(20 March 2010)

“The problem with being the boss is you have no-one guiding you,” says James. “Asking business friends seems like defeat and you don’t want to admit you’re a novice. But everyone needs a helping hand. You may have heard the phrase ‘Businesses don’t fail, people do!’” Caan continues, “5% of being an entrepreneur is about the idea and mindset, the rest is about taking action and accountability.”

“The key ingredient in my success is my vision of investing in people,” says Caan. “I am very proud that I have created several millionaires. In Dragons’ Den, the lesson I have learnt is that it is not always about an idea. Sometimes just as important is that the person you are backing has got the passion and conviction to execute their business strategy and bring an idea to life.”

James Caan’s EBA mentors will allow entrepreneurs and business owners to capitalise on their knowledge gains and learn from their mistakes so they can avoid them when growing their own business. They will provide business coaching, on-going guidance and mentoring.

About James Caan

James Caan is a British investor, entrepreneur, television personality, and philanthropist. He is the founder and CEO of Hamilton Bradshaw, a UK-based private equity company. He previously founded Alexander Mann, a multinational recruitment company, and co-founded Humana International, a multinational headhunting firm. In October 2007, James Caan joined the panel of BBC Two’s Dragons’ Den; to date he has starred in three series.

James Caan was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and originally named Nazim Khan. His father Abdul Rashid Khan, a leather worker, brought the family to the East End of London in 1962, when Caan was two. The family settled in a home just off Brick Lane, and Abdul started a business making leather jackets. In his youth, Caan worked for his father, but he left school without qualifications at the age of 16 and left home shortly afterwards to pursue his ambitions of founding a business.

Today, Caan operates his own charity, the James Caan Foundation, which lends aid to the needy in the UK and Pakistan. Caan’s current and past schemes have focussed on helping disadvantaged children get a quality education. Caan is a member of the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Team, he actively supported the NSPCC Full Stop charity campaign, and he adopted a school on behalf of the Care Foundation. James has been appointed the new co-chair of the Ethnic Minority Task Force, which supports over 280,000 businesses, contributing in excess of £20 billion a year to the UK economy Task Force. On December 1 2009, James Caan was invited to become the Chairman of The Big Issue Magazine. He and Lord Drayson are also involved with the iAwards, a Government initiative to recognise and celebrate the best British achievements in science, technology and innovation.

About Bev James

Bev James has 20 years experience transforming businesses in diverse sectors including coaching, training, recruitment and health & fitness. Bev James is Founder and MD of The James Caan Entrepreneurs Business Academy (EBA) and is also the MD of The Coaching Academy, the world’s largest coaching organisation. She is a European Master Trainer for DISC personality profiling/strengths based assessment with vast experience in the people-element of business, recruiting high performing teams, talent management and talent retention, particularly in challenging environments.