There is nothing without belief

It wasn't very long ago that I was trapped by my previous choices in a very unhappy 'place'. I just turned 38 years old. My hip, which was surgically secured (fused) in place after a high-school auto accident was causing my knee to become more and more damaged. I was fast approaching 280lbs and getting around was getting harder and harder. I didn't know what I was going to do...An operation to repair my knee was just around the corner if I couldn't reverse my course. My four young children were watching me be unhealthy because I used the excuse of my hip.  My wife didn't nag me, but her fears grew just as my pants size did. She wondered, "Will Joe be at risk for more problems like heart disease, diabetes and stroke...all are in his family history." I didn't believe I could change.

My left hip - fused in place when I was 19 years old.

This all started to change for the better the day I met Kam Parker, owner and head-trainer at The Fire Personal Training Studio. Attending one of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce opportunities to connect with other business owners, I heard Kam give a presentation about her business. I was struck by her confidence and knowledge. It was if she was talking directly to me! After catching up with Kam after the event, we talked about my situation. She agreed to take me on as a one-on-one personal training client. Her only requirement was that my level of commitment to see this journey through was going to have to be extremely high (not wasting her/my time). You can trust she pushed me hard enough that I wanted to give up, plenty. But that's not the reason I've successfully changed my health and fitness levels. It's because I finally believed I could do it, then I didn't stop.

Once I started to push through and start forming better habits, my belief started to soar. Kam has that right mix of experience and drive that anyone at any fitness level or age can benefit from. Personal training and diet guidance got me to a new level, but Kam's understanding of the emotional changes I needed to conquer was the tipping point that has helped me create lasting change. Now I like to share my story with anyone who wants to listen.

After intense personal training to correct the weakness in my left leg, I moved into the regular group personal training sessions at The Fire. Now when I stop in once a week, I'm in the advanced class. I was able to run a 1/2 marathon last year and continue to work toward new challenges. I train my wife at home and my kids are very happy with the more active and fit Dad I am now.

Until I believed it was possible, I was stuck. Not anymore. If you need help getting on your way to a more fit and health version of yourself, contact me, I'll share more details or you can contact Kam at The Fire.

The story behind the Hometown Value Guide of Asheville & Hendersonville

It's really just a leap of faith: Story of the Hometown Value Guide

After spending 20 + years in Florida the time was ripe for change. For a young and growing family boarding up the house and running from hurricane after hurricane was finally too much for us. Besides with the fire ants, oppressive humidity with no time to boat, fish or golf...why stay?

I'm Joe Jakubielski (jack-a-bill-ski) and along with my wife Annamarie, we own and operate the Hometown Value Guide direct mail marketing program. This is the story of how we got here.

Since just after the Macintosh was invented, I've been using it as a tool to help local businesses get exposure. I've been designing ads and collateral for a long time and managing the printing of those items. I helped publish a weekly newspaper and monthly magazines for several years. I landed at a progressive printing company when I met my wife to be. After making our vows we started our family right away. It wasn't long before I was looking for more income opportunity.

That's when I met S.B. at a company that publishes local direct coupon magazines. I was trusted with converting the analog art process to a modern digital one. It was a good run. The corporate position was paying very well, but as many know, often the trade-offs are tough. Travel, late and long hours and a sense that if the company leadership faltered, I'd be looking for a new gig in no time flat. 7 years and 3 children later, it was the turbulent hurricane season of 2004 that sent our family in search of something else.

It was August and we were on the run from Hurricane Ivan. We were sitting in a grassy playground field outside Knoxville. The children played in the grass with no fear of fire ants and a breeze kept us from feeling too hot. Annamarie dropped the bomb: "You have one year to get us out of Florida!"

After digging deep about what we wanted, things became crystal clear. It was to create a life where our family was in the center and we could wrap our business life around it. We asked God to guide us and we leaped into the unknown by deciding to publish our own direct mail magazines. We had fallen in love with the mountains. And when we searched for mild climate, four seasons, and positive business atmosphere: Asheville and Henderson County was on top of the list. I took my oldest son on a scouting trip on January 1, 2005 and declared, "We can LIVE here!"

It had only taken us six months to move and another three to get our business underway. Without direct selling experience, in August of 2005 we published and mailed the first quarterly issue of the Hometown Value Guide. Some of the clients in that issue are still advertising with us today.

Making the choice to change our life was a scary one. We moved away from family. We started something from scratch. We know by keeping a grateful attitude for all the people and each opportunity God places in our lives we are certain things will work out just fine.

Seven years have past and we're still at it. We have three magazine zones and our family now has four children, a great dog and a crooked little cat. We look forward to helping more local business owners to grow and profit for a long time to come.

Joe Jakubielski
Publisher / Owner
Hometown Value Guide
828.335.3553
www.hometownvalueguide.com
www.facebook.com/hometownvalueguide
www.twitter.com/hmtownvaluguide
www.twitter.com/JoeHVG