Richard Branson: the story of a billionaire who takes and does. Biography of Richard Branson Owner of virgin group

The fact that Richard Branson's world famous Virgin operator will soon start working in Russia.

This is a successful entrepreneur who won the hearts of millions with his extraordinary antics and interesting facts from life. Let's talk about them in a little more detail.

1. How many companies he owns - unknown

According to several research companies in the Virgin Group. includes more than 400 companies. It's funny that Branson himself doesn't know exactly how many there really are. He buys and opens everything.

Actually, it's not that important. The quality of services is important - it is at a high level.

2. School teachers thought he was an idiot

Despite being widely known now, the multi-billionaire was not taken seriously at school.

Even the teachers thought Richard was a clinical idiot. After a couple of months, they realized that the boy had myopia and picked up his glasses. He began to see what was written on the blackboard, but the numbers and letters did not make sense.

3. Branson's first office was in a dorm

Branson was allowed to "figure out" some kind of office for his company in the school dormitory. True, the phone was not allowed to install.

The telephone operator connected the entrepreneur to the desired number and said: “Mr. Branson will speak to you!”. Everyone mistook her for the big boss's secretary.

4. He likes to break records, but not always successfully.

Since 1985, Richard Branson has been trying to break world records. Initially, he wanted to get the Blue Ribbon of the Atlantic for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

The first attempt was not successful as his Virgin Atlantic Challenger capsized in British waters.

5. Branson came to the presentation of the wedding salon in a wedding dress.

Richard Branson is an ambiguous person. He likes to arrange surprise appearances in public places.

So, at the presentation of the Virgin Bride bridal salon, the owner of the company appeared in a wedding dress and with full make-up. To say that the guests were shocked would be an understatement. ;)

6. He turned Trump's wife upside down

When Donald Trump was not yet president, Branson literally turned Trump's wife over at one of the social receptions.

He grabbed her legs and turned Yvonne Trump upside down. He did this to keep the conversation going and show off the woman's underwear.

7 He Punched Through A Coca Cola Billboard From A Tank

The head of the company explained this behavior simply:

8. He skied naked

Branson long time looking for someone to argue with.

Idea: go skiing naked for 10 pounds.

He never found the debater, but he chose one of the most beautiful Swiss snow slopes anyway. He undressed and demonstrated his ability to stand on skis.

9. He deliberately doused Princess Diana with champagne

Princess Diana attended one of the ceremonies for the introduction of the new airliner to the Virgin Atlantic fleet.

Branson could not resist and uncorked a bottle of champagne, and then poured them over the representative of the crown. Diana appreciated the joke and even posed for photographers in the airline's flight attendants' signature jacket.

10 Branson Had To Undress To Advertise Virgin Mobile Phones

11. After losing a bet, Branson dressed up as a flight attendant.

The billionaire lost a bet to Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandez that Virgin finished 12th in Formula 1 in 2010. She was ahead of Team Lotus.

As a result, the loser had to dress up as an Air Asia flight attendant.

12. Branson doesn't like Russian homophobes.

Branson believes that Russia is intolerant of things that are considered normal around the world.

I often hear from educated, wealthy, refined, well-dressed Russians completely insane homophobic or nationalistic statements - the kind that you will not hear in the conversations of the British or Americans for 40 years. It sounds very insulting.

13. The billionaire is dyslexic

Unfortunately, Branson does not know how to understand the meaning of letters and numbers, and he also has partially impaired coordination of movements.

Such a person is almost impossible to teach to read and write.

14. He flew to Earth on a flying saucer

As we have said, the businessman loves to work for the public. Therefore, in 1990, he landed on an unidentified flying object in the vicinity of London.

The landing site was instantly surrounded by hundreds of onlookers, police and military. To their surprise, it wasn't aliens that came out of the round flying saucer. :)

15. Branson's companies have no formality.

Richard is alien to officialdom. His companies are united not only by the name of the founder and the name of the holding, but also by common corporate ethics.

No suits and ties, formalities in relations between subordinates and managers (everyone says “you”, everyone slaps each other on the back and drinks beer almost at the workplace).

16. He is very generous

After the Virgin Group won a lawsuit against British Airways, the billionaire split his £500,000 settlement among his staff.

17. Branson - Tinkov's idol

Oleg Tinkov has been friends with Branson for almost 10 years, but he became his idol long before that.

Richard is a real entrepreneur, I love him very much, and most importantly, I loved him even before I met him, for those 14 years before the meeting, and most importantly, HE is the same in life as in the media, I don’t have anyone like him except myself. met. Everyone lies and shows off, they want to be better, and they lie and play the hypocrite on camera.

Richard is a super source of inspiration, I am grateful to the Lord God that I was lucky to meet him and be friends, I am not at all interested in doing business with him, I just like to communicate with him.

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

Hello, dear readers of the HeatherBober business magazine! With you is a permanent author of publications Dmitry Shaposhnikov.

Today's article is about one of the most famous and richest people on the planet, who is very nice to me. This is an entrepreneur, author of books, organizer of humanitarian projects, showman, athlete and lover of extravagant deeds. His name is Richard Branson!

We are starting, ladies and gentlemen!

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 the 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 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 of various directions. He is one of the richest people in the UK and the planet. His fortune is estimated by Forbes magazine at $ 5 billion.

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

What kind of "titles" he did not receive in his time in the press: a hippie billionaire, a nail in a shoe big business, pirate, knight, robber, matured Peter Pan.

I will talk about records and other achievements later, but for now let's start with the biography of this amazing person.

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

Biography of Richard Branson

Richard Branson was born in 1950 in the English town of Blackheath in 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 college exams and married a flight attendant, setting the whole family against himself.

Branson's mother was a flamboyant woman and a born adventurer. Perhaps it was from her that the future billionaire was given a restless character and a desire to achieve goals by any means. In addition to Richard, the family had three more children.

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

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

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

Leaving school at 16, Branson decided to go into business with a friend. The first steps (growing fir trees for Christmas, breeding parrots) were unsuccessful.

More successful was the idea of ​​​​creating a school magazine "Student": perseverance and perseverance, Richard managed to attract serious advertisers to the publication and invite famous characters of that 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 shop selling vinyl discs was opened - the place quickly became a cult among London musicians and listeners.

Branson soon developed new idea– open a recording studio with the same name. The money for the project had to be borrowed.

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

The disc was sold in the amount of 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 a corporation were opened:

• studio;
• real estate company;
• studio of computer games;
• airline;
• nightclub Venue;
• radio station;
• car dealership;
• firm of bijouterie and cosmetics;
• medical organization;
• railway company;
• a company selling elite wines.

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

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

Despite a very busy and even somewhat extreme lifestyle, Branson manages to write books that are very useful and exciting.

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

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

You can't allow, Branson teaches in his book, to let a mean word " it is forbidden hindered your undertakings and suppressed your desires. You need to say “I can” even when you have no idea how to get started.

It does not matter what experience you have, education and what others think of you. Life is too short to think long and waste time on activities that you do not like.

Richard Branson

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

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

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

Book 1

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

There are sorrows and disappointments, mistakes and falls, achievements and victories. The book is the clearest 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. No omissions and embellishments - the narration is extremely truthful and sincere.

The work is filled with invaluable advice and recommendations of the billionaire about business tactics. great attention is given to the benefits of a non-standard approach to business, the right and the 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, Be a Leader" and is a set of rules from Sir Richard.

With unfailing humor and truthfulness, Branson talks about his own principles and rules, which for decades have helped him to successfully run a billion-dollar business and at the same time live at maximum capacity.

Literature for those who strive to achieve success without wanting to compromise. The author advises readers to choose a business they enjoy, trust their instincts, listen and act more than talk about action.

Book 4

The subtitle of the Russian-language edition of this book is Aeronauts, Bird People, Space Launches. As you might guess, the book is devoted 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 be more courageous about life, to feel the taste for it and experience the excitement, without which grandiose projects are impossible.

In general, love for the business you are doing is the key to its success, and it does not matter whether it is a business or not.

Book 5 Take it and do it!

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

A real guide for people who follow their own path - entrepreneurs, representatives creative professions and all who strive 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 minor things, which is fundamentally wrong.

Indeed, our actions speak for themselves.

Just take it and do it, gentlemen!

4. Other achievements of Richard Branson

Despite his high status, Branson is not afraid to be the target of satire. Perhaps this is the most unusual and eccentric billionaire in the world. His tireless energy can be envied by twenty-year-olds.

It is worthy of respect that in addition to setting records and participating in risky events, 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 settlement of military conflicts and contributes to the unification of people around the world.

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

Branson is the founder of 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 old dream - he was the first to cross the Atlantic in the largest balloon in the history of aeronautics. Along the way, Branson set a new speed record for balloons: his apparatus reached speeds of up to 209 km / h.

world records

The “adrenaline addict”, 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 a record speed, but crashed (a year later he still achieved his goal, breaking the previous record by 2 hours);
• flew from Japan to Canada on 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 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 am always happy when I am served badly. No, I'm not a masochist - it's just that the best of my business ideas came from bad service.

3. My business model is extremely simple: surround yourself with great people and give them enough freedom to create great things.

4. I am sure: you can’t let yourself be stopped by the wretched word “no”.

5. Don't be afraid to take calculated risks. Sometimes such a crane in the sky is better than a titmouse in the hands.

6. In business, as in life, it is important to do good.

7. Remember: no one else on his deathbed regretted that he spent too little time in the office!

8. Luck does not come by itself: you need to work on it.

9. My slogan is: live happily and 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 film about him.

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (Richard Charles Nicholas Branson) is a British businessman, owner of a multi-billion dollar organization virgin group, which manages more than 400 firms in various fields.

As Wikipedia says about Richard Branson, he is one of the richest people in England.

The content of the article :

Richard Branson's fortune

Richard Branson is worth more than $5 billion He is one of the richest men in England. Branson owns his own island necker in the British Virgin Islands, where he still lives.

He owns a yacht Necker Belle and Submarine Necker Nymph. The businessman also has real estate on the Caribbean island. Branson currently manages many companies operating under the brand name virgin group.

In addition, new organizations and branches are formed every year. Among them:

Biography of Richard Branson

The future talented entrepreneur was born on July 18, 1950. in Blackheath, in the family of the native aristocrat Edward James Branson and flight attendant Yvette Flindt.

Edward failed as a lawyer, and Yvette, leaving her career and dreams of heaven, raised four children and took any job available. Richard had vision problems, he could not learn to read for a long time.

At school, the boy was treated badly - they thought he was mentally retarded. Then his mother came to grips with the upbringing of her son. She gave him difficult tasks to fight the boy's dyslexia.

Richard went to boarding school Scaitcliffe for boys in the village of Egham, then went to the boarding school Stowe, which was located in Buckinghamshire.

Studying was very difficult for Richard, he had no interest in studies, so at the age of 16 he decided to leave school and do business.

Together with close friend Nick, Richard tried to bring his first projects to life. They grew and sold Christmas trees, caught and sold rabbits to a butcher, and raised parrots.

Business history of Richard Branson

The first serious business that Richard took up was the publication of his own magazine. Student. Together with their friend Johnny, the teenagers decided to create a student edition. The idea was relevant - at that time young people were interested in social life, fought for their rights and expanded the range of opportunities.

In addition, schoolchildren were interested in these topics, which increased client base several times. Richard converted his school room into an office, from a nearby telephone booth he called advertisers, outlets and publishers in the hope of finding sponsors.

A childhood friend Nick joined the friends, he promised to distribute the magazine in Ampleforth. The guys found an advertiser who signed a check for 240 pounds, and the famous illustrator Gerald Scarfe made drawings for the magazine. The first issue of Student magazine appeared in January 1968, after Branson had already graduated.

The magazine began to spread quickly, it was actively bought by students and schoolchildren, but the costs did not pay off, and there were fewer and fewer advertising requests. Then the project had to be closed, but the young entrepreneur did not lose heart and took up a new business.

Branson opened a student center " Student Advisory Center". It was staffed by psychologists, legal sciences and doctors. Unfortunately, things were not going well - it was difficult to advertise the company, at that time it was forbidden to use the expression " venereal diseases».

Due to the fact that the office was located in a residential building, inspection services constantly came with checks. In addition, Richard had a falling out with his friend Nick, who had his own view on how the company was run. Nick went out of business, and Richard was on fire with a new idea.

Virgin Richard Branson

A young promising entrepreneur opened a record store. At the very beginning, goods were sent by mail. The name Branson chose narrowly focused - Slipped Disc (« sliding disc”), but at the next party, one girl gave Branson the idea to name the company (“ Virgin"). This name was to Richard's liking.

Score Virgin Mail Order was very popular with music lovers. The entrepreneur could not cope on his own, so he called his friend Nick to the rescue and he became the owner of 40% of the company.

In 1971, postal workers went on strike in England. The records were not sent to customers, then Branson opened a real store.

There was no money for rent, so the comrades persuaded the owner of a shoe store in Oxford Street to rent out the premises to them on the pretext that buyers of records would take new shoes and shoes along the way.

Richard Branson's business flourished. Shoppers could come and listen to records for free in comfortable chairs, but sales soon plummeted. The guests came to hang out”, but few people actually bought records.

Branson was sure that a good income can be obtained by combining creativity and business. He decided to start a record company. The entrepreneur bought a country estate in Shipton-on-Cherville and began to invite musicians there to record songs.

The house was worth £35,000 - he borrowed £20,000 from the bank, part of it was given to him by his parents, and part he received from his aunt, who had to mortgage the house for this. The studio began work, but Branson did not know anything about creativity, so his cousin Simon Draper, who was well versed in music, moved in with him.

The first musician who, with the help of Virgin Records, captivated the public was instrumentalist Michael Oldfield.

Branson and Draper believed in the musician's potential and settled him in a cottage. Oldfield's first record Tubular bells"1973 took the top lines in the music charts in England, more than 20 million copies were sold. The studio also recorded a punk band Sex Pistols and young performer Sting.

Small record stores were closing, but Branson's firm Virgin Mega Store, selling music and films, prospered.

Things were going well in the music field when Branson surprised all his relatives and colleagues with the idea to start an airline. The entrepreneur got into debt and rented a Boeing plane.

The first demonstration flight was unsuccessful - the engine flared up at the plane. Branson had to reimburse the expenses, but the check from the company MGM 6 million pounds solved all financial problems.

Sir Richard Branson began to think about how to bring the company to market. Moreover, the main competitor of the businessman was a real giant of air transportation british airways.

In the first year of Virgin Airlines' existence, all expenses were recouped. Sales grew, new directions opened.

Branson's 40 Rules for Success in a Fascinating Video

Personal life and family of Richard Branson

During the founding of Virgin, Richard married his girlfriend Kristen Tomassi, but the marriage was short - the girl could not bear the constant calls and employment of the beginning business tycoon.

The second wife of the entrepreneur is called Joan Templeman (Joan Templeman). They met in an antique shop - at that time his future wife was married to another man. Year Branson courted Joan, in the end she gave up and left her husband.

Beloved married, they live happily now. In 1979, the couple had a daughter, Claire Sarah, but she died 4 days after birth.

Beloved did not despair and did not give up trying to have children. A year later, they became happy parents of a daughter. Holly, and 4 years later a son appeared Sam. The daughter of a billionaire works as a pediatrician and runs a film production company. At present, the brilliant entrepreneur and his wife are doing well.

Sir Richard Branson has three wonderful grandchildren who have known princes since childhood William and Harry Richard got on well with their mother Diana.

Sir Richard Branson is a simple, unassuming man. He does not give more than 15 pounds for wine, dresses in ordinary shops, until recently he lived in a modest houseboat. Once billionaire Richard Branson was in Moscow - there he spoke at the Synergy forum in the Olympic. For him, the most important thing is to get joy from work, only then profit.

The motto of the businessman: "Live rejoicing, work with all your heart, and the money will come by itself."

Richard Branson has an Instagram @richardbranson- there he publishes various photographs from life.

Books by Richard Branson

Crazy antics as advertising for a business

1. During the release of Student magazine, Richard deceived journalists, fueling their interest in his business. During the interview, the teenagers answered fake calls, pretending to talk to celebrities. This ploy worked - reporters were surprised and showed additional interest in Branson's brainchild.
2. The president of the company came to the presentation of the wedding salon Virgin Bride with make-up and a wedding dress.
3. During one of the social events, the entrepreneur took Ivana Trump, the wife of the current President of America, Donald Trump, by the legs and turned over. He did this in order, according to him, to keep the conversation going.
4. To promote the Virgin Cola brand in America, Richard drove down Times Square in a real tank, shooting a Coca-Cola billboard a couple of times. True, the drink was not allowed on the American market.
5. One day Richard skied completely naked. It is noteworthy that he tried to find someone to bet in order to do this. Such a person was not found, but the businessman still decided on a desperate act.
6. Princess Diana was at the event dedicated to the new liner of Virgin Atlantic. Branson opened the champagne and doused the girl. Diana did not get angry, but only laughed in response.
7. At Virgin's 21st birthday party, the entrepreneur persuaded Pamela Anderson to show her breasts to the rest of the guests.
8. In 2009, Branson participated in a photo shoot with model Danny Parkinson. The girl was completely naked, and the businessman held her on his back.
9. Once, the legendary entrepreneur served passengers of his airline on his own. Branson reincarnated as a flight attendant and performed all the duties of the staff on the Perth-Kuala Lumpur flight. And all because he lost in a dispute with AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandez - they decided whose performance would be higher in the Formula 1 Constructors' Championship.

Scandalous photo shoot with Danny Parkinson for Vanity Fair magazine.

Success Secrets

The entrepreneur is sure that luck does not come by itself, it is necessary to work on it. Richard was never afraid to take risks, putting every last pound on a potentially good cause, but choosing a smart strategy in the process. Branson is sure: “Throughout our life we ​​constantly take risks, no matter whether in relationships with relatives or with business partners.” Branson has a high status in the business world, but he is not afraid to be the target of satire. Its slogan is live happily and money will come».

Richard Branson one of the brightest and most successful representatives of world business, the founder of the Virgin Corporation, which united more than two hundred companies of completely different profiles (music disc stores, air and railway companies, a radio station and a publishing house) in 30 countries around the world. No one really knows how many firms are actually under the control of the Virgin Group: 200, 300 .. maybe even 400! Rumor has it that even Richard Branson himself is not able to answer how many realized business ideas are under the wing of his multi-brand. However, the charm of his business lies not in the quantity, but in the quality of the services provided.

Richard Branson interesting person known to the general public for her unorthodox acts, including hosting her own talk show and repeated attempts to break world speed records. As soon as they don’t call him: a hippie billionaire, a shocking master, a nail in a big business shoe, his boyfriend with a velvet glove on an iron hand, a robber, a pirate, a knight cleaning the business of dirt, and even a walking logo.

Success Story, Biography of Richard Branson

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson was born on July 18, 1950 in the town of Blackheath near London in the family of a hereditary English aristocrat, Edward James Branson. He grew up in a friendly family and was the eldest of four children. Richard Branson's ancestors were very wealthy people. Only Richard's father was unable to maintain this family tradition. After several failed exams for health reasons at Eton College, Edward Branson never entered the bar. Instead, he suddenly became engaged to a flight attendant, thereby turning his entire family against him.

Yvette Flint, Richard's mother, was a flamboyant woman who loved adventurous adventures. She always dreamed of working in aviation, but at that time the path to the sky was closed for women. A bit of cunning and she still managed to become a pilot, dressed as a man, and a little later she already worked as a flight attendant on international airlines, while not knowing foreign languages and not having medical education. Her career advancement was destroyed by her marriage to Edward Branson. After Edward did not become a lawyer and the family was in dire need of money, Yvette had to work tirelessly. She wove baskets, wove rugs, and painted packing boxes for sale, all the while taking care of four children.

Childhood and youth of Richard Branson

AT biography of Richard Branson and much of the credit for his development as a person belongs to his mother, Mrs. Branson. Yvette's heart from the birth of her son suggested that something was wrong with him: since childhood, Richard had severely impaired coordination of movements, it was often impossible to really make out what he was saying, letters and numbers were meaningless for him. Subsequently, doctors diagnosed - myopia and dyslexia. It is not uncommon that people with dyslexia cannot learn to write and read throughout their lives, but Ivette did not give up and diligently continued to raise her son adapted to real life.

From time to time, the mother gave young Richard survival tests: he had to go there, I don’t know where, and bring something, I don’t know what, and as a rule, he succeeded. When Branson was only four years old, she dropped him off a car a few miles from home: “ Run to us, little one. look for dad". The little one found him in the evening.

When he was 11, she woke her son up early in January, rolled out the bike, put an apple and a few sandwiches in a bag (Richard had to get water himself) and sent him 50 miles away to a neighboring city to relatives. Growing up, Richard painted his odyssey in colors - here he, having done what he was told, proud and tired, returned home, and his mother smiled and said: “ Well done Ricky! Well, was it fun? Run to the priest: you need to chop wood for him, I promised that you would be there any minute". Mrs. Branson was sure that one day her son would become Prime Minister, and did everything to ensure that he did not blunder when he had to climb up. She had no doubt that her child could handle everything - the Flindt family had very strong genes.

Everything was fine until Richard went to school. The Bransons belonged to the noble class, and among them it was always customary to send children to closed educational institutions - they cost a lot of money, but they gave an excellent education and tempered character for the rest of their lives, therefore decision making process was not long. A lot of sports, classes in Greek and Latin, and periodic floggings legitimized by a centuries-old tradition - the one who withstood the test of a privileged English school with honor was no longer afraid of anything. For Branson, who suffered from dyslexia (in patients with dyslexia, coordination is impaired, letters and numbers are meaningless for them - it is very difficult to teach such a child to read and count), study turned into torture.

At first he was mistaken for a clinical idiot - only after a few semesters did the teachers realize that the child was short-sighted. Richard was fitted with glasses, he could finally see what was written on the blackboard, but the letters and numbers still did not make sense. He was saved by the fact that he was the captain of three school teams at once - for success in football and rugby, he was forgiven a lot. But then Branson broke his leg and instantly found himself in a school for backward students. There he was flogged every day. They beat him because he couldn’t read, because he didn’t know what the area of ​​a circle was, because the ball flew into a flower bed, for an incorrectly made bed and unpolished shoes - the students quickly got used to the idea that they would beat in any case. A year later, Richard Branson developed the quality that any karateka dreams of: he stopped paying attention to punches. Richard was flogged, and he politely thanked the sweat-wiping teacher for the work.

First Steps in Business and Student Magazine

Branson's first business ventures were unsuccessful. At first, Richard and a friend named Nick tried to grow Christmas trees and sell them on the eve of Christmas. But nothing happened, since all the shoots were eaten by rabbits. It should be noted that Branson managed to take revenge on the rabbits. Nick and Richard had a real hunt for hares, and even shot a few, eventually selling butcher shop their carcasses for 800 pounds (this was significantly less than they planned to earn on the Christmas trees).

Branson's second entrepreneurial experience was in the parrot trade. Birds turned out to be a real gold mine. Branson Sr. put together an aviary, and the parrots began to breed like rabbits. Richard supplied the whole town with them, and the goods were added all the time. Soon he returned to school, and his mother wrote to him that the parrots had been eaten by rats that had climbed into the enclosure. In fact, she set them free - the parrots ate too much and yelled too loudly. Richard did not think for a long time about the sad fate of the bird - he had a real deal.

In 1966, Branson, along with his high school friend, decided it was time to get serious start your business and create a magazine "Student". Richard came up with the idea to organize his own magazine after a series of letters to the director of the Stowe school (where he studied at that time) about how the structure of the school itself could be reformed. The ideas, it must be said, were not bad, for example, Branson did not want to attend matches of the school football team, since he himself could not play, and “watching how others succeed” was extremely painful for him. In addition, he believed that the school cafeteria should be converted into a buffet, as this would help the school save money on staff. At the same time, he advocated the abolition of the ban on any conversation during dinner. Well, Branson also described the idea of ​​​​a bar for sixth graders ...

It must be said that these ideas were not drawn up by Richard alone, but with his friend Johnny, who also studied at Stowe. The principal of the school advised the children to describe all this in the school newspaper, but even then Branson and his friend began to think about their magazine for students.

Initially, the magazine was conceived as an alternative to the newspaper of the Stowe school. But in the end, Johnny and Richard decided to do more. They wanted to make Student the magazine for all students in England. Why students? After all, the original idea was to make the magazine an alternative to the Stowe school newspaper. Well, firstly, Branson thought that if you make a magazine for students, then high school students will be interested in it, and if you do it only for schoolchildren, even if they are high school students, then students will not read it anyway. Everything is simple.

Next, Richard compiled a list of about 25 advertisers, members of parliament, and sent a letter to WH Smith asking if they would like to sell a magazine for students in their networks. The timing was perfect for such a publication. Students stood up for rights, freedom, and in general quite actively participated in the public life of the country.

Branson's main activity, at that time, was calling potential advertisers, publishers and distribution networks. Richard converted his school room into an office. However, the director of the school refused Branson's request to put a telephone in his room. So Richard had to make all his calls from a phone booth. Expensive... However, Branson quickly found a solution that allowed him to make free calls. He just called the telephone company and said that his call had failed. He was connected for free, and at the same time the operator spoke as if she were his secretary: "Mr. Branson will speak to you." Richard liked it. He was 15 years old.

Things at school went from Branson worse and worse, but the situation with the magazine was diametrically opposed. At first, Branson was turned down by most potential advertisers. But he found enough effective solution. For example, Richard called the Coca-Cola Company and said that Pepsi had already advertised in Student. It worked. He also used a win-win tactic by asking this question: You are interested in hiring the best graduates of universities and schools? Branson's answer was always yes. " In this case, we publish a magazine just for you. he continued.

Making all these calls and negotiating with advertisers, Student magazine has never been published, only Richard and his friend Johnny worked on it. If Branson had a clear business plan, he would never have embarked on this venture, but he was only 15, and therefore he did not even think about failure. During school holidays, Richard met up with his childhood friend Nick (with whom he traded parrots and Christmas trees) and told him all about the magazine. Nick said he would help and decided to distribute it in Ampleforth.

Johnny and Richard have been working on the magazine for over a year now. They sent out many letters during this time, but there was still no result. Probably most people would just give up and focus on their studies, in which Branson was doing worse than ever at that time.

Eventually, the first advertiser was found, and Branson and his partner received a check for £250. Moreover, the famous artist Gerald Scarfe made several illustrations for the magazine (he is the author of the cover of the album "The Wall" by Pink Floyed, as well as the animator of Hercules, created by Walt Disney Studios).

Richard graduated from high school in 1967. The parting words of the director of the Staw School were: "Branson, I guarantee you either go to jail or become a millionaire!".

In January 1968, the first issue of Student magazine was published.

The magazine quickly gained popularity, especially considering that it regularly appeared interviews with the idols of the youth of those years, among which it is worth highlighting the young Mick Jagger and John Lennon. The magazine was distributed through word of mouth, as well as with the help of a large number of distributors who gave half of their proceeds to the magazine itself. It was a scheme that could really interest the sellers, one might even say that it was to some extent "self-supporting", a business process in which everyone participated. Distributors, loners, also had their own business, they distributed Student, and how well they did it depended on how much money they would earn.

Advertising space for the magazine was hard to come by, and every day it became clear to Branson that Student was not paying off. Even despite the flattering reviews in the press, the magazine did not become a serious source of income. By the way, about the press. Richard and Johnny were interesting enough to organize a conversation with journalists who came to Student to understand what all the fuss was about (yes, the magazine was popular). When the journalists sat down for a dialogue with Richard, the bell rang. Johnny picked up the phone, after which he reported: “ Richard, you're Mick Jagger(or who else) to the phone". After that, Branson went to the phone and started a dialogue with the opponent. It usually sounded like this: Yes, that's a great idea, let's meet". After that, Branson ended the call, sat down in front of the journalist, and then there were a few more calls from "celebrities", but Branson yelled at Johnny to say that Richard would call them back later. Ultimately, the journalists came out dumbfounded by the reception. If such stars call Student ... Of course, no one called. These were fake calls to impress journalists.

A year later, the Student magazine was closed due to difficulties in its distribution. The publishing of the magazine was not a profitable business, but it was invaluable in terms of the experience gained.

For Richard Branson this was not a blow, since in parallel, under the auspices of the magazine, there was already a new business - an advisory center for young people called "Student Advisory Center". His creation was very helpful. At that time, the hippie movement was fashionable and the ideology of “free love” reigned, and therefore people were seriously worried about the widespread spread of sexually transmitted diseases and drugs among young people. The guys who used to work in the editorial office of the magazine now acted as lawyers, psychologists, couriers and doctors for drug addicts, alcoholics, expectant mothers. This charitable organization still exists today.

Richard's work day was quite interesting at the time - " Lying on the bed, I talked with young people or advertisers, and in between I had sex with my girlfriends. This was normal, since at that time the ideology of "free love" and the hippie movement dominated. In addition, only young people worked in the company.».

There were also problems, since the company's office was located in a residential building, constant checks by inspectors burdened the work. In addition, the consulting firm's ads were at risk because they contained the word "venereal disease," which at the time could not be used in advertisements. Finally, Richard had a conflict with longtime friend and partner Nick. He wanted to "hook" Branson, because he believed that he was leading the company to the bottom. As a result, Nick left the magazine, but Branson remained his friend. Subsequently, Nick will become important employee virgin.

At this time, young people were increasingly interested in music. It was in music that the students' protest was best traced. Therefore, Richard Branson decided to do it.

Music record business

To begin with, Branson and a small group of associates decided to send records by mail. The original name for the company was Slipped Disc. Everything would be fine, but only this name was clearly associated with the music industry, and Richard Branson even then wanted to have one name under which all his future projects would go (did he think that there would be so many of them!?) Discussing once again the name of the company in the circle of Student employees, Branson received an offer from one of the girls to name the company "Virgin" (Virgin). Thus Virgin was born.

Virgin Mail Order Records quickly became popular. Firstly, advertising in the still outgoing Student magazine contributed, and secondly, the prices for records sent by mail were lower than in stores. However, the growth of the business made it clear to Richard that he could not handle all this alone (most of the employees worked in the company on a temporary basis, usually a month or two). The main problem was that Branson did not particularly like and knew how to keep track of finances, and therefore he turned to an old friend Nick. He agreed, eventually receiving a 40% stake in Virgin Mail Order Records.

If 1970 was a successful year for the Virgin Mail Order, the next one was almost disastrous, as in 1971 there was a strike by British postal workers. It was then that Nick and Richard decided to open their first record store. There was little time to open the store, as the money was running out, and the postal workers were not going to go to work. After a long search for a place for a store, they occupied the second floor of a shoe store in Oxford Street. There was no money to pay his rent, so he had to go to tricks. Nick convinced the owner of the premises, who ran his shoe store on the first floor, that the crowd that went to their music store would purchase shoes on the way to his. I must say that the crowd really was, but no one bought shoes.

In itself, the first Virgin store has become an ideal haven for rock music lovers. Branson specially placed pillows in it on which visitors could lie, listening to new hits (it was expected that they would later buy the record). Despite high initial sales, they soon fell sharply. I had to change the style of the store. In the first option, too many visitors came in just to listen to music and chat, which interfered with real customers. However, after the changes, sales began to grow again.

Record business

The music business is complex. A fusion of art and business, to be more precise. And the main money in it revolves not at all around shops and concerts, but around record companies. Richard Branson also understood this, and therefore decided to open his own. The idea was this: to buy a country house where musicians can come to record their creations just as much as they need. There, no one can disturb them, and far from the bustle of the city, they can truly focus on music. Together with Virgin employee Tom Newman, Richard chose a £35,000 estate in Shipton-on-Cherville. True, in the end, Branson managed to negotiate with the seller for 30 thousand, provided that all the money would be paid immediately. Of course, Branson did not have that kind of money. I had to go to Couts bank. Before that, the Couts were used to seeing Richard dressed loosely, but this time he was in a suit, which means that things are going really badly decided at the bank. However, sales reports for Virgin Mail Order and the company's store have been good. The bank provided bail to Branson in the amount of 20 thousand. It remained to find 10 more. Branson received 2.5 thousand from his parents. They set aside this amount for each of their children, and planned to give it to them upon reaching the age of 30. But in the current situation, Richard received this money earlier.

The remaining 7,500 were lent to him by his aunt Joyce (later he learned that she had mortgaged her house for this!) The estate was purchased. It began its gradual transformation into a recording studio. Despite the rapid development of Branson was all in debt. In addition to 30 thousand for the estate, the company had a debt of 5000 on the store.

In 1971 Richard Branson will inadvertently try to smuggle records, never fully realizing that it is against the law. He needed to make only three raids to close all the debts, but this time fortune was not on his side. He was arrested and accused of selling records in the Virgin chain stores, which were declared as export goods. The criminal case against Branson was never opened, he was released on bail of his parents' house. This was the first and last time he broke the law.

In 1971, Branson's cousin Simon Draper came to London. This man was well versed in music, like no one knew all the modern trends and albums of almost every artist. He was a godsend for Virgin.

The first stellar million Virgin Records brought a young British composer, instrumentalist Mike Oldfield. Branson was simply fascinated by this either a rock musician, or a ragamuffin from the streets of London. He settled him in Mayonor in his own recording studio. Oldfield's debut album Tubular Bells, released in 1973, dominated the UK charts for a long time. Virgin Records sold more than twenty million copies of the album, and the proceeds fed the company for another three years. This success gave Richard the idea that he had every opportunity to "ignite" new superstars himself. Another find for Richard was the infamous punk band Sex Pistols, and in 1978 he opened the world to a young performer who soon became known under the pseudonym Sting. There was also a successful collaboration with such performers as Janet Jackson, Boy George, Phil Collins, Paul Abdul, Peter Gabriel, Belinda Carlyle, Rolling Stones and others.

As for the record shops, the situation became more complicated and as a result, most of them were sold. Branson left behind only the so-called Virgin Mega Store. Huge shops selling music and films (still working today).

Over time, Richard Branson wanted to create a diversified company from Virgin. Since the beginning of the 80s, a network of "virgin" companies began to envelop the world step by step. In 1983, new companies appear such as Virgin Vision (film production), Virgin Developments (retail and real estate, developments on this topic) and Virgin Games (computer games). In addition, Virgin becomes the hostess of the Venue nightclub. All these companies were quite small and were only a small part of the Virgin consortium, whose heart was music. But Richard Branson is not one of those people who stop there. So he decided to start his own airline.

Virgin Atlantic Airlines

Start your own airline. This is a rather costly and difficult undertaking. Virgin, at that time, had quite good financial indicators. But, in fact, it was the merit of the company's music business. Neither clubs nor hotels brought serious income. Richard Branson himself has long been occupied with the airline with all his thoughts. In order to found Virgin Airlines, Branson had to run into serious debt. In addition, Richard seriously deteriorated relations with his cousin Simon, as he was against this idea. This is understandable, since Simon was the driving force behind Virgin's music business and didn't want to work to pay another company's debts. Especially such as Virgin Airlines, which intends to engage in a very expensive business.

Despite the fact that none of Branson's closest associates supported him, the decision was made. Virgin leased the Boeing jet for a year, on the condition that if the business didn't work out for her, she could safely return it.

When everything was ready, Virgin Airlines had to arrange a demonstration flight for the representatives of the Mission Control. The flight was not the most successful, as the engine caught fire due to the fact that the Virgin plane flew into a flock of birds. I had to buy a new engine for 600,000 pounds. As a result, after this payment, Virgin was over the bank limit by 300 thousand pounds. True, the company was waiting for a check from MGM for 6 million pounds, which more than covered all costs.

In the UK, the main competitor of all airlines is the legendary British Airways, a monster that prefers to crush competitors in the bud. That's what they tried to do with Virgin. The methods used by Lord King (BA president) were, to put it mildly, unsportsmanlike. Among them, it is worth noting slander, blatant lies, insults, unfair competition, when BA representatives called Virgin customers and informed them that their flight was canceled, but they could fly at a discount on BA aircraft (while BA representatives introduced themselves as managers of Virgin Atlantic). All these and many other nasty things from a reputable company led to the fact that Richard Branson sued. Virgin won the case.

But to survive, Virgin Airlines needed to differentiate itself from the leader. To do this, a number of measures were taken: business class passengers were brought in a limousine directly to the airport, passengers were massaged during the flight with Virgin Airlines. Gradually, the company began to receive more and more new routes for flights. Already in the first year, Virgin Atlantic reached self-sufficiency. However, the airline will cause many more problems for the Virgin Group. Ultimately, in order to jump-start (and just not to lose it) Virgin in 1992 will sell its cash cow Virgin Music by Thorn Emi for $1 billion. At the same time, Richard Branson remained the president of Virgin Music, but rather for appearances.

In addition to the struggle in the air travel market in the 80s, Virgin buys a stake in a five-star hotel in the city of Dey (Mallorca). This will be the start hotel business companies. At the same time, Virgin Vision will distribute films throughout Europe, Asia, the US and Australia. Virgin will also pay attention to the tourism business. Virgin Holidays, which specializes in US tours, will open in the 80s. In 1987, Virgin Records opens in the US and Japan (the latter was especially successful). In the early 90s, Virgin Books (books about rock stars) and Virgin Publishing (publishing house) will appear. In addition, Virgin begins broadcasting a number of satellite TV channels. Virgin Atlantic's profits double in 1989. It will be 10 million pounds.

When the situation with Virgin Atlantic normalizes in the mid-90s, the company will begin to think about new heights. Richard Branson will be on fire with the idea of ​​creating a high-speed railway virgin. And in 1997, his ideas and thoughts will come true, another dream of Richard Branson will come true - this is how the Virgin Trains railway operator appears.

Virgin Radio starts broadcasting on the AM band in 1993. In a year, broadcasting will switch to the FM band. At that time, the company will have more than 4 million listeners. In addition to radio, Virgin Television opens. And in 1994, Richard Branson creates Virgin Drinks(beverage industry) and dares to challenge soft drink leaders Coca-Cola and Pepsi, his Virgin Cola product will soon be recognized as the best British soft drink, and his other product Virgin Vodka will be able to win a significant part of the British market.

The Virgin Group will open an incredible variety of companies of various profiles, among which special attention should be paid to: Virgin Cars(selling cars online), Virgin Wines(online sale of wines), Virgin Mobile(operator cellular communication), Virgin Active(network of fitness centers), Virgin Fuels(investment company), Virgin Baloon flight(operator of flights in hot air balloons), Virgin Brides(bridal wear) virgin comics(manufacturing of comics), Virgin Flowers(flower retail online), Virgin Life Care(health), Virgin Cosmetics(jewelry and cosmetics online), Virgin Digital(music store online), virgin unite(non-commercial charitable foundation), virgin racing(Formula 1 racing team), Virgin Interactive(British video game publisher) Virgin Galactic(space tour operator) and much, much more. Agree - impressive! Branson never asked questions what is a franchise and how to choose a franchise, he made all his companies from scratch.

In addition to business, Branson pays a lot of attention to charity, trying to contribute to the protection of the environment. For example, in 2007, Branson promised a $25 million prize for the Virgin Earth Challenge to anyone who could demonstrate a workable development to eliminate anthropogenic atmospheric gases that lead to the greenhouse effect. This development should have a lasting effect (at least 10 years) and significantly improve environment and the Earth's climate.

Currently, Richard Branson, along with Paul Allen, the founder of Microsoft, is working on the Virgin Galactic (space tourism) project, thanks to which in the near future everyone will have the opportunity to fly into space for just $200,000.

Richard Branson - Record Man, Show Man

Richard Branson is known in the world not only as a talented entrepreneur, but also as a showman, a brand person, a bright, extraordinary personality.

He holds the world record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1986 on the Virgin Atlantic Challenger II. No less risk to life was his repeated balloon flights. So, in 1987, he flew across the Atlantic in a balloon "Virgin Atlantic Flyer". Remarkably, his balloon was not only the first hot gas balloon to cross the Atlantic, but it was also the largest balloon ever to fly high. With its volume of 65,000 cubic meters, the speed of the balloon reached 210 km / h.

In 1991, Richard Branson made the longest flight in history. He crossed the Pacific Ocean, covering 11 thousand km. from Japan to northern Canada in a 74,000 cubic meter hot air balloon. Having broken the world record, he set a new one at a speed of 392 km / h. Between 1995 and 1998 Richard Branson, in the circle of true friends, made several new attempts at a non-stop flight around the globe, but to no avail. At the end of 1998, he again managed to set a world record for the flight distance from Morocco to Hawaii, but the dream of a round-the-world flight was again not destined to come true due to bad weather. But already in March 1999, he finally managed to successfully fly around the world in a balloon as part of a team from Switzerland. In June 2004, Richard Branson set the speed record for crossing the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Sometimes only a miracle saved him from inevitable death. However, thanks to this, he felt the fullness of life. His extreme sports achievements to this day attract attention not only in his native England, but throughout the world. It also makes the Virgin brand even more popular.

At one time, Richard Branson was the star of the reality show Rebel Millionaire (2004), in which 16 participants competed under his leadership in entrepreneurship, was a guest actor, usually playing himself, in many television series, in particular Baywatch ”, “Friends”, “The Simpsons”, “New World”, “Handsome”. and also played episodic roles in films such as Around the World in 80 Days, Casino Royale, Superman Returns, etc. When asked why he did all this, Richard admits: “I love to learn new things, I am very inquisitive. I like to take something established and turn it upside down. I perceive life as a single endless process of learning new things.

One day, a Virgin flight attendant shared her idea of ​​opening a bridal salon with Branson, and a short time later became his co-owner. At the solemn opening ceremony of this very salon, Richard Branson appeared to the public in a wedding dress and with full make-up.

And oddly enough, but his petty antics are perceived by the public as normal. He can afford to come to a party in a woman's dress, jokingly throw cakes, push a guest star into the pool or suddenly turn another diva of world show business upside down, he can appear in jeans and a baseball cap at an official reception with the queen. Of course, it becomes ridiculous when the owner of the Virgin Group is mistaken for an ordinary hard worker and is not allowed to face control even on the threshold of the club. And realizing who is in front of them in fact, they vaguely apologize and offer to pass. Richard is not surprised by this, for him this is a familiar situation. One would like to compare him with a prince dressing up as a beggar in order to be closer to the people.
Perhaps Richard Branson owes such eccentric behavior to his no less extravagant grandmother Dorothy, who at 89 became the oldest person in the UK to pass the Latin American dance exam, and at 90 was recognized as the oldest golfer who hit the ball with one blow into the hole. And that is not all! At 99, Dorothy's grandmother traveled around the world on an ocean liner. What can I say, a great role model.

Sir Richard Branson managed to become famous as a virtuoso of advertising shocking. For example, when launching his effervescent drink Virgin Cola, he rode a tank to Times Square (USA, New York) and fired a cannon at the billboard of his main competitor Cola-Cola a couple of times. In his subsequent interviews, answering the question why he needed to carry out such an action, he innocently noted that advertising in the media mass media, as well as outdoor advertising cost too much money. " And so I rode down the street in a tank, and all the front pages of the newspapers are already mine, ” Branson boasted.

And advertising his mobile phones Virgin Mobile in London, having previously undressed, he climbed up on a construction crane and from there, to the delight of all onlookers, brandished new phones for half an hour. Further more, dressed as a stewardess, a clown, a pirate, jumped from a great height on the wings of Icarus, descended from the Swiss ski slope completely naked, participated in goat races, came to the Queen's reception in different shoes, danced a striptease on the table in women's garters, dove Princess Diana with champagne. And on the birthday of his Virgin airline, he persuaded the invited guest Pamela Anderson to show all the employees her famous breasts.

Of Branson's latest pranks was a daring photo shoot with a young and completely naked model Danny Parkinson for Vanity Fair magazine.

Personal life of Richard Branson

Virgin conquered the world Richard Branson rushed higher and higher. He had neither the strength nor the time for his personal life.

Branson met his first American wife, Kristen Thomassy, ​​under the following circumstances - Shouting at the top of his lungs: “Smuggling!”, Branson ran around the house rented by the company for visiting musicians. Peering into one of the rooms, Richard saw a beautiful, tall blonde of the Scandinavian type: cheerful eyes, high cheekbones, tight-fitting black jeans and a black bra - a sweater, the girl held in her hands. He said that she looked much better this way and that she could wear nothing at all. She asked what kind of smuggling he was asking about. When the black and shaggy Contraband entered the room wagging its tail, they both burst out laughing.

Branson and Kristen spent the day together, at night they were also together, and in the morning she left - her fiancé was waiting for her. Richard Branson was not going to put up with this: in the afternoon, Kristen received a strange telegram: “The boat is sinking. Call the machine on the telephone ”- and there was his own number. Puzzled Kristen ran outside and called back. And while they were talking, John (he was already guarding at the entrance) entered the apartment, told her boyfriend that the girl had left him, and took her suitcase to his houseboat. By phone, Branson told Christine that he had prepared a surprise for her and that he should come to him as soon as possible - the surprise turned out to be her own things, which he solemnly dumped on the floor.

The marriage with Kristen Tomassi did not last long for the billionaire. Richard Branson lived not so much with his wife as with the phone: he rang at any time of the day or night, and Richard, looking up from the newspaper, lunch or sex, began to do business. At first, Kristen was indignant, then - solely as a sign of protest - she began to cheat on him, and then went to another. Branson chased her around the world and yet Kristen did not return - Richard had to come to terms with this, but they remained friends.

In the past, Joan, Branson's second wife, was a saleswoman in an antique store, Branson took her away from her husband, with whom she lived for eight years. He fell in love with her at first sight, brought flowers for a year, went on dates for another year - and one fine evening she stayed in his houseboat. Their first child lived only four days, and the second daughter, Holly, was born in 1981, inquisitive and healthy, and three years later she had a brother, Samuel.

Joan never got used to her husband's adventures - a few years ago, Richard swam across the Atlantic in a motorboat (the boat sank, and he miraculously managed to escape) - and every time she could not find a place for herself from anxiety. The fact that he constantly tested himself and tempted fate did not let her sleep peacefully - why risk it, because everything is so good with them ?!

The resilient Richard Branson turns 62 this year. He is still full of strength and vitality. Loving wife Joan and two children are nearby.

It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. But we can say for sure that Sir Richard is the image of a typical businessman always ready to take risks. He was never afraid to risk everything, both in business and in everyday life (circumnavigation in a hot air balloon is a prime example of this). Today, there are a lot of small businessmen who want to build a serious "business", but at the same time, without getting involved in adventures, but working in the style of "quietly you go - you will continue." They are unlikely to succeed. To achieve something worthwhile, you need to take risks, put everything on the line ... Branson's life can be characterized by a commercial for one of his Virgin Airlines

What else is the reason for Virgin's success besides the fact that its owner is a risky guy? An important factor is the company's strategy. If you look at everything successful companies Virgin Group, you can see one important detail. All these companies are not leaders in their industry. On the contrary, they are opposed to them. For example, in the UK air transportation market there is a large BA, a company - a monster, where all employees go in formal suits as one. It is contrasted with the extravagant Virgin Atlantic, which brings with it fun and clowning. On the market mobile communications Vodafone is opposed to Virgin Mobile. Something special is already expected from Virgin. She is exactly the company that in the eyes of the public is David, who challenged Galiath. People love these stories. And who cares that the entire Virgin is much larger than this very Galiath. The second factor is Richard Branson himself. England, like no other country, appreciates its heroes. And Richard Branson is the most successful British businessman. So the credibility of Branson in England is unlimited.

Behind the outward appearance of a lover of adventurous adventures, accustomed to wearing completely simple, inconspicuous, sometimes even very worn clothes, capable of shocking high society with his extraordinary antics, but, at the same time, admitted into his circles, hides a person with a tenacious analytical mindset. He is able to quickly analyze and clearly assess the situation, calculate with lightning speed and competently plan the activities of the companies he heads.

There are many non-standard business ideas in his head, most of which have led to significant commercial success. He can easily find new opportunity where no one else can see her.

Paradoxically, he achieves success even in those areas of activity that were previously unfamiliar to him. According to him, in order to reach the top of the business, it is not necessary to thoroughly understand it, first of all, it is necessary to be able to effectively manage it. Thanks to such an inimitable management style, an innovative approach to business, developed intuition businessman Richard Branson managed to achieve phenomenal success.

Another important feature of Richard Branson should be noted: he knows how to motivate people in a special way - it is simply fascinating to work with him. There are notable cases where his employees did not leave his business despite being offered double the salaries. Obviously, in addition to the need for high earnings, a person has an equally important need for the work that you do to give a feeling of fullness of life.

Richard Branson not afraid to do what he wants. In his opinion, life is not so long as to spend it on boring things that do not bring joy and pleasure. For him, work is not a duty, but an exciting activity, a kind of entertainment that brings first of all fun, and then a huge income. “Live with joy, work from the heart, and the money will come by itself”, - says Richard Branson.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Greetings! Sometimes people are born who don't have the word "impossible" in their vocabulary. They make millions, do crazy things, set world records and… teach others about it.

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

Here is a far from complete list of Branson's "speaking" nicknames: "knight cleaning the business of dirt", "hippie billionaire", "nail in the shoe of big business" and "outrageous master".

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 shocking.

Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (full name of the billionaire) 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 brought up, to put it mildly, unconventionally.

In his books, Branson often recounts a creepy story. When he was four years old, his mother asked him the first "quest with an asterisk." 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. Learning problems adult Richard explained dyslexia (problems with mastering the written language).

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

On the way to the first million

Your first successful project Richard Branson considers a free student youth magazine. At that time, the future billionaire was only 18 years old. In a couple of months, he managed to bring the magazine to payback from scratch (due to advertising) and agree on publications from such "stars" as Mick Jagger and John Lennon.

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

Branson built his next major project around the idea of ​​selling popular recordings by mail (1970). It is said that the strange name Virgin came up with 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 record store on Oxford Street with school friend Nick Powell. With the proceeds from the sale of sound recordings, Branson bought the estate. A little later, friends equipped the Virgin Records recording studio there for rent to aspiring musicians.

In 1973, the debut album "Tubular Bells" by a young multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield was recorded on Virgin Records. The album's crazy success (Grammy awards, millions of copies and first lines in the UK charts) brought Virgin Records good luck ... and lots and lots of money.

Other lines of business

In 1984, Richard Branson took up air travel. His company Virgin Atlantic Airlines carries passengers, cargo and mail. Branson's next airline was Virgin Blue in Australia. The Branson group's "roster" also includes Virgin Nigeria (Nigeria's national airline) and Virgin Express (short haul air travel).

In 1997, Richard decided to move the big players in the railroad business as well. Another company has appeared in the giant "empire" of the Virgin Group - Virgin Trains. The company's trains still run between London, Scotland and North Wales today.

In 1999, Branson launches a completely new project. Virgin Mobile is a mobile 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.

At the moment, 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.

Records of Richard Branson

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

A year later, Richard Branson still broke the world record by two hours. True, already on another ship and under the command of an expert in navigation.

In early 1991, he crossed the Pacific 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. On amphibious vehicles, he got 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 the series. As a guest star, he participated in the filming of the series Friends, Fools Are Lucky, Confused and Baywatch. Several times he was called to the BBC Saturday comedy show, where he played the role of "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 him in two episodes of the popular Simpsons. In Terry Pratchett's Wings, one of the characters is also written off from Branson.

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

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

Outrageous master

Richard Branson is called the most eccentric billionaire. At the presentation of the Virgin Bride bridal salon, he appeared in full make-up and ... in a wedding dress. Funny photos flaunted on the covers of magazines 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 completely naked from there for half an hour. Ready-made illustration for the book Naked Business.

Despite all his outrageousness, Richard Branson is married "only" the second time. His wife Joan Templeman bore him two children: a son, Sam, and a daughter, Holly.

Instead of a conclusion

In 2017, Richard Branson's fortune was estimated at $5.1 billion. He is one of those people who you sincerely admire. After all, there are not so many “boring” billionaires in the world. His adventures and crazy deeds would be enough for 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 the stories and advice of the most influential people on the planet. Guess if the hero of today's post is in the top 100?