Richard Branson biography. Richard Branson "Screw it all and get it done"

Richard Branson is a bright personality, a man who is used to challenging. He did poorly at school due to dyslexia and created his own magazine. He crossed the Atlantic in a hot air balloon and dressed as a woman. Now owns more than 350 companies around the world, united under the Virgin brand.

He has circumnavigated the world, broken speed records, sent people into space, lived on a houseboat, built a submarine, performed in a wedding dress, competed for Coca-Cola, showed his bare bottom in advertising, rescued British hostages and helped Kuwaiti refugees... And this is not a complete list of Richard Branson's extraordinary actions. The history of business development is riddled with eccentric antics and rebellious actions.

Who is he: Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is a famous British tycoon whose fortune in 2016 was estimated at $5.1 billion. Founder and owner of the diversified corporation Virgin Group, under whose brand more than three hundred different companies are united.

In the photo: Richard Branson builds a Virgin-style business according to his own rules

In Russia, Richard Branson gained fame thanks to his books in which he talks about business, describes his biography, gives motivating advice and shares his own rules of success. His most famous books: “To hell with everything! Take it and do it!”, “Losing your virginity”, “Reaching the sky”, “Business in the Virgin style”, “My rules”, “To hell with business as usual”, “Naked business” and others.

Businessman with diaper

The future billionaire was born on July 18, 1950 in the Blackheath area of London. Branson's mother constantly came up with ways to earn extra money: she organized a business in her own garage and at home. Her unstoppable will and tenacity in achieving her goals had a huge impact on Richard.

Childhood photo of Richard Branson - future billionaire

Branson studied at a private school, and teachers considered him behind, and even lazy. The reason for this was dyslexia - it was difficult for the boy to master reading and writing skills. At the age of 8, he still couldn’t even read. Henry Ford, a world legend in the automotive industry, suffered from the same disease.

At 9 (!) years old, Ricky decided to start a business selling Christmas trees. A friend and I bought seeds, dug holes and planted spruce trees. But the rabbits dug up the seeds and ate them. Then Richard realized that money doesn't grow on trees.

The following Christmas, he came up with the idea of breeding and selling budgies. The father even built an aviary for these purposes, but even here the boy failed - the demand was low, and after some time rats attacked the aviary and destroyed the birds.

At the age of 15, he decided to leave school and implement another business idea together with a friend - to create a magazine for young people. The boy's parents supported him, deciding that he would only attend ancient history classes that brought him pleasure.

His life credo: do what makes you happy. He admits that he never made plans to become rich. All he wants is to enjoy life and overcome challenges.

In the photo: Richard Branson: “I achieved everything I dreamed of at 20”

The first success in entrepreneurship was the magazine for British youth “Student”, on the creation of which Branson and a friend worked in the basement of a friend’s parents’ house in London. For days on end, Richard would call potential advertisers from a pay phone and offer placements in his as-yet-defunct magazine. Together with a friend, they sent hundreds of letters offering advertising space (Richard’s mother gave the money to buy stamps).

They met celebrities and interviewed them. Branson was able to talk with James Baldwin, Jean-Paul Sartre, Mick Jagger, John Lennon and many others.

Back then, Branson didn’t think about how celebrities of this magnitude agreed to talk to a 16-year-old teenager and publish for free in Student magazine. He just took it and did it, just like everything else in his life and business.

In the photo: Branson with the fruit of his first serious endeavor - Student magazine

Richard writes about those times that their lives turned into brilliant chaos, a party that never ends. They drank beer, met girls and interviewed celebrities, but they also worked hard.

Branson hasn't read any business books or gone to business school; he believes that rules are meant to be broken. He admits that if he had begun to delve into all the pros and cons of entrepreneurship, he would never have dared to start a business. For several years, Branson and his wife lived on a houseboat. The main places for work were: house, yacht, hammock.

Advertisers appeared, the first thirty thousand copies of the Student magazine, received from the printing house, had to be sold. Branson recruited students by offering them a pack of magazines at half price, and they could keep the profits. Some students borrowed magazines for sale and often forgot to repay the loan. But it didn't matter. The main thing is that the magazine gained popularity and people learned about it.

When the circulation became huge, the friends decided to expand the business and sell records. They placed the first ad in the latest issue of the magazine. It was decided to open a record store. Friends agreed with the owner of a shoe store to give them free space...

The birth of a "virgin"

The question arose of what to name the future record store and the brand as a whole. The comrades were looking over their options. This is how the name of the legendary brand was born - Virgin, which translates from English as “virgin”.

At a party in the late 70s, Branson was asked if he named his business after the Virgin Islands? He replies that at that time he had never been to the Virgin Islands, and named his company that way because he himself was a virgin in business at that time. Later, the businessman bought Necker Island, located in the Virgin Islands.

Regions of presence of Virgin Group companies: Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Russia (Internet provider), Great Britain, USA.

The total turnover amounts to tens of billions of dollars and continues to grow ($24 billion in 2012).

Personal life

Branson is married for the second time and has two children. He admits that his wife Joan, with whom he has been together for more than 40 years, supports all his crazy ideas and endeavors and he is happy that he met such a woman in his life. He has two children: daughter Holly and son Samuel.

In the photo: The wedding of Richard Branson and Joan Templeman

Live happily, work from the heart, and the money will come /Richard Branson

Have you ever met people who have mmm.. an awl in one place? Energetic, assertive, active - it seems that they have a couple of clones, because they can do several things at the same time with the same enthusiasm. Their ebullient energy can be envied, and their ability to direct it in the right direction can be learned.

Today you will meet one of these people - I present to you Sir Richard Branson, one of the richest people in Great Britain, founder of the international corporation Virgin, record holder in aeronautics, ambassador of peace and owner of his own island.

This is one of the most brilliant and talented businessmen in the world, whom I truly admire and who is a role model for me.

His name is inscribed in the Guinness Book of Records, and his fortune, according to Forbes magazine in June 2019, is $4 billion, placing him in the 14th place of the richest people in the UK. How does he manage to combine success in business with sporting achievements and achieve heights in many areas of activity? Let's figure it out.

He began his life's journey like everyone else - he was born to his mother and father. This significant event took place on July 18, 1950 in Surrey, one of the counties of Great Britain.

It should be noted that our hero remembered my mother’s specific upbringing for a long time. For example, Mrs. Branson could give 4-year-old Richard the task of finding his own way home by stopping the car a couple of miles from the cottage. For her 11-year-old son, her mother came up with more difficult tasks: waking him up at dawn, she provided Richard with dry rations (“you’ll get water along the way”) and sent him on a bike ride to relatives living 80 km from home.

Branson admits that it was his mother who instilled in him determination and courage. Note to all parents!

In his book Screw It, Get It On, Richard proudly recalls some of her actions. It is significant that the meeting of the future Ms. Branson with Richard’s father took place precisely because of her character. In the post-war years, she wanted to become a flight attendant, but here insidious “no’s” awaited her: it was impossible to get this job without knowledge of the Spanish language and education as a nurse.

Richard's mother spoke with the airline receptionist, who quietly wrote her name on the list of future flight attendants. And soon she was already offering drinks to passengers on the plane, where she met her future husband. Richard himself calls the word “impossible” wretched, and is sure that it should be excluded from the lexicon. On this I completely agree with him.

Richard's dad was from a very respected family, Richard's grandfather received a knighthood for impeccable service in the Supreme Court. However, Richard himself earned this honorary title with his achievements, in 1999 he knelt before the Queen of Great Britain.

In the family, according to Richard’s recollections, idleness and laziness were viewed negatively: “Our parents wanted us to grow up strong and learn to rely on ourselves.” From an early age, the Bransons taught their children—the couple had four in total—to think about such “adult” topics as profit-making projects.

“We often talked about business at family dinners.”, says Richard. Personally, I think this approach to raising children is correct. After all, a family should ideally be a friendly team, in which everyone, to the best of their ability, contributes to the common cause.

Richard developed a passion for entrepreneurship early on; as a child, he was either breeding budgies for sale or growing Christmas trees for Christmas. These projects did not bring the expected results, however, the lack of ideas was not his main problem.

If he was doing great with his family education, which gave Richard the skills to overcome obstacles, then difficulties were emerging with his schooling. Branson Jr. suffered from dyslexia, which manifested itself in the fact that the guy could neither read nor write normally.

Because of this illness, Richard was teased mercilessly by his classmates, and the teachers were not happy with the weak student. However, Richard was good at football and was kept at school as "sports pride".

Richard's injury ended his football career. Branson could not afford to be an outsider, and began to memorize texts that he could not read. Thus, he developed his memory well, which became a real lifesaver for him in difficult cases.

Richard did not agree to go with the flow as a teenager

He was full of ideas on how to improve the life of the students. The school principal invited Richard to organize the publication of a newspaper for his peers, and thus marked the beginning of Branson's first commercially successful project. Richard took the idea and transformed it in his own way - he decided to publish a newspaper for students, which would be of interest to both schoolchildren and students of higher education institutions.

It was here, at the stage of creating his magazine “Student”, that his adventurism manifested itself. Without a single issue printed, Branson called potential advertisers.

Richard did not have money for these endless calls, but he came up with the idea of calling from a payphone to the telephone exchange, and, complaining that the connection had been lost - this was not uncommon in those days - he demanded that the conversation be restored.

The telephone operator connected him to the subscriber and uttered the standard phrase: “Mr. Branson will talk to you.” In this simple way, he killed two birds with one stone - he called for free, and created the image of a “cool boss” with his own secretary.

I just want to exclaim - handsome!

Just think about it, could you do something similar? Would you have the same fortitude, adventurism and ingenuity? It would seem such a trifle, but no! It’s the little things that ordinary people are not capable of that make up successful and successful people.

The methods of persuading advertisers were different, for example, he informed Coca-Cola managers that Pepsi had already placed advertisements with him. As for filling magazine columns, Richard solved this problem simply: he sent letters to celebrities with a polite request to reflect on youth issues. The responses from a couple of “stars” were enough for the first issues of the magazine.

He can safely be called the Great Combinator; Monsieur Bender could be proud of his British colleague, who brings his ideas to life with such audacity and passion.

The first episode of Student came out when Richard was 16 years old! The magazine was gaining popularity, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Jean-Paul Sartre and others were interviewed in it. Well, Branson began to receive his first income from advertising in this publication. This was followed by a project to send out records by mail.

At this time, the name Virgin was born (from the English virgin), which gave life to the whole brand. The brand positioned Branson as a “newbie in business,” which, incidentally, he was.

Now the Virgin Group conglomerate unites under its wing dozens of companies in the fields of recording, air travel, mobile communications, television, beverage production and... this is only part of the list. Anyone who demands to “announce the entire list” should look at the company’s website virgin.com.

Here are just a few of the companies that Sir Richard owns:

airline,
rail transportation,
mobile operator,
network of fitness centers,
book publishing,
hot air balloon flights,
Online Games,
radio station,
medical services,
Internet provider (by the way, it also works in Russia)
cable TV,
finance company,
and much more…

The businessman has about 400 subsidiaries.

By the way, I first heard about Branson when I listened to Bodo Schaefer’s audiobook – “The Art of Managing Your Time.” There he cited him as an example as a person who manages to manage more than 220 companies at the same time. True, the translators also caught the name of our hero Rihon Bransos.

Even then I was extremely surprised by this and, I admit, it did not fit into the framework of my worldview. I was employed then and it was difficult for me to imagine not only 220 companies at the same time, but how to own and manage one company.

This became one of the starting points for my further personal growth and changes in thinking, understanding and outlook on my future life.

In 1972, together with friend Nick Powell, Branson founded the recording studio Virgin Records. The release of musician Mike Oldfield's album “Tubular Bells” in 1973 became Richard's breakthrough into big business.

Oldfield's debut album immediately occupied the top lines of the world charts and became the best-selling album in England in 1973, selling 2 million copies.

Richard recognizes the next contract of Virgin Records with the punk band Sex Pistols as the most profitable in his life. How does he manage to make money where others see no benefit?

Large recording studios did not want to undertake the “promotion” of Oldfield and the Sex Pistols. Richard Branson differs from many in his innovative outlook, and he is not stopped by the formulations “this is not accepted” or “no one does this.”

In 1998, in New York, advertising Virgin Cola soda, Branson managed to get on the front pages of the press without paying a cent. Richard drove a tank(!) to Times Square, the most visited and popular square in the city, and fired pyrotechnic rockets at the billboard of his competitor Cola-Cola. Bang bang – and the PR company is ready!

Well, I’m generally silent about how in London “Mr.

In 2013, having lost a bet with Tony Fernandez, the owner of Air Asia, he donned a flight attendant's uniform and worked the flight in full: serving drinks and helping passengers.

“He seems like an adult,” you might say, “but he does this.” But I assure you that Branson does these actions not for the sake of money, but for his own pleasure.

A thirst for life, the ability to rejoice and play pranks, as in childhood, distinguishes the eccentric billionaire from other owners of business empires: « I love learning new things, I'm very inquisitive. I like to take something established and turn it upside down.“. This inquisitiveness pushes Branson to new exploits.

I really like this trait in Richard. After all, in fact, he has everything he needs. He can attract dozens of experienced advertisers to advertise his businesses, but he himself takes to the streets to promote his projects.

Many businessmen, having become successful, put on a mask of importance and hide behind the doors of their offices. Richard Branson is completely different. Being a man of retirement age, he lives like a reckless boy, but at the same time a very smart boy.

I would really like to have the same attitude towards life at his age. The absence of complexes, the denial of habitual stereotypes and life by one’s own rules - this is what distinguishes our hero from other people. Remember this!

In 1986, he set the world record for the fastest time crossing the Atlantic Ocean on the high-speed catamaran Virgin Atlantic Challenger II. In 1987, for the first time in human history, he made a transatlantic flight in a hot air balloon, the Virgin Atlantic Flyer. In 1991, he broke the record for flight duration, crossing the Pacific Ocean. In 1999, as part of a team from Switzerland, he flew around the world in a hot air balloon. In 2004, Branson set the speed record for crossing the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle in 1 hour 40 minutes. But this time can easily be spent just getting to work...

Sometimes only a miracle saved Richard Branson from imminent death, but our hero strives to surpass himself always and everywhere, on vacation and at work: “The essence of entrepreneurship is to achieve excellence, but not that which is measured in awards and assessments of other people, but in the desire a person to surpass himself."

I liked how Oleg Tinkov described Branson in the preface to Richard Branson’s autobiographical book, “Losing My Virginity”:

They were crazy. Rebels of the spirit and troublemakers, they did not fit into the framework of the usual. They did not recognize rules and had an aversion to stability. If you look closely, flying in a balloon is an illustration of Branson's fate - a daring escapade that can turn into a dizzying success or complete failure.

Branson is unique! Possessing a tenacious business acumen and a free flight of dreams, not constrained by rules, he easily and naturally proves to us that there are no limits. People like him can change the world. Read the “rebel’s bible”, admire and follow the example! As long as such people are born, life is not boring.

This brilliant showman, a self-made man, never looks for reasons, but looks for opportunities, and does not stop in front of imaginary barriers. Perhaps your mind sometimes whispered to you that dreams are “impossible”, and for “there is not enough money / talent / courage / health (underline as appropriate)?

Branson will answer all doubts simply: “To hell with everything, go ahead and do it!”

Virgin Group employees nicknamed their boss "Mr Yes":

– Is it possible to fly across the ocean in a hot air balloon?

- Yes! - Branson answers, and sets new records.

– Can you compete with British Airways?

- Yes! - Branson answers and founds a competitive airline, Virgin Atlantic Airways.

– Is it possible to launch commercial flights into space?

- Yes! - Branson answers and prepares to fly into space aboard his first passenger spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo, created by Virgin Galactic.

Suborbital commercial flights are one of the most anticipated developments in space, and NASA has already agreed with Virgin Galactic to use SpaceShipTwo for scientific experiments in microgravity.

Plus, just the sight of Branson in an astronaut uniform is worth it! And, as they say, if there is a spacesuit, there will be travel!

In 2016, Alaska Air bought out Virgin America, founded in 2004, for $2.6 billion. The tycoon opposed the sale of the American carrier, but he did not have the required number of votes to convince the Board of Directors.

Sir Richard's projects include launching cruises from Virgin Voyages. It is expected that next year, 2020, the cruise ship will take on board the first 2,700 tourists. There will be no children's pools or water parks on the ship - a non-standard marketing ploy is to sell cruise packages only to adults.

“Children are not allowed”: the award-winning businessman offers a vacation on the liner only for adults

And at the same time, note that Richard is not susceptible to star fever, because he treats himself with humor. On the Virgin website, in his autobiography, he describes his achievements so briefly that the text is not enough even for a school essay.

Branson devotes time and money to charity; the Virgin Group includes the Virgin Unite organization, founded in 2004 to fight AIDS. Richard works in several areas of humanitarian relief and sponsors the International Rescue Corps.

In 2013, the billionaire joined the Giving Pledge charity campaign. Participation in the movement, started in 2010 by Bill Gates and, requires an agreement to donate at least 50% of one's capital to charity. It is expected that the millions received from the activities of the Virgin Group will be used to create a “healthy, fair world for future generations.”

Sir Branson is married to Joan Templeman and has two children with his wife.

Richard Branson with his son Sam (born 1985) and daughter Holly (born 1981)

Who is Richard Branson? How did he achieve success? What is described in his book “To hell with everything! Take it and do it"

Hello, dear readers of the HeatherBeaver business magazine! Regular author of publications Dmitry Shaposhnikov is with you.

Today's article is about one of the most famous and richest people on the planet, who I really like. He is an entrepreneur, author of books, organizer of humanitarian projects, showman, athlete and lover of extravagant acts. His name is Richard Branson!

We are starting, gentlemen and ladies!

1. Who is Richard Branson - what is he famous for, what is his biography and success story

Not every respectable businessman can afford an extravagant lifestyle and eccentric antics. Richard Branson is one of those rare people. His achievements inspire respect, some actions make people smile and even shock people with weak nerves.

This man manages to own one of the largest corporations in the world and at the same time manages to fly balloons and break world records. In his career there were dangerous falls (and not in the figurative, but in the literal sense of the word) and dizzying ups. He lives by his own rules and never gives up.

So, who is Richard Branson? This is an English entrepreneur, the creator of the Virgin Group corporation, which unites several hundred companies in various fields. He is one of the richest people in the UK and on the planet. His fortune is estimated by Forbes magazine at $5 billion.

He is known to the public as an entrepreneur, writer, creator of a TV talk show, and a lover of extraordinary actions. Branson acts in films, does charity work, and has repeatedly tried to break world records related to life-threatening situations.

What kind of “titles” did he receive in his time in the press: hippie billionaire, nail in the shoe of big business, pirate, knight, robber, grown-up Peter Pan.

I’ll tell you about records and other achievements later, but for now let’s start with the biography of this amazing man.

Only the well-known billionaire, politician and showman, about whom I recently published an article on our website, can compare with him in terms of “outrageousness.”

Biography of Richard Branson

Richard Branson was born in 1950 in the English town of Blackheath into the family of a hereditary British aristocrat. Richard's ancestors were wealthy, educated and respectable people, only his father did not support the tradition - he failed his college exams and married a flight attendant, turning the whole family against him.

Branson's mother was a bright woman and a born adventurer. Perhaps it was from her that the future billionaire inherited his restless character and desire to achieve goals by any means necessary. In addition to Richard, there were three more children in the family.

It was his mother who played a decisive role in the development of Branson as a person. Despite congenital myopia and dyslexia (the inability to distinguish between letters and numbers), little Richard grew up energetic and inquisitive.

His mother tried her best to adapt him to real life and even gave him rather cruel survival tests: she left him in an unfamiliar place and gave him the task of finding a home. At the age of 11, she gave him a bicycle and sent him alone to relatives who lived in a nearby town.

Richard had a hard time at school - he was spanked so often that he learned to ignore the pain. Branson did not have much interest in science - dyslexia prevented him from adequately perceiving what was written on the board, and soon his studies were abandoned.

After leaving school at the age of 16, Branson and a friend decided to go into business. The first steps (growing Christmas trees, breeding parrots) were unsuccessful.

The idea of creating the school magazine “Student” was more successful: with perseverance and perseverance, Richard managed to attract serious advertisers to the publication and invite famous characters of the time for interviews - for example, John Lennon and Mick Jagger.

Branson's first major project was the creation of Virgin, a record mailing company. A little later, a store selling vinyl discs opened - the place quickly became a cult place among London musicians and listeners.

Soon Branson had a new idea - to open a recording studio with the same name. We had to borrow money for the project.

The first client who brought the company millions was the self-taught musician Mike Oldfield, a multi-instrumentalist who single-handedly recorded the revolutionary record “Tubular Bells” for those years.

The disc sold 20 million copies. The studio collaborated with other famous artists - Peter Gabriel, Paula Abdul, Sex Pistols.

Over time, Virgin has grown into a diversified industry.

Under the guise of the corporation the following were opened:

studio;
real estate company;
computer games studio;
airline;
nightclub Venue;
radio station;
car sales company;
jewelry and cosmetics company;
medical organization;
railway company;
company selling elite wines.

Today the corporation unites more than 400 companies. The exact number of companies owned by Virgin is unknown even to Branson himself, since new organizations and branches appear every year.

2. Why the book “To hell with everything! Take it and do it!” called a manifesto of life, risk and action

Despite his very busy and somewhat extreme lifestyle, Branson manages to write books that are very useful and fascinating.

His most famous work is “To hell with everything! Take it and do it” is a kind of literary response to the famous book “Think and Grow Rich.”

Branson in his work encourages people to do, create, listen, and not talk. The businessman himself never says “I can’t do this.” He prefers to try, even if he is not at all sure of the final result.

One should not allow, Branson teaches in his book, the wretched word “ it is forbidden“slowed down your endeavors and suppressed your desires. You need to say “I can” even when you have no idea how to get started.

It doesn’t matter what your experience, education, or what others think of you. Life is too short to overthink and waste time on activities that you don't like.
Richard Branson

The book “Take it and do it!” carries an amazing charge of optimism and faith in the limitless potential of man. This is the most motivating literature imaginable. A real guide to action from a person who is not used to wasting words.

3. The best books by Richard Branson - TOP 5 popular books by the author

How Branson manages to write bestsellers with such a busy schedule is an insoluble mystery. His books are really interesting to read: they are written in a concise, lively language and are full of real life examples.

Book 1: Losing My Virginity

Branson's book is largely autobiographical, in which he talks about his own youth and first steps in the field of entrepreneurship. Fascinatingly, as frankly as possible and with subtle humor, the author talks about significant events in his life.

There are griefs and disappointments, mistakes and falls, achievements and victories. The book is a striking example of a positive attitude to life and a non-trivial approach to business.

Book 2. Naked Business

The first book written by Branson, in which the author recreates in detail the history of the creation and development of the Virgin Corporation. There are no omissions or embellishments - the story is told extremely truthfully and sincerely.

The work is filled with invaluable advice and recommendations from the billionaire regarding business tactics. Much attention is paid to the benefits of a non-standard approach to business, the correct and art of managing subordinates.

Despite the fact that Richard Branson himself has more than 400 companies, he apparently knows how to manage people well.

Book 3. My rules

The book is subtitled Listen, Learn, Laugh, Lead and is a set of rules from Sir Richard.

With unfailing humor and honesty, Branson shares the personal principles and rules that have helped him run a billion-dollar business while living at his peak for decades.

Literature for those who strive to achieve success without wanting to compromise. The author advises readers to choose an activity that they enjoy, trust their instincts, listen more and take action rather than talk about action.

Book 4. Reach Heaven

The subtitle of the Russian-language edition of this book is “Aeronauts, bird people, space launches.” As you might guess, the book is dedicated to the history of aeronautics and aviation.

At the same time, it is about victories, dreams and achievements, about ideas that arise on earth and are realized in the sky.

Branson teaches readers to approach life more boldly, to feel a taste for it and to experience the excitement without which grandiose projects are impossible.

In general, love for the business you do is the key to its success, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a business or not.

Book 5. To hell with everything! Take it and do it!

And finally, Branson's most famous work is concentrated wisdom and a source of constant inspiration.

A real guide for people following their own path - entrepreneurs, representatives of creative professions and everyone who strives for self-improvement and development.

After all, so often people are engaged in minor matters and are in a state of, instead of starting with the main thing, many start with easy, insignificant things, which is fundamentally wrong.

Indeed, our actions speak for themselves.

Just go ahead and do it, gentlemen!

4. Other achievements of Richard Branson

Despite his high profile, Branson is not afraid to be the target of satire. Perhaps this is the most unusual and eccentric billionaire in the world. Twenty-year-olds can envy his tireless energy.

It is worthy of respect that in addition to setting records and participating in risky activities, Branson devotes a lot of time to charity and humanitarian actions, doing good around the world.

Humanitarian Initiatives

Branson funds the Elders group, founded by Nelson Mandela and other political figures. The organization is engaged in the peaceful resolution of military conflicts and promotes the unification of people around the world.

The billionaire heads environmental groups and companies and regularly hosts international meetings of environmental experts on his island.

Branson is the founder of the Carbon War Room, a company that assesses greenhouse gas emissions into the air and develops new technologies for hazardous industries.

Participates in the activities of the International Commission on Drug Addiction: the organization conducts large-scale research and actions in the field of international drug control.

Hot Air Balloon Flight

In 1987, our hero realized his long-time dream - he was the first to cross the Atlantic in the largest hot air balloon in the history of aeronautics. Along the way, Branson set a new speed record for hot air balloons: his device reached speeds of up to 209 km/h.

World records

The “adrenaline junkie,” as journalists call Branson, is famous for his attempts (not always successful) to break some world records.

Here are just a few of them:

he crossed the Atlantic on a sea vessel, trying to do it at record speed, but crashed (a year later he finally achieved his goal, beating the previous record by 2 hours);
flew from Japan to Canada in a balloon with a volume of 74,000 m 3;
crossed the English Channel on an amphibious vessel in 100 minutes, beating the previous achievement by almost 4 times.

Among other things, Branson participated as an actor in the super popular TV series “Friends” and “Baywatch.”

5. Richard Branson quotes and rules, audiobooks and videos

And now the 10 most revealing quotes and aphorisms from Richard Branson:

1. If you are an entrepreneur and have not made mistakes, then you are not an entrepreneur.
2. I'm always glad when I get extremely bad service. No, I'm not a masochist - it's just that some of my best business ideas have come from being poorly served.
3. My business model is very simple: surround yourself with great people and give them enough freedom to create great things.
4. I am sure: you should not let the wretched word “impossible” stop you.
5. Don't be afraid to take calculated risks. Sometimes it's better to have a pie in the sky than a bird in the hand.
6. In business, as in life, it is important to do good.
7. Remember: no one has ever regretted spending too little time in the office on their deathbed!
8. Luck doesn’t come by itself: you have to work at it.
9. My slogan: live happily, and the money will come.
10. Business is designed to improve and enrich people's lives, otherwise it is not worth starting.

Listen to Branson's audiobooks and watch this movie about him.

Greetings! Sometimes people are born whose vocabulary does not contain the word “impossible.” They earn millions, do crazy things, set world records and... teach others to do the same.

Personally, Richard Branson reminds me of another billionaire adventurer: Elon Musk.

Here is a far from complete list of Branson’s “talking” nicknames: “the knight who cleanses the dirt from business,” “the hippie billionaire,” “the nail in the shoe of big business,” and “the master of outrageousness.”

In my opinion, he is one of the most interesting and bright personalities of our time. Please love and respect! Richard Branson: biography, achievements, records and outrageousness.

Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (the billionaire's full name) was born in London in 1950 in the family of a lawyer and a former flight attendant. And although Richard comes from a noble class (his grandfather was a judge of the High Court and a member of the Privy Council), the boy was raised, to put it mildly, unconventionally.

In his books, Branson often recalls a creepy story. When he was four years old, his mother gave him his first “quest with a star.” The boy had to find his way home on his own. The “kind” mother dropped the child off a couple of kilometers away and... calmly left. It took four-year-old Branson several hours to complete the “task.”

At school, the future billionaire studied so-so. Adult Richard explained his learning problems as dyslexia (difficulty learning to write).

Even in his youth, Branson more than compensated for his poor grades with a fountain of entrepreneurial ideas and inventions. He suggested that the director convert the school canteen into a cafeteria, organize a bar for high school students, and abolish the requirement for students to be present at football matches.
At graduation, the principal told Richard that he would either become a millionaire or go to prison. And how he looked into the water.

On the way to the first million

Richard Branson considers the free magazine for young people Student to be his first successful project. At that time, the future billionaire was only 18 years old. In a couple of months, he managed to bring the magazine to profitability from scratch (due to advertising) and negotiate publications with such “stars” as Mick Jagger and John Lennon.

Unfortunately, the magazine stayed afloat for just over a year. But Richard Branson gained invaluable experience.

Branson built his next major project on the idea of selling popular sound recordings by mail (1970). They say that the strange name Virgin was invented by one of Richard’s many girlfriends. True, the name has nothing to do with sex. It’s just that Branson’s colleagues considered themselves real “virgins in business.”

A year later, Richard opened a music store on Oxford Street with school friend Nick Powell. Branson bought an estate with the money raised from the sale of recordings. A little later, friends equipped a Virgin Records recording studio there for rent to aspiring musicians.

In 1973, it was on Virgin Records that the debut album “Tubular Bells” by the young multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield was recorded. The crazy success of the album (Grammy Award, millions of copies and first lines in the British charts) brought Virgin Records good luck... and a lot of money.

Other business areas

In 1984, Richard Branson entered the airline industry. His company, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, carries passengers, cargo and mail. Branson's next airline was Virgin Blue in Australia. Branson's group's roster also includes Virgin Nigeria (Nigeria's national airline) and Virgin Express (short-haul flights).

In 1997, Richard decided to promote major players in the railway business. Another company has appeared in the giant “empire” of the Virgin Group - Virgin Trains. The company's trains still operate between London, Scotland and North Wales.

In 1999, Branson launched a completely new project. Virgin Mobile is a cellular operator in several countries: Australia, Canada, Great Britain, USA, France and others. The highlight of Virgin Mobile is that the company does not have its own cellular network. It uses the networks of other operators.

Currently, Sir Richard owns companies in a variety of industries: book publishing, a chain of fitness centers, online games, a radio station, finance, medicine and a couple of other businesses.

Richard Branson's records

Since 1985, the crazy businessman has repeatedly tried to break world records. At first, he planned to cross the Atlantic Ocean faster than anyone else on the Virgin Atlantic Challenger boat. The ship capsized in British waters - the crew was rescued by a British Air Force helicopter.

A year later, Richard Branson finally broke the world record by two hours. True, on a different ship and under the command of a swimming expert.

In early 1991, he crossed the Pacific Ocean in a hot air balloon. He covered a distance of 10,800 km (from Japan to Canada) at a speed of 392 km/h.

In the spring of 2004, Branson “switched” to the English Channel. Using amphibious vehicles, he traveled from Dover to Cape in 1 hour and 40 minutes. The previous record was 6 hours...

Richard Brandon – writer and actor

Branson often played himself in TV series. As a guest star, he participated in the filming of the series “Friends,” “Fools Luck,” “Tangled” and “Baywatch.” He was invited several times to appear on the BBC's Saturday comedy show, where he played the role of the "pickle man".

Richard Branson is often parodied and used as a prototype for heroes. In the 2000 AD comic book series, he is depicted as a supervillain. There is a parody of it in two episodes of the popular Simpsons. In Terry Pratchett's "Wings" one of the characters is also based on Branson.

Well, of course, our hero couldn’t help but try himself as a writer. His book “To hell with everything! Take it and do it!” has been included in the TOP 10 motivating literature for many years. In addition to her, he wrote a couple of autobiographies and business books: “Losing My Virginity,” “Naked Business” and “Business, Virgin Style.”

Each of his books can be taken away for quotes. Here, for example: “To achieve anything in this world, you need to aim for the impossible” (book “Reach for Heaven”).

Master of shocking

Richard Branson is called the most eccentric billionaire. At the presentation of the Virgin Bride bridal salon, he appeared in full makeup and... in a wedding dress. Funny photos have been on magazine covers for a long time☺.

To draw attention to the cellular operator Virgin Mobile, the billionaire climbed onto a construction crane and waved his mobile phone from there for half an hour, completely naked. Finished illustration for the book “Naked Business”.

Despite all his outrageousness, Richard Branson is married “only” for the second time. His wife Joan Templeman gave birth to two children: son Sam and daughter Holly.

Instead of a conclusion

In 2017, Richard Branson's net worth was estimated at $5.1 billion. He is one of those people whom you sincerely admire. After all, there are not many “boring” billionaires in the world. His adventures and crazy actions would be enough to fill the biography of hundreds of people! He lives by his own rules and denies any conventions and stereotypes.

By the way, in September 2017, Forbes released the anniversary issue of the magazine. It includes stories and advice from the most influential people on the planet. Guess if the hero of today's post is among the top 100?

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson- an entrepreneur originally from Great Britain, the famous founder of the Virgin corporation, which includes dozens of branches, including stores selling music discs, a radio station, a publishing house, as well as airline and railway companies. Richard Branson himself has gained fame as a very eccentric person, repeatedly attempting to set world speed records and organizing his own talk shows.

The application of the London newspaper The Times estimated this man's fortune at more than three billion pounds sterling, and Branson himself, back in February 2007, promised to spend no less than this amount on the fight against global warming.

Biography

Branson was born on July 18, 1950 in South London at a maternity hospital called Stonefield Nursing Home Blackheath. Richard's family was the most aristocratic: his grandfather, Sir George Arthur Harin Branson, served as a judge of the High Court and was a member of the Privy Council, his father's name was Edward James Branson, and his mother was Eve Branson, before her marriage - Huntley Flindt.

Richard began his education at Scaitcliffe School, which is now called Bishopsgate School. The boy could not boast of outstanding academic success, and all because of the annoying illness that Richard suffered from - dyslexia.

But, nevertheless, this did not stop him from organizing two enterprises at a very young age: growing Christmas trees and breeding budgies, both of which, however, were complete fiascos.

At the age of 16, Branson left school and opened his first successful company, Student magazine, in London. And a year later, the first charitable organization under his management, the Student Advisory Center, began operating.

Recording business

One day, while traveling across the English Channel, Richard bought several boxes of audio recordings at a sale that were marked as defective. After his return home, he sold them to retail outlets in London. This was the beginning of a large-scale recording business. In 1970, records were sold through mailing. Branson's clients had the opportunity to preview any recording, which became a fundamentally new condition of sale, which until that time had not been provided by any similar store.

In addition, in the 50s and 60s of the 20th century, retail trade was conducted under special marketing agreements that limited possible discounts on the prices of many goods. Branson was able to get these agreements changed for audio recordings, allowing the music to be sold at fairly significant discounts. When it finally came time to think about a name for the new venture, one of Richard’s colleagues suggested “Virgin”, since they were all “virgins” in this new business.

Branson opened his own record store on Oxford Street, from which he managed to make a lot of money. Richard invested the money he received in city real estate, where he opened a recording studio, which he rented out to aspiring musicians, which at one time included multi-instrumentalist Michael Allfield. A little later, Branson, together with Nick Powell, organized a record label called Virgin Records.

In 1971, Richard Branson got into serious trouble with English customs. He was accused of selling music recordings that were classified as export goods. In order to settle the case with Customs and Excise, Branson had to pay customs duties and fines that had accrued by that time, for which his mother even had to remortgage their family home.

The first release released by Virgin Records was Michael Oldfield's Tubular Bells, which sold huge numbers and topped the UK music charts. Branson's company, unlike many others, was not afraid to record the music of such dubious groups as, for example, the Sex Pistils.

Virgin Records willingly signed contracts with little-known avant-garde bands, for example, with prominent representatives of the krautrock style - Faust and Can. In the early 1980s, Virgin invested in a gay nightclub. Heaven. Ten years later, Branson, together with David Frost, bought three ITV franchises to operate under the name CPV-TV, but all of them were unsuccessful.

In 1992, Branson turned his attention to developing the airline business. To do this, he needed money, and he decided to sell the Virgin EMI label to a more conservative company, which, by the way, terminated the contract with the Sex Pistols worth $1 million. After the sale transaction was completed, Richard greatly regretted his decision. After some time, he decided to return to the music business by founding the company V2 Records.

Richard Branson's business ventures

Richard Branson became the founder of many businesses: in 1984 - Virgin Atlantic Airways, in 1999 - Virgin Mobile, in 2000 – Virgin Blue in Australia. In the same 2000, he wanted to acquire the National Lottery, but this deal was not completed. In 1997, Branson entered the railway business, which, according to many, was very, very risky.

He started a company Virgin Trains, which won the Intercity and West Coast rural rail franchises for British Rail.

At the outset, Branson made big promises of high-tech service on the British Rail Class 390 trains that would carry passengers on the new roads. But very soon Virgin Trains began to have serious problems with the rolling stock left by British Rail, as well as with their maintenance.

Branson's company could not ensure the reliable operation of trains, and as a result, its reputation was completely damaged. There was practically no chance of receiving contracts to modernize the West Coast Main Line and launch new rolling stock on it. Branson also paid attention to the airline industry. In 1996, it acquired Euro Belgian Airlines, a European short-haul carrier.

Ten years later it was merged with SN Brussels Airlines. In addition, Branson became the founder of the national airline in Nigeria, which was called Virgin Nigeria. And in August 2007, another of his airlines, Virgin America, began operating, flying within the United States. Branson's versatility of interests simply knew no bounds. At one time, he even developed, although not very successfully, brands such as Virgin Cola and Virgin Vodka.

Many of his endeavors failed to succeed, for which the satirical British magazine Private Eye has repeatedly criticized both Branson himself and his companies.

In 1992, Branson had to become involved in a serious lawsuit with British Airways for the rights to own the label. Virgin Atlantic Airways, which was the result of a so-called “dirty tricks” campaign. The proceedings lasted until 1993, when Branson won a resounding victory over his opponents and received as compensation the right to pay 500 thousand pounds sterling personally in his favor and 110 thousand pounds in favor of his airline, as well as the right to legal deductions in total amount up to 3 million pounds sterling. Richard called this money a “BA bonus” and divided it among the employees of his company. Richard Branson has left his mark in the space field. On September 25, 2004, he announced a deal for his space tourism company, Virgin Galactic, to license the technology for Spaceship One, a vehicle designed to carry passengers commercially on suborbital flights into space.

It is worth noting that Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, was also involved in the creation of this ship, and it was developed by the legendary US aeronautics engineer Burt Rutan. According to Branson's calculations, space flights should have become generally available by the end of 2009. It was assumed that this pleasure would cost about 200 thousand dollars.

Virgin Fuels another venture from Richard Branson. The goal of this company was to create a revolutionary, low-cost fuel for cars and then airplanes. This was done in response to global warming and a sharp rise in fuel prices. As Branson himself later admitted, he was not very interested in such issues, but everything changed after his breakfast with Al Gore, who was able to infect the famous businessman with his ideas.

In business circles, Brason has earned the nickname "transformational leader" due to the independence of his business strategies. In his work he relies entirely on Virgin Group, the development of which is largely determined by informal approaches. All this provides a fairly solid foundation, in contrast to the strategies of stifling management from above. At the end of 2006, Richard Branson took an honorable 9th place in the Sunday Times Rich List among people with a fortune of more than £3 billion.

On July 4, 2006, Branson sold his company Virgin Mobile, providing broadband Internet access and telephony services. The transaction amount was 1 billion pounds. He became the main shareholder of the new company, which, under the terms of the agreement, must pay 8.5 million pounds annually for the use of the Virgin name. The company was named Virgin Media and began its work on February 8, 2007. This event was widely reported in business circles in the UK and around the world. Branson's stake in Virgin Mobile was 75%, but in the new Virgin Media it was reduced to 15%.

In 2006, Richard Branson entered the entertainment industry by founding two companies – Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation. Their goal was to create new stories and new characters that should become known to the whole world. New projects were launched together with the author Deepak Chopra and directed by Shekhar Kapur. They were also financed by two private entrepreneurs - Sharad Devarajan and Gautam Chopra. On February 1, 2007, Virgin Health Bank began operating. With its help, future parents can preserve their children's umbilical cord blood stem cells in private and public banks.

In June 2006, an antitrust investigation was initiated in the United States and Great Britain into an attempted price fixing conspiracy between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. A year later, a decision was made in which British Airways was found to be the guilty party, which ultimately paid a fine of 271 million pounds. Branson's company received immunity for assisting authorities.

On February 9, 2007, under the leadership of Richard Branson, the Global Science Technology Prize was established - Virgin Earth Challenge. The businessman is confident that this will contribute to technological improvements in the interests of all humanity. The winner of this $25 million prize will be the individual or group of individuals who can develop a commercially viable project to remove man-made atmospheric greenhouse gases.

This technology should make it possible to remove gases from the atmosphere for at least ten years and not have any impact on the environment, having a positive impact on the Earth's climate. Branson said the prize will be awarded based on the opinions of five internationally recognized individuals in their respective fields, including Al Gore, Sir Crispin Tickell, Tim Flannery, Jim Hanse and James Lovelock, and their assistant - Steve Howard.

Branson and sports

Richard Branson became interested in football in 2006 when he became a sponsor of Nuneaton Borough A.F.C.
And in August 2007, he expanded his presence in the aviation business, becoming the owner of 20% of the Malaysian AirAsia X.

On October 13, 2007, Branson added Northern Rock to his vast empire, gaining personal ownership of 30% of the company. Immediately afterwards it was renamed Virgin Money. The Daily Mail strongly opposed the completion of the merger deal. Vince Cable, speaking in the House of Commons, said Branson's tax evasion, while a serious criminal offence, was a compelling reason not to trust such a person with public money.

January 10, 2008 Virgin Healthcare announced the opening of a network of medical clinics that were supposed to provide not only traditional medicine services, but also homeopathy and complementary therapies. Ben Bradshaw, UK Health Secretary, expressed his deep satisfaction at the development, noting that Virgin Healthcare's collaboration with the Department of Health will enable the development and implementation of additional integrated patient services. In March 2009, Branson invested his money in a new Formula 1 team, Brawn GP.

The start turned out to be very successful, which affected the amount of the sponsorship contract. It increased so much that Branson simply did not dare to pay for the second season. Instead, he bought another rookie team, Manor, renaming it Virgin F1.

Humanitarian Initiatives

In the late 90s, Richard Branson, Peter Gabriel (musician-activist) and Nelson Mandela came up with the idea of creating a small group of leaders who would be completely independent and impartial in resolving global world conflicts.

July 18, 2007 Nelson Mandela, giving a speech in honor of his 89th birthday, announced the creation of a group called The Elders (translated as elders), which included Desmond Tutu, Graça Machel, Kofi Annan, Ela Butt, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Jimmy Carter, Lee Zaoxing, Muhammad Yunus, and Branson and Gabriel. This group was to become completely financially independent.

The Elders are chaired by Desmond Tutu, whose responsibilities include developing peace resolutions and setting goals in protracted global conflicts that harm large numbers of people. His experience and wisdom should help him unite voices around the world. After Mandela's speech, the group had to decide within a few months which world conflicts they would take part in.

The first competition took place in September 2007 Picnic Green Challenge with a grand prize of $500,000 for the best new green initiative. The competition was organized by the Dutch Postcode Lottery and PICNIC Network, and the jury was headed by Richard Branson. The first grand prize winner was Qurrent from Qbox. In March 2008, Richard Branson initiated a meeting on his island in the Caribbean of several famous businessmen, world leaders and simply famous people.

They discussed environmental issues, including global warming. The purpose of this meeting was to launch a process that would result in thematic discussions on this issue. The guests also included Tony Blair (Prime Minister of Great Britain), Jimmy Wales (co-founder of the Wikipedia portal) and Larry Page (co-founder of Google).

Attempt to set world records

In 1998, Branson, along with Fossett and Lindstrand, attempted a hot air balloon flight, which failed miserably in the Pacific Ocean on December 25, 1998.

Since 1985, Branson has made several attempts to win the Atlantic Blue Riband for the fastest crossing of the Pacific Ocean. The first of them ended in failure. Then Richard on his ship Virgin Atlantic Challenger capsized in British waters. Luckily, the Royal Air Force helicopter arrived in time. This event received wide publicity in the world press. Some periodicals even took the initiative to recover from Branson all costs associated with the rescue operation.

A year later, Richard made a second attempt, already on the ship Virgin Atlantic Challenger II under the command of Daniel McCarthy, a highly qualified swimming expert. This time Branson was lucky. He beat the previous world record by a full two hours.

Another year later, the businessman flew across the Atlantic in his hot air balloon. Virgin Atlantic Flyer, which became the largest hot air balloon in the world and the first hot gas balloon to cross the Atlantic. In January 1991, Richard Branson crossed the Pacific Ocean in an even larger balloon, covering a distance of 10.8 thousand km. with a record speed of 392 km per hour.

In March 2004, Branson crossed the English Channel fastest in the world, spending 1 hour 40 minutes and 6 seconds. The previous record was a whopping 6 hours.

In September 2008, Branson and his son decided to set a new record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean on the Virgin Money boat, which was 30 meters long. The boat was caught in a storm, lost its sail and was forced to land on the shore in Bermuda.

Television, film and publishing

Branson was invited more than once as an actor, who, in most cases, played himself.

Viewers remember him for such projects as Friends, Baywatch, Birds of a Kind, Fools Are Lucky, Today, as well as in episodes in the comedies Gracious God and Stumbling. In the 1990s, he appeared several times on the BBC's Saturday morning show, portraying the "pickle man" from the popular comedy Trevor and Simone.

Branson became the main character of the reality show Rebel Millionaire, which aired on Fox in 2004, where several people had to show their entrepreneurship and fortitude to the best of their ability. This show did not turn out to be a big success among the audience and it ended with only one season. Richard Branson's fame also has a downside - he constantly becomes a target for ridicule.

Those interested can find many comics in which Branson is the main character. For example, one of the series called 2000 AD, released by Zenith, features Branson in the role of a global villain. In the TV series The Simpsons you can also see a caricature of this famous businessman. The episode is called "Monty Can't Buy My Love." It features Richard as tycoon Arthur Fortune, as well as megalomaniac balloonist Richard Cutney in the episode "Faith in Nothing." The famous writer Terry Pratchett in his book “Wings” used the figure of Branson as a prototype for one of the heroes - Grandson Richard. We may or may not like Richard Branson's lifestyle, projects, ideas, but we have no right to deny that this man lives an interesting, eventful life. Branson leaves his mark on this planet, bringing to life all his wildest dreams and plans. And this is worth a lot...