Page 87 - James Caan - The Real Deal

8 · Aisha

confident at this point in my life, and I made the decision that I
was going to continue to push the boundaries with her until
somebody told me to stop.
The following Saturday, Aisha and I went to look at shops in
South Molton Street and Camden Town but I wasn’t really paying
much attention, because I didn’t really think for one second that I
would invest in her. And there was a very good reason for that: I
didn’t have that kind of money!
To Aisha I must have seemed like a respectable guy in a nice suit
with a good job, and I wasn’t about to shatter that illusion with a
confession that I didn’t have whatever kind of money she would
need. Besides, as we talked to the agents I was quickly realising
that the chances of her being offered a lease were pretty slim. We
were learning that retail was – and is – all about covenants, and
every landlord wants to rent his shop to somebody who’s got a
track record. The chances of somebody in a prime location saying
‘Let’s take a flyer on a designer who’s never run a business before’
were pretty slim. I reasoned that I would never need to confess my
lack of funds.
We stopped off for a bit of lunch and the conversation was
really flowing. All of a sudden, Aisha looked serious.
‘I need to ask you a question.’
‘OK. Ask away.’
‘I’m a bit confused about you. Who are you, where are you from?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Let’s start with the name. James Caan – you’re an Asian guy
but the name doesn’t fit.’
‘Why do you ask?’ By this stage I was very well trained at
interviews and I knew that you should never answer a question
directly. You should always ask a question yourself until you
understand what’s really being asked. I was realising that she was
checking me out, which was understandable: her father wouldn’t
let her go into business with just anyone.

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