James Caan is helping turn the business dreams of up-and-coming entrepreneurs, professionals, and ordinary people with big ideas, into a reality…
The Entrepreneurs’ Business Academy (EBA) set up by James Caan and co-founder Bev James, to specialise in enterprise training, is an exciting new business school which offers a unique and distinctive opportunity for owners and entrepreneurs to learn from the very best. ‘I know how tough it is for an entrepreneur and how lonely that journey can be, because I’ve been there and done it,’ says James, who grew his first business from a broom cupboard in to a global multi-national in 46 countries.
The birth of the EBA
In March of this year, James and Bev launched the EBA, aimed at small and medium enterprises (SMEs). James had been stunned to learn a whopping 90% of businesses fail due to a lack of knowledge and skills of business owners, and this year looks to be just as tough. ‘It has been a year of huge volatility that will make or break some small to SMEs,’ says James, ‘The current economic climate is a wake-up call for all businesses and entrepreneurs.’
A big cause of these breakdowns boils down to the simple fact that owners are lacking the business know-how needed to survive. ‘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!’ That’s why the multi-millionaire teamed up with Bev James, a business performance and entrepreneur coach with over 20 years’ experience, to set up the EBA. Bev has been in business coaching for 20 years and approached James to create an academy specifically for entrepreneurs.
They met in a Dragons’ Den-style meeting and both found that they had a mutual passion for business owners to succeed. With their significant knowledge and experience of helping companies, the two felt there was real synergy between their businesses. Their proposition? To bring together expert business mentors and formulate a high quality training schedule. Protecting and reviving small businesses by injecting them with essential business training is James’s golden recipe for economic recovery. ‘Markets will recover in time if entrepreneurs and businesses are reinvigorated with knowledge and inspiration,’ says James.
A lesson in business
The EBA runs seminars, workshops and courses designed to ensure that small company owners can develop and succeed in their business ventures. These courses are designed exclusively by James and Bev to teach entrepreneurs how to bring their ideas to life, maximise sales, expand in to new markets, increase their business profitability and eventually prepare their businesses for sale. What’s more, James has picked a highly successful, knowledgeable and expert team of Millionaire Mentors to impart their wisdom to those looking to go places in the business world.
The specially designed courses are packed full of invaluable expert advice, something that is close to James’ heart. ‘Every course draws on real-life lessons I learnt along the way,’ he says. ‘I wish I’d had the opportunity to learn from others who had already made the mistakes I was about to make. It would have helped me achieve my success far sooner.’ The multi-millionaire went to Harvard University at the age of 40 to study its Advanced Management Programme, so he’s a true believer that it’s never too late and you’re never too old to learn.
Learn from the masters
If you’re after specialist business advice from James himself, the EBA runs 12 inspiring and motivational Business Growth Days; one a month. You can connect with James, who is heavily involved in the days, and the Millionaire Mentors to rediscover your passion for business, and learn to innovate and sustain your firm’s growth. Each day is packed full of indispensable information and advice, and begins with sales and marketing sessions around strategies for business success. The second part of the day features one of the Millionaire Mentors or EBA experts and their area of expertise, which include: customer focus, finance, digital marketing, millionaire mindset and PR/branding.
The EBA also has a top team of experts to support key areas of your business such as human resources, health and safety and tax guidance. A great opportunity to meet like-minded people and form effective networking partnerships, the Business Growth Days give entrepreneurs and existing business owners the secrets to maximising revenue, increasing profits, generating more ready cash, managing a team, maximising customer service impact and launching successful add-ons that could blossom into major enterprises. Co-founder Bev James is incredibly proud of how successful the EBA has been: ‘What continues to be stunning, despite the economic pressures, is the response to our coaching modules sign-ups since we launched in March. Delegates to our Business Growth Days, which take place monthly with our Millionaire Mentors and James Caan, are now showing awesome progress in their businesses!’ she says.
For more information on the EBA’s Business Growth Days, or to book tickets, visit www.the-eba.com
Meet the Millionaire Mentors
The crème de la crème of business mentors share their wisdom on what it takes to raise your business to the next level
‘You need to be able to summarise your business in a single sentence, not just for yourself, but for potential clients, your business card, your USP and to brief your team.’
Bev James, MD of the EBA and The Coaching Academy
‘Don’t give up too soon if things aren’t working out as you want. Ask yourself three things: what else could I be doing? What else might make this work? Do I have unrealistic expectations?’
Mark Rhodes, self-made millionaire
‘Successful entrepreneurs have an air of superiority about them – not to be confused with arrogance or complacency.’
Steve Clarke, expert on sales and marketing
‘The business that you are running now is there as a result of your passion. Running your own business when there might initially be a team of one – you – will require a lot of effort on your part.’
Emma Wimhurst, entrepreneur and broadcaster
‘I don’t think companies can say ‘absolutely no way’ to social networking – if they do, they’re going to turn off a lot of the young generation from wanting to work with them.’
Penny Powers, social media expert
‘Make your life easy for yourself and build your initial business around who you are and what you have, and not what you’re missing!’
Gill Fielding, international businesswoman, presenter and author
‘What do you tell your audiences about your products and services? Features and prices (simple facts) or inspiring stories to fire their imaginations? Great brands are built on story because story speaks to our senses and our emotions.’
Simon Middleton, brand strategy guru
Pictures: courtesy of eba
