Edward A. Jacak
Father, Home Musician, Part-time Permaculture Farmer, Cleveland Browns Fan, Thinker, Geek, Science Nerd (fascinated by physics, quantum mechanics and metaphysics), Tech Geek, Foodie and pretty good Home Cook (thank you mom, grandma and Alton Brown), Politically and Socially Aware, Libertarian Constitutionalist, Non-Technical Founder, DIY home and auto repair, and an Experienced Leader in business operations and marketing; adept at strategy, process optimization, and aligning goals for growth and client satisfaction.
I'm scrappy; a thinker; problem-solver and doer.
My Values
Hard Work, Family, Intelligence / Education, Decision-Making, Responsibility. Service, Freedom, Simplicity, Happiness, Growth, Fairness, Passion, Candor, Frugality, Generosity, Determination, Patriotism, Efficiency, Tolerance, Preparedness, Civic Awareness and Involvement.
My Daily Mantras
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Surrender, let control fall away!
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Have Intention, Attention and Attitude in all that you do. You need all three for success.
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Life is not a race.
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Be in the moment.
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Happiness is choice; and it's not a future event.
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Find happiness where you are at right now.
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Don't be looking for the danger, look instead for the good.
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Failure is part of success. Failure is not the opposite of success. Failing's a sign you're growing a have gained one step closer to attaining success.
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All is trivial in the face of death.
ONE PLACE FOR EVERYTHING HOMESTEADING.
A few years back, I got heavily involved with helping a friend manage a small permaculture poultry farm near Ravenna, Ohio, called Squibwych Farms. Over the course of a couple years, I because immersed in both learning and the practice of animal husbandry, rotational grazing, land management, and sustainability principals in farming (all of the practices world experts are telling us need to be the future for all farming to curb global warming.) Given all that I learned and the endless knowledge of the farm owner, we decided to launch a website site to be a one stop shop for everything a new homesteader would need to know to get started and get better at farming. So was created Evolved Farming.
EvolvedFarming.com is an internet news, how-to and opinion aggregator for homesteading and permaculture farming. We help homesteaders to learn and quickly access information allowing them to be more successful.
Our goal is to assist the Homesteader in demonstrating to the world that agriculture can sustainably produce healthy, delicious foods and products while simultaneously improving the environment and the lives of farm animals; and all without patented GMO seeds, commercial fertilizers, anti-biotics and big-agra assistance.
CRAZY FACT ABOUT ME:
I know a lot about farming and homesteading
FarmABetterYou.com is a mental health initiative created by Evolved Farming. The Evolved Farming Team is strongly devoted to mental heath awareness for the homestead and farm.
How did it get started?
After telling out story and being inspired with amazing feedback from the great people we met at the 2022 Homesteaders of America Conference, we expended our vision and launch FarmABetterYou.com on October 10, 2022 to coincide with World Metal Heath Day. Farm A Better You will be the brand platform we use to push forward the mission of making all homesteads and farms happier and more fulfilling places.
1969
BORN IN 1969!
I LOVE THIS TOWN:
I have been fortunate to live here my entire life. I come from a family of UAW Auto Workers (GM and Ford) and Steel Workers (J&L Steel). And I enjoy being part of the community leaders ushering in the rebirth of CLE from Rustbelt to healthcare and tech start-up mecca. I am doing it for myself, my parents and grandparents, but most importantly for my two young children.
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2 CHILDREN
My children are everything I hold most precious in this life. From the first diaper change and midnight feeding, my ex-wife and I split child-rearing right down the middle for both of our kids.
At a couple of points in my career when successfully growing companies to the point of equity-investment events, I have been blessed to be side-lined and spending time as a full-time parent and homemaker for my babies. The impact of that bonding and deepened connection has been immeasurable and continues today.
What will be my greatest life success? To have raised two adult children who feel that their father showered them with love, challenged them while cheering and prepared them for the difficult realities of our world.
All things I do in my career are weighed in balance with being the best parent my children need me to be.
46
46 YEARS AS A MUSICIAN
I’M A MUSICIAN:
I’m a lifelong musician. I started playing an old Wurlitzer organ at my grandparents house when I was very young and then I moved to viola studies in the 4th grade; and even on to college at Ohio University for Music Therapy studies. But it was a friend’s guitar that I played once back in the 9th grade that changed it all for me. Since picking up that 6-string axe, I always considered being a guitarist as part of my broader identify. I might not play through my Marshall half stack and Boogie head much anymore, but I’m constantly writing and recording a variety of Hard Rock, Funk and Guitar Instrumental tunes in my home recording studio. My favorite axes? An Ernie Ball MusicMan OLP for Hard Rock and a SRV Signature Fender Stratocaster for funk.
3
3 DECADES LEADING BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Senior leadership with a record of improving and scaling operations in high-growth, customer-centric technology and service industries from start-up to equity investment.
Experienced operations strategist who influences change by serving as a critical thought partner and problem-solving-doer.
Expert in cultivating and leading customer service, technical, call center, order fulfillment and sales support organizations that achieve service, support and retention excellence during sustained growth and fiscal constraints.
My career has always cast me in the role of “Change Agent;” and that is why I am “Champion” of Values and Culture. Once you establish the common Vision, Mission and Values, it becomes easy to relate moments of new change back to fulfilling that shared Mission while “living our Values.”
I am an Intellectual, Sapiophile, Business Leader, Father & home Musician. I love my two young kids, music with a great groove, elevated food, winter fires at home, green trees, flowing creeks, my dog, great conversation, travel, & single malt.
Elevator Pitch + Me By The Numbers
Some videos of my home recordings or just random playing
DISCLAIMER: Look, I can barely play guitar okay; and I do realize that I cannot sing. Since, I have no one else to sing the music I create, it's left to me to offer "placeholder vocals" until I can find someone who would like to sing these songs. Do you know anyone? ;-)
My musical journey started in 4th grade with a Viola and Orchestra. I continued on to letter in Orchestra and even attended Ohio University for two year to study Music Therapy. But, what captured my soul was the first time I picked up an electric guitar when I was 14; and fell in love with playing blues rock. Ever since that day, I was hooked. I've continued to play my entire life. I even write funk and hard rock songs in my basic home recording studio. I play all of the guitars, bass and keys; I do not play drums, but handle the drum programming. I sing as a placeholder because my singing sucks. Listen at your own personal peril!
Home Musician
More about me:
CLEVELAND CURSE NO MORE:
I am a lifelong Cleveland sports fan. The Browns will always be first in my heart, but I fell in love with the Cavs back in the Price / Daugherty / Nance era and have been beside myself with joy since Lebron returned to Cleveland in 2014. Was there a curse in Cleveland? I don't know; but if there was the King broke it. Thank you LBJ, you will forever be the "King of Cleveland"!
Not to exclude the Indians: I am a huge fan of listening to the Tribe on AM radio while working around the house.
I Love The Browns!
I toy with photography as a hobby. Any picture you see on a website I build is one I took myself; like that one of Cleveland in the top banner of this site. I don’t get to do it as much as I might like, but in the Spring of 2016 I took my camera on a 2-week road trip with my father. From Cleveland, through the Bourbon Trail, down the Mississippi Delta to NOLA, on through Texas and into Monument Valley and The Four Corners, over to Vegas, LA, up to Frisco, then over to Napa, back through Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore, down through KC for some BBQ and then back to CLE in just under two weeks. Just a father and son with good road music, a tent, a camera and maybe just a little Bourbon we picked up on the trail. It was a once in a lifetime experience. Please find time to go do it, too! It will change you!
