Flying Through Turbulent Skies: Joel Thomas, CEO of Stratos Jets (Part 6)

Sramana Mitra: It sounds like you have a wonderful relationship with your dad.

Joel Thomas: He’s been great and amazing to my mom. He’s my stepdad, but he’s been a part of my whole life. He has invested so much emotionally in all of us in helping all of us realize our purpose.

My older brother Chris graduated from Princeton Cum Laude because my dad encouraged him. My brother Jonathan and I were very similar. I really looked up to him. Jon did really well in finance. My little sister is in real estate. He’s been a great blessing in our lives.

The situation actually got harder. In 2014, I hired three new sales people. One of them came from the same conference where I hired Kelly. When Kelly came to work for me, she tried to get that other girl to work for me. She did come to work in 2014. I hired her, another girl named Meagan, and a kid named Justin.

By 2013, Google had penalized our website, and we were getting zero traffic. I had a lot of expenses. I had four girls in marketing. I had to let those girls go. I couldn’t afford them anymore. I tried to keep Kelly and Michael on as long as I could. Kelly applied for the FAA position. That was perfect for her. My brother-in-law stayed on.

It was basically me and Garrett who had client relationships. Kelly was three months in when everybody left. She helped me bring on Heather. I found this guy Justin through some personal relationships. I just hired whoever I could.

Heather and Justin did a really great job in sales. Heather sadly got cancer and had to move back home to where her parents live. It was a really tough time for her. We also lost her in the fall of 2014. 

Sramana Mitra: The reason I’m letting you speak about more personal stuff is, in the entrepreneurship world, people tell stories like there’s no ups and downs. I think, nowadays, I’m seeing more openness in founders to discuss how emotionally and psychologically challenging this journey is, especially when you go through a major setback. Setbacks come and go.

The question that people are starting to ask is, what helps you work through all these kinds of traumatic down cycles? What you are illustrating is the role of a really solid support network. In your case, it’s your family.

The problem with entrepreneurs often is, they isolate themselves terribly. They end up alone. They ignore all social relationships. When something really goes wrong, they have nothing to fall back on.

Joel Thomas: I had more than my stepdad to support me. I’m a Christian. There are two times in life where you’re in great spiritual danger. When everything goes wrong, you can look at God and say, “I don’t believe you exist.” I could easily have been like that. The other time that you’re in great spiritual danger is when you’re riding high and you say, “Look at what I’ve done for myself.”

Maybe that’s where I was in 2013. I didn’t really recover this business until every one of those people that left, and I had a heart to heart, and I forgave them. God cares more about your soul than He does your circumstances. For me, I had to humble myself. I felt like I was the victim.

Sramana Mitra: That is also one of the differentiating factors in people who become successful and those who don’t. People who look at adversity and feel like a victim and people who decide to overcome adversity. It’s a huge differentiator.

This segment is part 6 in the series : Flying Through Turbulent Skies: Joel Thomas, CEO of Stratos Jets
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