James Caan’s academy helps SME double turnover

A NORTH West businessman has doubled the size of his company’s turnover to £1m, with the help of former Dragon’s Den start James Caan.

Alyas Khan, who set up Emica, a regeneration and outsourcing company in late 2009, accessed expert advice and mentoring through Mr Caan’s Entrepreneurs’ Business Academy.

The successful growth of Emica, from £517,000 in the year to March 2010 to £1.05m in the year ended last month, makes the company the first to break the £1m barrier in the history of the Academy.

The experience and knowledge he gained drove Mr Khan to expand his business. Originally focused on regeneration, it now provides outsourcing services in the field of IT, facilities management, design & print and has offices in London, Manchester and Burnley.

Alyas Khan said: “James Caan has always been a role model for me and I always enjoyed watching him on Dragons’ Den.  We come from the same area in Pakistan and looking at his success and how he started out gave me a belief that I could be successful too.”

“I found the EBA on the internet as I was surfing around looking for a business mentor. Just six months into my business life as an entrepreneur,

“I knew I had some knowledge gaps in my business skill set. I’d come across numerous challenges in business and had a growing list of questions that needed answers! 

“I left the one day seminar with a list of 72 things to implement right away within my business.   And I did.” said Mr Khan.

The EBA is a one stop resource for business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, providing a range of courses, events and materials that will give them step-by-step guidance on their business journey.

The EBA was been created by James Caan in conjunction with businesswoman and entrepreneur, Bev James who is MD of training agency, The Coaching Academy.