James Caan started his first business from a broom cupboard with just "[himself], a desk and the Yellow Pages". That business was Alexander Mann, the human resource and talent acquisition company he sold in 2002 when it had a turnover of £130m. It now operates in 27 countries, employing around 7,500 people and bringing in revenues approaching $1bn. "It brings me immense pride that it was me who started that business," says Caan. He now runs private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw and was voted second in the UK LinkedIn Top Influencer for 2018. He is also a former Dragon on BBC Two's Dragon's Den. We caught up with him to discover the secrets of his success and what challenges he thinks 2019 will bring. Which three essential skills do you need to run a successful business? The first is a having compelling idea with a demonstrable demand in the market. Lots of people have great ideas but that doesn't mean there's a demand for that particular product. Ask yourself is, it a good idea, is it compelling, is there a demand and is it priced effectively? Next you need to have the key people in place to enable you to execute your vision and business plan. These "right people" don't all have to be on the payroll - they can be "This year will be so different from 2018" 31