quality of work, but in communication, integrity, and advocacy for the homeowner. Too many people were being left in the dark, under-informed, or taken advantage of during the insurance claims process. I made it my mission to change that.
At Sunset Restoration, we specialize in roofing, siding, gutters, solar detach and reset, and full exterior and interior restoration, primarily driven by storm and hail damage. But what truly defines our work isn’t just the services we provide, it’s how we provide them. We act as a guide and an advocate for our clients. We help them understand their insurance policies, meet with adjusters, document damage thoroughly, and ensure they receive what they’re rightfully owed. We don’t cut corners, and we don’t inflate problems. We simply do things the right way.
What sets us apart is a combination of craftsmanship, transparency, and care. We hold ourselves to a high standard, both in the quality of our work and in the way we treat people. Our core values, excellence, integrity, compassion, respect, and community, aren’t just words we throw around. They’re lived out in every project, every conversation, every decision. We’re a family-owned business, and we treat our clients like an extension of that.
I’m most proud of the trust we’ve built. The referrals, the reviews, the relationships, that’s what matters most to me. Anyone can install a roof, but not everyone can create an experience where a homeowner feels confident, informed, and genuinely cared for throughout the process.
On a personal level, I’m proud of the fact that this business reflects who I am and what I believe in. It’s not just about growth or revenue, it’s about impact. It’s about showing up, doing honest work, and building something that lasts, not just physically, but relationally.
If there’s one thing I’d want people to know about me and my brand, it’s this. We go above and beyond because we believe people deserve that. Not just in construction, but in life. And at the end of the day, we’re not just restoring homes, we’re helping people rebuild a sense of security, confidence, and peace of mind.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
There are several moments in my life that speak to resilience, but one of the earliest and most defining happened when I was 15 years old.
At that time, I weighed 305 pounds and felt completely miserable. I was involved in sports, but food had become a crutch, something I leaned on without really understanding it. I remember reaching a point where I just didn’t want to feel that way anymore. There wasn’t a dramatic turning point, no big speech or external pressure. It was a quiet decision. I was done.
From there, it became about action. Step by step, run by run. I started training every day. Hundreds of sit-ups, push-ups, and hours of physical activity. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t exciting. It was repetitive and, at times, exhausting. But I stayed consistent. By the time I turned 17, I had gone from 305 pounds down to 205.
What stands out to me even more than the weight loss were the habits that came with it. At 17, I would wake up at 3:30 in the morning, ride my bike three miles to the gym, train for two hours, ride my bike to school, and then go to work after classes until the evening. Looking back, those were long days, but at the time, it felt like purpose. It felt like progress.
That season of my life taught me something that has stayed with me ever since. Resilience is not built in big, dramatic moments. It’s built in the quiet decisions. It’s built in not hitting snooze. It’s built in showing up when no one is watching and doing the work anyway.
Fast forward nearly two decades, and that same mindset still shapes how I live. I’m now a business owner, working to grow something meaningful while also being present as a father. I received my blue belt in jiu-jitsu last year and completed my first ultra marathon at 32. Those are milestones I’m proud of, but they’re really just extensions of the same principle I learned as a teenager.
For a long time, I chased perfection. I thought that if I didn’t hit the mark exactly, I had somehow failed. That mindset can wear you down. Over time, through business, through training, and through fatherhood, I’ve learned that what actually matters is showing up and giving your best with what you have that day.
Resilience, to me, is simple. It’s not giving up. It’s continuing to move forward, even if the steps feel small.
Only forward.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
There are a handful of books and ideas that have had a profound impact on the way I think about business, leadership, and life. Each of them came into my life at different seasons, but together they helped shape a philosophy rooted in responsibility, purpose, and growth.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad was one of the first books that truly shifted my perspective. It challenged the default framework that many of us grow up with, the idea that success follows a single, linear path. It opened my eyes to the importance of financial literacy, ownership, and intentional decision-making. We live in a world where the traditional 9-to-5 path works well for many people, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that. But what this book emphasizes is awareness. How you spend your time, how you allocate your resources, and how you think about money all shape the trajectory of your life. That realization alone was empowering. It made me more conscious, more deliberate, and more willing to take ownership of my path.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl impacted me on a much deeper, more personal level. It’s not a business book in the traditional sense, but it may be one of the most important books anyone can read. Frankl’s experiences and his ability to find meaning in the midst of unimaginable suffering reframed how I think about hardship. The idea that if you have a strong enough “why,” you can endure almost any “how” is something I carry with me daily. In business, in relationships, and in personal growth, purpose becomes the anchor. Without it, it’s easy to drift. With it, even the hardest seasons can be navigated with clarity.
Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins brought a different kind of energy into my mindset. It’s raw, intense, and unapologetic. What I took from it wasn’t just the stories of physical endurance, but the concept of mental callousing. The idea that we are often capable of far more than we believe, and that growth comes from leaning into discomfort rather than avoiding it. As an entrepreneur, that lesson is invaluable. There are going to be hard days, setbacks, and moments of doubt. Building the mental toughness to face those moments head-on is what separates those who persist from those who fall away.
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink reinforced something that I believe is foundational to leadership. True leadership starts with accountability. It’s easy to point fingers when things go wrong, to blame circumstances or other people. But real growth happens when you take full ownership of outcomes, both good and bad. That mindset not only builds stronger teams, it builds trust. People want to follow leaders who are accountable, who take responsibility, and who are willing to step into the hard conversations. It also forces you to constantly evaluate yourself, to ask where you can improve, and to lead by example.
And then there is the Bible, which has influenced me in a way that goes beyond business or strategy. It speaks to character. It speaks to humility, service, discipline, and love. It provides a framework for how to live, how to treat others, and how to lead with integrity. In a world that often prioritizes results above all else, it brings you back to what truly matters. It reminds you that success without character is hollow, and that how you build something is just as important as what you build.
Each of these resources, in their own way, has shaped how I approach life and business. They’ve taught me to think differently, to take responsibility, to lean into discomfort, and to stay grounded in purpose. When you bring those principles together, you begin to build something that is not only successful, but meaningful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sunsetrestorationco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunsetrestoration
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunsetrestoration/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-escandon-b27129228/
