Page 26 - James Caan - The Real Deal

The Real Deal

As I got a bit older, my dad became increasingly keen on
educating me about the business, and I was equally keen to learn
everything he could tell me. It was just accepted that I would join
him, and he often talked of opening a boutique selling leather
goods that I could run. Business was a lot more interesting to me
than school, so I was happy to be involved, and now my father
started to ask my opinion on whether he should change suppliers,
or find new clients.
My father worked extremely hard to replace the savings he’d
spent after the fire. I couldn’t understand why he still wanted to
return to Pakistan, but that was his mindset. So Monday to Friday
he’d be in his workshop, or overseeing orders he outsourced to
factories. On Saturdays he would visit clients, going to their
boutiques and meeting their customers so that he could see what
they were buying and pick up ideas; and Sundays were spent
seeking out new clients in new neighbourhoods and finding out
what they needed.
Watching him taught me two very important lessons: firstly, that
nothing is achieved without dedication and effort; and secondly, that
there is little point in hard work if you can’t take the time to enjoy
the rewards of that effort. I loved and respected my father, but I was
slowly realising that I would never be able to dedicate myself to a job
that involved working seven days a week with no time for fun.
Because of my elder brother Azam’s academic bent, he was
encouraged in his studies and everyone expected him to go to
university and become a banker or an accountant. I had always
shown more interest in the business, and so I was the natural
successor. For my dad, the business was never just about earning
money: it was about building something for the future, something
that would be passed down through the generations to support the
entire family. My interest in the business was therefore a great
source of satisfaction for him, and he was nearly as keen for me
to finish school as I was.

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