Joel is co-founder/owner of The Sky Floor, LLC, founded in 2009 with his identical twin brother. The Sky Floor has grown in revenue in each year of business, averaging 30% growth. Alan and Joel were born on Leap Day and recently turned nine years old.

He is a co-founder of two startups, Hoppit and Brand Boards. Joel loves learning new ideas and reads 1-2 books per month. When he is not working on the business, he is spending time with his wife Kate and two kids in the suburbs of Chicago.

Where did the idea for The Sky Floor come from?

I’ve always known I wanted to work for myself in some capacity. The idea for The Sky Floor really started there. Besides a 9 month stint working at Apple retail, I have always worked for myself. As my twin and I started to do freelance work, the digital/webspace was really expanding. The market demand defined our direction. We formed our current business in 2009, so we would have a structure in place for growth and expansion beyond just operating as just a couple of freelancers.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I typically wake up between 5:30am, and 6am. Sometimes I use this pre-work day time to read or do a little exercise. I have two kids, and getting some time with them every morning is essential to me to start my day off. After all, they are a massive part of why I am building my business, and I want to have a balanced life.

I try to have typical work hours when possible. Again, balance is everything and helps prevent burn-out. I typically have 1-2 meetings on an average day. The rest of my day is spent doing work, managing the business, invoicing, and finding new work opportunities.