Product Description

After dropping out of school at just sixteen, James Caan started his business life in a broom cupboard with no qualifications and two pieces of fatherly wisdom: 'observe the masses and do the opposite' and 'always look for opportunities where both parties benefit'. Armed with this advice, natural charm and the Yellow Pages, he built a market-leading business with a turnover of GBP130 million and swiftly became one of Britain's most successful entrepreneurs.From Caan's childhood as a Pakistani immigrant to the phenomenal success of his first company and beyond, "The Real Deal" traces both his financial and personal achievements. It offers a frank account of what success at thirty really signifies and brings us right up to the present, including his impact on Dragons' Den and what his charity work, from saving a hospital in London to building a school in Lahore, means to him. Ultimately, it is a story of learning what money is really worth, told by one the country's most insightful businessmen.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2119 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From the Inside Flap
James Caan is one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs. Dropping out of school at just sixteen, he started his business life with no qualifications and two pieces of advice: ‘observe the masses and do the opposite’ and ‘always look for opportunities where both parties benefit’. Armed with just these two pieces of fatherly wisdom, extraordinary charm and the yellow pages, James Caan built a market-leading business with a turnover of more than £130million from a broom cupboard.

The Real Deal is the incredible story of James’ remarkable life. From his childhood as a Pakistani immigrant in Brick Lane in the 1960s and his decision not to go into the family business, to the phenomenal success of his first company this book traces James Caan’s journey to both financial and personal maturity. It deals with his disappointment upon realising his goals too early, and offers a frank account of what success at 30 really means. The Real Deal brings us bang up to the present, including the truth about his role on Dragons' Den, what his charity work in Lahore, Kashmir and Kosovo means to him, and how he has come to completely re-evaluate what money is really worth.

This rag-trade to riches story is an intimate account of an exceptional journey. It is a searingly honest exploration of James’s journey to success and a source of inspiration for anyone looking to emulate his phenomenal business acumen.

From the Back Cover
'Money's great, but it's what you do with it that counts'

After dropping out of school at just sixteen, James Caan started his business life in a broom cupboard with no qualifications and two pieces of fatherly wisdom: 'Observe the masses and do the opposite' and 'Always look for opportunities where both parties benefit'. Armed with this advice, natural charm and the Yellow Pages, he built a market-leading business with a turnover of £130 million and swiftly became one of Britain's most successful entrepreneurs.

From Caan’s childhood as a Pakistani immigrant to the phenomenal success of his first company and beyond, The Real Deal traces both his financial and personal achievements. It offers a frank account of what success at thirty really signifies and brings us right up to the present, including his impact on Dragons' Den and what his charity work, from saving a hospital in London to building a school in Lahore, means to him. Ultimately, it is a story of learning what money is really worth, told by one of the country’s most insightful businessmen.

About the Author
James is CEO of private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw and has been building and selling businesses since 1985. He was awarded the 'BT Enterprise of the Year' award in 2001 for outstanding success in business and was named PricewaterhouseCoopers' 'Entrepreneur of the Year' in 2003. He is married with two daughters. He is currently appearing on BBC's hit show Dragons' Den.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant!
This book is absolutely brilliant. James' life and story is an inspiration for anyone who wishes to be successful in business and life. Its a very inspiring read that left me charged up at the end! Whoever reads this should also read Duncan Bannantyne's book.

A Very Interesting Dragon

As a non-entrepreneurial woman, but not of the `certain age' who, James tells us with rather touching surprise started writing to him when he began appearing on Dragon's Den - approaches from women of all ages were, I would have thought, an occupational hazard for multi-millionaires - I found this book a terrific read.

From the moment he left school, and walked out of his shocked Muslim family's home at 16, without waiting to take his O'Levels, until he took a late `gap year' at the age of 42, James never stopped working. He was driven by a desperate desire to prove to his dearly loved, but shocked, disappointed and briefly estranged father, that his decision had been the right one. He writes: `I had to prove to dad that I could make it without him. That was the only thing that would make sense of what I had done. I had to prove him wrong.' He made his point, but it was a tough road, and not one for the weak. Sometimes he lived on cornflakes for several days at a time, and after being a cosseted Muslim son, even fending for himself was a shock to his system.

What came across most strongly for me when reading about his progress was that although he was clearly bright, his main assets were that people liked him, he was amazingly quick to learn from just watching other people at work, and he always followed his father's teaching that "successful business is not about good transactions, it's about good relationships."

His love for his wife and two daughters shines like a beacon through this fascinating book, which tells of a life that now encompasses such contrasting events as dining with princes and stumbling through Kashmir after the devastating earthquake, seeing scenes that he says `no one should have to see.' The interesting point here is that he didn't `have' to see it, he chose to go there and see it, to try and find ways in which he could help the situation.

The inside look at the making of Dragon's Den is fascinating, but not as fascinating as the amazing journey that enabled James Caan to take his seat there. Don't miss this book.

An inspiring read
I read a lot of business biographies and this has to be up there as one of the best. It includes real insight into how and why James has made the decisions he has throughout his career, and doesn't flinch from explaining the (very few) mistakes and failures along the way. His enthusiasm and drive come through strongly. This is a great starting point for any would-be entrepreneur as well as a good booster for those of us already out there. Woven through the book is a moving human story revolving around James's relationship with his father. In all a very compelling read as well as an excellent source of business advice from someone who really knows his stuff.