Urbana resident pens motivational book for business

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Urbana resident Jon Umstead’s new book aims to help business owners and others succeed with their goals.

The new book, “Business is ART,” applies to anyone wanting to accomplish a goal, but is directed at small business owners, CEOs and organizational leaders, he said. ART is an acronym for “Articulate, Revise, Track.”

Umstead said businesses are most successful if owners can formally plan out their path and track progress, but most small business owners do not have the time or resources to do so. The book provides tips and tools to do this planning, he said.

“The end result is getting the benefit of formal planning, using simplified and specific steps, without the large investment in time and resources typically required in formal planning,” he said.

The book is based on Umstead’s experience growing a company from $21 million to over $80 million in annual revenue, with approximately 700 employees, he said. It is also based on his experience as a consultant and from studies in the Ohio State University Executive MBA program.

Umstead moved to Urbana from Dayton. He is a business/executive consultant who owns SeaSeven LLC, a consulting firm. He was raised in Anna and married Urbana native Carol Culley.

This is his second book. The first book was a self-published fiction work. Umstead wrote and performed in “Gloria – The Musical,” performed at the Gloria Theater in Urbana in January. He also helps with the GrandWorks Foundation, the non-profit that owns and operates the Gloria Theater. Umstead is working on a second musical for the theater, “Kids Rool.”

Umstead will host a cheese-and-wine book-signing event Sept. 10 in the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce lobby. The cheese will be from Young’s Dairy and the wine from Keg ‘n Cork. The event is free to the public.

Umstead will hold a larger art-based event, “An Evening with the Arts,” at the Gloria Theater on Friday, Sept. 11. The event will be a multi-art-form evening, with local artists displaying their works in the theater lobby, local authors providing information and displaying their works and local musicians performing.

Umstead is looking for artists, musicians and authors to take part. Participants keep all the proceeds from art and book sales, but are welcome to donate some of those proceeds to GrandWorks Foundation for the theater. The event will be free to the public.

Artists, musicians and authors wishing to participate can contact him through Facebook (www.facebook.com/jonumsteadmba) or email him at [email protected].

“Business is ART” is being published by Figure.1 Publishing of Vancouver and will be released in September. Umstead plans to release BIA Software in conjunction with or shortly after the book is published. For more information, visit www.businessisart.net.

Urbana resident Jon Umstead wrote “Business is ART,” which will be released in mid-September. Copies can be pre-ordered through him or online at www.businessisart.net.
https://www.urbanacitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2015/08/web1_Book-for-Web.jpgUrbana resident Jon Umstead wrote “Business is ART,” which will be released in mid-September. Copies can be pre-ordered through him or online at www.businessisart.net. Courtesy photo

Umstead
https://www.urbanacitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2015/08/web1_Umstead.jpgUmstead Courtesy photo
Will hold book signings, fundraiser for Gloria in September

By Casey S. Elliott

[email protected]

Casey S. Elliott may be reached at 937-652-1331 ext. 1772 or on Twitter @UDCElliott.

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