Most people can put a face to the name “Richard Branson”, a flamboyant British entrepreneur with an insatiable appetite for constantly surprising the world of business, much to the delight of the media. His recognized brand name Virgin owns an eclectic mix of business interests in everything from makeup and music to air, sea and space travel. Described variously as a daredevil and a visionary, Richard Branson breaks all the moulds for conformity. In 1999 he was knighted by the Queen for his contribution to business and services to entrepreneurship. At that time he had been his own boss for 30 years and owned 200 Virgin Megastores worldwide, Virgin Cola drinks company, two Caribbean islands and his airline. He employed 24,000 employees in 150 companies worldwide, turning over an estimated $5 billion a year.
Present Day
Sir Richard Branson now lives in London’s Holland Park with his wife and two children, Holly and Sam. In 2011 he was listed 254th on the Forbes World Billionaire list with his $2.58 billion self-made fortune. His Virgin Group now holds more than 200 companies under its international umbrella spread over 30 countries. He currently owns a railway, a luxury game preserve, a mobile phone company and a much-vaunted space travel project, Virgin Galactic. Despite being one of the wealthiest and most talked-about personalities in the world, Branson remains unaffected and dresses casually. He puts his entrepreneurial success down to the fact the he personally oversees each startup company then delegates the management and moves on. He operates each as a small business, despite its conglomerate structure and he prides himself on providing a pleasant work environment and informal communication, eschewing computers where possible. For those wanting to follow in his footsteps, Branson’s advice is simple –
“Don’t try to start a business because you think you can make money. Start a business because you really want to. And do it with a smile all the time.”
He certainly lives by his own advice. Via Life Port
