Firstly my apologies. I know I usually publish a ‘Throwback Thursday’ on the first Thursday of every month.
However, recently, you may have noticed if you follow me on social media – I’ve been traveling a lot (and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon!)
That’s right, last week I was in Berlin, and didn’t have the opportunity to prepare, write and publish my blog post for my monthly Throwback Thursday.
However, I did want to ensure I published one for the month of July!
So, here we go… Throwback Thursday to a time when I met up with James Caan….
James Caan is a successful business man. He’s worth over £100m and he’s appeared on TV shows such as Dragons Den and many others…
When I met up with James, the important thing I wanted to hear from him was how he started… what did he do, to become so successful!
Well… believe it or not, his family business was leather jackets and garments. They were successful and the natural route for James was to go into the family business.
BUT… he didn’t. He wanted to do something different. So he started a recruitment company. The interesting thing here is, it was all about the address. Location… yes, we’ve seen the TV show…. Location, Location, Location.
But it really matters!
So, in Pall Mall… he found a small location. It wasn’t big at all.. James told me, it was so small…. you wouldn’t believe but the great thing was the address. So when he was talking to clients and customers, and he was providing the address – it’d set a precedent. To be in this location, you’d have to be worth something…
James is a great guy. During our chat (which was a few years ago now…) there were some great hints and tips I picked up…
1. Don’t follow the crowd – Now, you may have seen or heard this before, but for me, it’s so important. James natural progression was the family business, it was all there for him… but no.
2. Be strong – be confident – When in business, you have to be careful you don’t come across arrogant. But at the same time, you have to be strong and confident. And I took this away from James. He was polite… but also strong-minded.
3. Hard Work pays off – He told me a story, of how he takes time out to relax and enjoy life. Now admittely not everyone can go off on their own yacht or take a holiday to the Caribbean but you can, if you work hard… put the hours in and then reap the benefits.
These are the 3 of the many things I took away from our conversation…. There was so much James shared… maybe I’ll dedicate a blog post to some further insights and maybe more about how he started up… and the struggles he had.
You may see all the glitz and glamour but it wasn’t always that easy….
Many people will see the big house, big cars, etc…
…but starting in the smallest of rooms, with just enough space for a telephone… and working hard, has paid off.
And that’s what it comes down to… hard work.