Page 209 - James Caan - The Real Deal

20 · Investing in People

little in the UK and there was no infrastructure outside the US to
support me. I realised I would have to spend a lot of money to
make their brand a name in the UK market. I didn’t like the idea
of that, but I still liked their business. I then heard that Doug’s bid
to become a congressman had failed and I sniffed a new
opportunity. So I called him up.
‘You know you’ve been saying to me for years that MRI should
expand outside the US?’
‘Sure.’
‘Let’s have a coffee.’
As MRI’s head of marketing, Doug had personally been
responsible for opening 300 MRI offices and the guy was a genius
at rolling out the formula. I told him that MRI wanted me to buy
the UK licence, and he could absolutely see why I wasn’t taking
the deal.
Doug is a six-foot-three, larger-than-life guy with one of those
booming voices, the epitome of a successful American corporate
exec. He came to meet me in a café in Cleveland, Ohio, and I told
him what had been on my mind for several days:
‘Why don’t just you and I do it? Why don’t we set up an
international recruitment franchise?’
‘Are you serious?’
‘Doug, let me ask you a question. How long have you been with
MRI?’
‘Ten years.’
‘Did you get any equity in the business?’
‘No, I’m corporate. A salary man.’
‘You’ve been telling me for years that someone should do what
I’m talking about. You’ve been convinced for a long time that if
MRI had let you, you could have opened offices all over the world.
Are you still convinced you could do it?’
‘Beyond doubt.’
‘Then why don’t we set up a new brand of our own rather than

199