Jake Blickenstaff - UC First Team

10/25/2026

The more energy you spend trying to control the uncontrollable the less energy you have to actually change your life

Being in long term recovery for the past 8 years has taught me a hell of a lot about this

And just because I made the decision to change my life doesn't mean life suddenly became easy

I've navigated family struggles, career setbacks, financial difficulties and plenty of moments where things felt completely out of my control

But one thing I've learned is that even when life feels like it's falling apart there's almost always something I can do today to move myself in a better direction

Sometimes those things are small and sometimes they don't feel like nearly enough

But I've seen firsthand what happens when you start stacking those little daily wins together

Over time they add up to something much bigger than you realize

I'm still figuring things out just like everybody else but I know the life I want isn't going to happen because everything around me finally falls into place

It's going to happen because I keep showing up making better decisions and focusing on what I can actually control

You don't have to have everything figured out to start building a life you're proud of

10/22/2026

10/14/2026

Today I had the opportunity to speak at the Northeast Georgia Mountains Tourism Association lunch, hosted right here in Commerce.

I was asked to share a few minutes on downtown investment, opportunities for local businesses, and how those spaces can support tourism. I spoke as both a broker and an owner, because I'm in the middle of redeveloping a building downtown that dates to 1900.

A few things I shared:

🔹 The purchase price is the easy part. The real work is behind the walls: utility taps, sprinklers, code requirements. Plans change. You adjust and keep the goal in front of you, which is getting the space open and producing.

🔹 Experiences drive downtowns. The tenants calling me today want to host classes, run workshops and give people a reason to stay for two hours, not twenty minutes. That's exactly what a visitor is looking for.

🔹 Character is the asset. Open ceilings, big storefront glass and old brick are things nobody can replicate out by the interstate.

🔹 Let businesses grow in place. When a local business proves itself and expands next door instead of leaving, the whole street wins.

I also asked the room for three things:

1. Market the experiences and not just the destination
2. Help make costs predictable early
3. Keep sending people downtown.

Downtown projects are slower and more expensive than most people expect, and not every building pencils out. But when one does, it pays back for decades, for the owner, the business and the town.

Thank you to the Northeast Georgia Mountains Tourism Association and the City of Commerce for having me.

SmallBusiness

10/09/2026

Buyers are renegotiating commercial real estate deals after agreeing on price and these two transactions show why sellers need to be prepared

10/08/2026

$5,000 fundraising goal achieved for ESP in Athens ! I'd like to thank everyone that helped me raise money for this amazing organization!

Big jump is coming up in a few weeks at Skydive Monroe. I hope to see everyone there.

https://give.espyouandme.org/jakeblickenstaff

10/07/2026

"Just build know, like and trust."

That's the advice everyone gives. Nobody tells you how.

My team mastermind this morning I finally broke it down into four things you can actually control, not just theory:

Proximity. Are you where your clients are, or just hoping they find you?

Frequency. One coffee meeting isn't a relationship.

Duration. Trust takes years. Most people quit in months.

Intensity. A dozen likes won't beat one real conversation where you solved a problem.

So when someone tells you to "just build relationships," this is the face I make now.

Which of the four have you been skipping?

10/02/2026

Black tie at Ventanas tonight, surrounded by people who actually build things. Helicopter tours over Atlanta.

Some nights you just take it all in, smile by how far you've come and realize there so much more to achieve.

09/30/2026

Over the last 15 years I went from being known by first name at the bar to being known by first name at the bank.

Same first name basis. Different habits. Different outcomes.