Jean Roberts

One Man Show – Featuring the Authors and Shakespeare

The smallest of small business – featuring the Author’s and Shakespeare’s experience as sole operators

Email jean@jeanroberts.com.au if you are interested to receive a free copy of this publication.

A One Man Show is often referred to as a ‘micro-business’ – a term that emphasises the business rather than the person.

What is a One Man Show?
A woman or man who – at a particular moment in time – makes a firm decision to become self-employed as a sole operator.  Initially this decision means:

• Working alone;
• Using your own resources, including capital;
• a willingness to forego a regular salary whilst setting up and establishing a business that has the potential to be financially viable and provide financial security into the future.

Shakespeare kept a keen mind on his business methods and systems, a keen eye on his associates, and a keen ear to the ground for what and who else he needed to know in his One Man Show as actor, playwright, poet, researcher, playgroup director, theatre designer, theatre owner, creator, designer and entrepreneur from 1592 to his death in 1613 – at age 52.

Jean established her One Man Show at age 51, in 1985. She would soon learn that she would find great courage when her need to survive was greater than the challenge to survive as consultant, trainer, researcher, writer, mentor, creator, reviewer and entrepreneur. Her One Man Show continues to grow.

This Book has four main sections, illustrated by events in both Shakespeare’s and Jean’s personal and business experiences as they persevered:

• Setting out as a One Man Show
• The Resource Base of a One Man Show
• Two different – and useful – business life-cycles
• Traffic lights for One Man Show business start-ups

Jean provides a lively and thought provoking study for any potential entrepreneur considering starting a micro enterprise. The ideas are original, creative, and well researched…

Roger Cook, The Centre for International and Open Learning at Thames Valley University, London – one of 11 Universities in the UK Student Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education (SPEED) Project

Contents

About the Author
About the Book

Section 1: Setting out as a One Man Show
Jean – as a One Man Show, from 1985
Shakespeare as a One Man Show, from 1592
Why Shakespeare?

Section 2: The Resource Base of a One Man Show
The ritual of celebration
What I had to work with in 1985 (at the age of fifty-one)
What Shakespeare had to work with – from 1592 (at the age of twenty-eight)
Some features of Shakespeare’s life and times – which contributed to his Resource Base

Your Resource Base
You – being a One Man Show involves your whole person
The ‘Person’ Spider-web
Work/life balance
The Intimacy of Daily Life
The Generational factor
Similarly in Shakespeare’s life and times

Your resourcefulness
Business principles and values
Understanding the relationship between Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity
Momentum
Risky Changes
‘Unshakeable Facts’
There is always a degree of risk associated with a One Man Show
Risk Management – some useful definitions
Engaging suppliers
Risk Management Checklist
Crisis Management
Similarly with Shakespeare
Crisis Management Strategy
Business Brainpower – left- and right-brain orientation
Business Brainpower Tool
As easy scoring tool
Discussion with Business Starters
Application of Business Brainpower to selling and buying
The issue of Trust in your working relationships
Your resources – available or accessible
Cost, Price, Value and Return on Investment
Marketing
Who and What you know
Be wary of making assumptions
Similarly with Shakespeare

Section 3: Two different – and useful – business life-cycles
The relationship between ‘core business’ and business life-cycles
Theoretical Frameworks
Business life-cycles
Example 1: Four-stage Continuous Business Life-cycle
Innovation Stage – new things, or new ways of doing existing things
Research and Development (R&D)
Establishment Stage – business readiness
Project Mentality and Project Management
Planning structure
Growth and Development, Trial and Refinement Stage
Managing Fear
Critical Success Factors – Jean’s A-Z
Evaluation Stage as basis for further innovation
Using the Four-Stage Continuous Business Life-cycle
Example 2: The Sigmoid Curve Business Life-cycle
Similarity of the Sigmoid Curve Business Life-cycle and the Four-Stage Continuous Business Life-cycle
Jean’s Sigmoid Curve Business Life-Cycles
Shakespeare’s Sigmoid Curve Business Life-Cycles
Application of the Sigmoid Curve as a business life-cycle for
Business Start-ups
Checklist to guide planning at each stage in these two separate but similar business life-cycles
Retrospective Planning – a revelation in 1999
Similarly with Shakespeare

Section 4: Traffic lights for One Man Show business start-ups
The One Man Show journey
Green (Go) Traffic Lights – must do’s
Yellow (Caution) Traffic Lights
Red (Stop) Traffic Lights – must not do’s
How to turn Red (Stop) Traffic Lights to Green (Go)
Epilogue Jean’s tribute to Shakespeare
Bibliography