Page 112 - James Caan - The Real Deal

The Real Deal

my choice of location, they thought I was barmy, but I remem-
bered what my father used to say when he was running his
business: observe the masses and do the opposite. I hadn’t actually
thought of that line for a couple of years, but in the months to
come I would find myself repeating it more and more. Sometimes,
he’d always told me, doing the unexpected brings the rewards.
Logically I couldn’t justify the expense of Mayfair offices, but I just
had a hunch it would be a worthwhile investment.
Once I had decided that it had to be Mayfair, I wanted the best
address I could find, and to my mind that was Pall Mall, home of
the Institute of Directors. It was near Buckingham Palace, round
the corner from the RAC club and a short walk from the Ritz: it
was exactly where a company called Alexander Mann ought to be,
so I went to take a look and get some inspiration. I took a walk
up Pall Mall, turned left into Horse Guards Parade, did a right
towards Buckingham Palace, walked through St James’s and up to
the Ritz, and, let me tell you, it felt great. It felt right, and most
importantly, it felt ‘me’. I was genuinely very excited, and
determined to find myself an office there.
I walked up and down Pall Mall examining every doorway and
every sign above a bell to see if there was any office space to rent.
Eventually I found a building of serviced offices and went in to
speak to the manageress. I explained I was setting up a new
recruitment agency, and she made all the right noises about the IT
support and facilities they could offer.
‘How much were you looking to spend in rent?’ she asked.
‘Oh, about £100 a week.’
She gave me the most disapproving look, as if she’d been a
headmistress in a previous life. I’ve never forgotten what she said
next:
‘This is Pall Mall, dear, not Petticoat Lane.’
She thought I was wasting her time, but I persuaded her that if
everything went to plan I would have a bigger budget for rent in

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