Well known as the founder of Virgin Group; a British Multinational corporation, Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an adventurous business mogul, author and philanthropist.
Branson was born on 18th July 1950 in Blackheath, South East London as the first child of Edward J. Branson, a barrister and Eve Branson, an air hostess turned real estate investor and author.
Having struggled with Dyslexia while at school, Branson dropped out of Stowe School after three attempts to convince his parents he was better off out of school. His thirst for entrepreneurship, led him and a few of his friends to start Student; a youth-culture magazine at the basement of one of the friends. He later moved the business to a Church Crypt after inspectors found out that he was running a business there.
In late 1969, he started a mail-order record company and called it Virgin. Funds collected from Virgin funded Student magazine. His efforts paid up leading to the opening of a record shop and Virgin Records was born.
Besides music, Branson’s entrepreneurial charm has enabled him to invest in a myriad of products in retail, travel, health care, banking, entertainment and more.
Being a leader himself, Branson is deeply involved in hiring leaders within the Virgin Group. He is keen to examine the personality of each individual seeking to hire his weaknesses. He considers himself a rule-breaker type of leader aiming to always do things differently while making meaning in people’s lives.
He believes that for any venture to thrive, it has to be exceptionally better than any of its competitors. This rule saw Virgin Airlines outshine other airlines and dominating the sector by acquiring more planes year after year. His net worth is estimated to be $5.1 billion according to Forbes.
With Branson, it’s not all about the money. “I would say that I have spent more time with my kids than most fathers I know”, he says. Married to Joan Templeman, they have two children. Holly his daughter, though a professional doctor works with her father while his son, Sam owns a film company.
Here are the top Richard Branson quotes
Client do not come first, Employee come first, if you take care of your employee they will take care of your client.
Richard Branson
The art of delegation is one of the key skills any entrepreneur must master.
Richard Branson
Being a good listener is absolutely critical to being a good leader; you have to listen to the people who are on the front line.
Richard Branson
By putting the employee first, the customer effectively comes first by default, and in the end, the shareholder comes first by default as well.
Richard Branson
Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.
Richard Branson
Starting your own business isn’t just a job – it’s a way of life.
Richard Branson
From my very first day as an entrepreneur, I’ve felt the only mission worth pursuing in business is to make people’s lives better.
Richard Branson
Too many people measure how successful they are by how much money they make or the people that they associate with. In my opinion, true success should be measured by how happy you are.
Richard Branson
Fun is one of the most important – and underrated – ingredients in any successful venture. If you’re not having fun,then it’s probably time to call it quits and try something else.
Richard Branson
Treat failure as a lesson on how not to approach achieving a goal, and then use that learning to improve your chances of success when you try again. Failure is only the end if you decide to stop.
Richard Branson
You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.
Richard Branson
