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 himself.

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, 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.

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

This is a successful entrepreneur who has 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 is unknown

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

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

2. His school teachers thought he was an idiot.

Despite his wide fame now, the multi-billionaire was not taken seriously at school.

Even the teachers considered Richard a clinical idiot. After a couple of months, they realized that the boy was nearsighted and fitted him with glasses. He began to see what was written on the board, but the numbers and letters never made sense.

3. Branson's first office was in a dorm.

Branson was allowed to “figure out” an office for his company in a school dormitory. True, they didn’t let me install the phone.

The telephone operator connected the entrepreneur to the desired number and said: “Mr. Branson will talk to you!” Everyone took 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 Atlantic Blue Riband for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

The first attempt was unsuccessful as his vessel, the Virgin Atlantic Challenger, capsized in British waters.

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

Richard Branson is a controversial personality. He likes to make unexpected appearances in public places.

Thus, at the presentation of the Virgin Bride bridal salon, the owner of the company appeared in a wedding dress and full makeup. To say that the guests were shocked is to say nothing. ;)

6. He turned Trump's wife upside down.

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

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

7. He punched a Coca Cola billboard out of a tank.

The head of the company explained this behavior simply:

8. He skied naked

For a long time, Branson was looking for someone to argue with.

Idea: Ski naked for £10.

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

9. He deliberately poured champagne on Princess Diana

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

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

10. Branson had to take off his clothes 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: 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 throughout the world.

I often hear completely insane homophobic or nationalist statements from educated, wealthy, refined, well-dressed Russians - things that you haven’t heard in the conversations of the British or Americans for about 40 years. It sounds very offensive.

13. Billionaire suffers from dyslexia

Unfortunately, Branson cannot understand the meaning of letters and numbers, and his coordination of movements is also partially impaired.

It is almost impossible to teach such a person to read and write.

14. He flew to Earth in a flying saucer

As we have already 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 immediately surrounded by hundreds of onlookers, police and military. To their surprise, it was not aliens who came out of the round flying saucer. :)

15. There is no officialdom in Branson's companies.

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, no formalities in relations between subordinates and managers (everyone is on a first-name basis, 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 divided his compensation of 500 thousand pounds among his staff.

17. Branson is 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, 14 years before we met, 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, wants to be better, and lies and is a hypocrite on camera.

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

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)

The businessman is famous for his participation in the space tourism project, his love of shocking the public, his passion for extreme travel and his penchant for adventurism.

His extravagant acts include appearing at the opening of his company's bridal salon in women's wedding attire, a record-breaking hot air balloon flight across the Pacific Ocean, a high-speed crossing of the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle, and a provocative photo shoot for Vanity Fair magazine.

The photograph in question took place in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Sir Richard's Necker Island while he was kitesurfing with a completely naked South African supermodel Danny Parkinson sitting on the business tycoon's back.

Richard Branson's childhood and youth

Mrs. Branson had a great influence on the development and formation of the strong character of her son. Although the methods of her upbringing were not entirely clear. So, as a child, she gave him serious tests. For example, one day a woman dropped her 4-year-old son out of the car a few kilometers from home and told him to look for his dad, while she drove away.

Branson received his education in closed educational institutions, as befits a child from the family of a hereditary aristocrat. He initially attended Scaitcliffe, a boarding school for boys aged 6 to 13 in the small village of Egham, Surrey. Then, until the age of 16, he attended the Stowe boarding school, located one hundred kilometers from London in Buckinghamshire.

Having problems with learning ability due to dyslexia, he studied poorly, but even then he showed a penchant for extraordinary initiatives, which were strongly supported by his mother. For example, he made proposals for reforming existing school traditions and organizations to the director of his privileged educational institution, Robert Drayson.

In particular, the young man defended the idea of ​​organizing a bar for high school students, repurposing the canteen into a buffet, saving on the number of employees, and abolishing the rule for all students to be present at football matches, arguing that forcing strong players to watch the success is unethical in relation to weaker schoolchildren . As a result, when the young man graduated from school in 1967, the director, saying goodbye, noted that in the future he would either go to prison or become a millionaire. As it turned out, the teacher was not mistaken.

The beginning of Richard Branson's career

In addition, in parallel with the publishing business, the young entrepreneur opened a charitable Student Consulting Center, which exists to this day, providing assistance in various fields (legal, psychological, medical).

Richard Branson and Virgin Group

The year 1970 was successful for the company. But the next one will be unprofitable due to the strike of postal workers that swept across the country. As a result, Richard had the idea of ​​opening his own music store, which he implemented in 1971 together with school friend Nick Powell, buying an estate north of Oxford for a studio.

The first release from Virgin Records was 19-year-old multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield's debut album, Tubular Bells, released in 1973. It became a bestseller, a leader in the British charts and received a Grammy music award, laying the financial foundation for the further successful development of the company.

Virgin entered into agreements with such dubious groups as the scandalous Sex Pistols, but at the same time, it opened to the public non-commercial experimental rock, present in the groups Faust and Can, and the melodic pop of the new wave group Culture Club. The company also collaborated with Sting, Janet Jackson, Phil Collins, Rolling Stones, Belinda Carlisle and other performers. In 1982, the company acquired the gay nightclub Heaven.

Richard Branson's business

In 1984, the businessman decided to found his own airline, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, then organized Virgin Express, Nigeria, and America airlines. Due to financial difficulties and the development of Atlantic, in 1992 he had to sell the Virgin label to EMI for 500 million pounds sterling (about $800 million). Wanting to stay in the music business that started the entire corporation, he later created the V2 record company.

In 2004, Branson announced Virgin Galactic's participation in a project to organize space travel. The company received applications for participation in suborbital flights from 500 potential tourists at a tour cost of 250 thousand dollars for one passenger. For the needs of “space tourism,” they opened the world’s first private “spaceport” in the desert of the Sierra state, New Mexico, and developed the SpaceShipTwo rocket plane.

Richard Branson and the Virgin Group: a love of flying

Despite the fact that at the end of 2014, during testing, this device crashed, during which one of the pilots died, the richest man in the United Kingdom announced his intention to develop his research. In an interview, he noted that he dreams of admiring the Earth from space, surviving the acceleration from zero to three and a half thousand miles per hour in just 8 seconds and experiencing fivefold overload.

In 2006, Branson announced his intention to invest profits from the Atlantic airline and the Trains rail transportation company (about $3 billion) to create environmentally friendly fuels. In 2007, he opened a company that provides storage services for umbilical cord blood stem cells, which can become health insurance for the customers' children and themselves throughout their lives.

Richard Branson's private Necker Island

In 2008, Sir Richard hosted a meeting of world leaders on his Necker Island in the Caribbean to discuss concepts for combating the problem of global warming. The event was attended by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, American businessman and founder of the Wikipedia portal Jimmy Wales, and Google search engine developer Lawrence Page. Branson also established a $25 million prize for the creators of technologies that effectively counteract the greenhouse effect.

Richard Branson's records

Two years later, for the first time in history, he crossed the Atlantic in the largest balloon, with a volume of 65 thousand cubic meters, flying at a speed of more than 200 kilometers per hour.

In 1991, he flew from Japan to Canada over the Pacific Ocean on a balloon with a volume of 74 thousand corresponding units. During the flight, Branson covered 11 thousand kilometers. At the same time, he set a new speed record (about 400 kilometers per hour).

Richard Branson dressed up as a flight attendant

In 2004, the oligarch also broke the speed record for crossing the English Channel. Moreover, he accomplished it in an amphibious vehicle (in one hour 40 minutes 6 seconds), almost quadrupling the previous achievement (6 hours).

Personal life of Richard Branson

The billionaire's current second wife is named Joan. He met her in an antique store, then, despite her marriage, courted her for a year. As a result, she left her husband and moved in with a persistent admirer. In 1979, their daughter Claire Sarah was born, who, unfortunately, lived only 4 days. But the couple did not break up and did not give up trying to have offspring. A year later, their daughter Holly was born, and 4 years later, she had a brother, Sam.

The daughter of a business tycoon is a pediatrician, his son is involved in a film production company.

Despite the nickname "Lionheart", Sir Richard is very kind to his children. At Christmas 2015, Holly gave him twin grandchildren, and two months later Sam had a son.

They have known Prince William and Harry since childhood, since Sir Richard was on friendly terms with Princess Diana. She and her children loved to relax on his island.

The billionaire's autobiographical book, Losing My Virginity, published in 1998, became an international bestseller. He received a personal knighthood in 1999 for his contribution to entrepreneurship.

Richard Branson today

Currently, he sponsors developments in the field of ecology, projects for the protection of the jungle, which plays a decisive role in shaping the planet’s climate, as well as the “Elders” organization, designed to find ways to resolve world conflicts.

Virgin Galactic, in partnership with communications startup OneWeb, also intends to introduce space Internet. Branson has signed a contract to launch 39 commercial satellites that will be used to provide global access to the Internet. The cost of the contract has not been disclosed, but experts estimate it to be around $390 million. In addition, the companies reached an agreement on further cooperation and the launch of another hundred microsatellites. Virgin plans to use LauncherOne to launch them into orbit. The first launches are planned for 2017. The French company Arianespace is participating in the project, which has committed to carry out 21 launches using Soyuz launch vehicles.

Richard Branson TED Interview

In 2015, the business magnate, having sold his house in Oxfordshire to his children, moved permanently to a luxurious mansion on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, where he has at his disposal the Necker Belle yacht, the Necker Nymph submarine and does not have to pay taxes.

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (Richard Charles Nicholas Branson) - British businessman, owner of a multi-billion dollar organization Virgin Group, which manages more than 400 companies in various fields.

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

The content of the article :

Richard Branson's net worth

Richard Branson's net worth is estimated at more than 5 billion dollars, 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 a Caribbean island. Currently, Branson manages many companies operating under the brand 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 the town of Blackheath, in the family of a native aristocrat, Edward James Branson, and stewardess Yvette Flindt.

Edward suffered failures in the field of lawyering, and Yvette, leaving her career and dreams of heaven, raised four children and took on any available work. Richard had vision problems and it took him a long time to learn to read.

At school they treated the boy poorly - they thought he was mentally retarded. Then his mother took up the task of raising her son. She gave him challenging tasks to combat the boy's dyslexia.

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

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

Together with his 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.

Richard Branson's business history

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

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

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

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

Branson opened a student center Student Advisory Center" It employed specialists in psychology, legal sciences and doctors. Unfortunately, things were going badly - it was difficult to advertise the company, and 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, inspectors constantly came with inspections. In addition, Richard quarreled with his friend Nick, who had his own views on the methods of managing the company. Nick went out of business, and Richard got a new idea.

Richard Branson's Virgin

A young promising entrepreneur opened a record store. At the very beginning, goods were sent by mail. Branson chose a narrowly focused name - Slipped Disc (« Sliding disc"), but at another party one girl gave Branson the idea to name the company (" Virgin"). Richard liked this name.

Shop Virgin Mail Order enjoyed enormous popularity among music lovers. The entrepreneur couldn’t 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 weren't shipped to customers, so Branson opened a physical store.

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

Richard Branson's business boomed. Visitors to the store could come and listen to records for free in comfortable chairs, but sales soon fell sharply. Guests came to " hang out', but few people actually bought the records.

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

The house cost 35 thousand pounds - he borrowed 20 thousand from the bank, part of it was given to him by his parents, and he received part of it 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 to captivate the public with the help of Virgin Records 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 line in the music charts in England, selling more than 20 million copies. A punk band also recorded at the studio. Sex Pistols and young performer Sting.

Small record stores were closing, but Branson's Virgin Mega Store, which sold music and films, was thriving.

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

The first demonstration flight was unsuccessful - the plane’s engine caught fire. 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 businessman’s main competitor was a real giant of air transportation British Airways.

During 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 stand the constant calls and busyness of the budding business tycoon.

The entrepreneur's second wife's name is Joan Templeman (Joan Templeman). They met in an antique store - at that time his future wife was married to another man. Branson courted Joan for a year, but she eventually gave up and left her husband.

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

The lovers 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 billionaire's daughter works as a pediatrician and runs a film production company. Currently, the brilliant entrepreneur and his wife are doing well.

Sir Richard Branson has three wonderful grandchildren, they have known the princes since childhood William And Harry“Richard communicated well with their mother Diana.

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

The businessman’s motto: “Live joyfully, work from the heart, and the money will come by itself.”

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

Books by Richard Branson

Crazy antics as business advertising

1. During the publication of Student magazine, Richard deceived journalists, fueling their interest in his business. During the interviews, the teenagers answered fake calls pretending to be talking 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 Virgin Bride wedding salon with makeup 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 her over. He did this in order, as he said, to keep the conversation going.
4. To promote the Virgin Cola carbonated drink brand in America, Richard drove through Times Square in a real tank, firing a couple of shots at a Coca-Cola billboard. True, the drink was never released onto the American market.
5. One day Richard skied completely naked. Remarkably, he tried to find someone to bet on to do this. Such a person could not be found, but the businessman still decided on a desperate act.
6. Princess Diana attended the event dedicated to the new Virgin Atlantic liner. Branson opened the champagne and poured it on the girl. Diana did not get angry, but only laughed in response.
7. At Virgin's 21st birthday, 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 was holding her on his back.
9. Once, the legendary entrepreneur independently served passengers of his airline. Branson turned into a flight attendant and performed all the staff duties on the Perth-Kuala Lumpur flight. And all because he lost in a dispute with AirAsia director Tony Fernandez - they were deciding whose performance would be higher in the Formula 1 Constructors' Championship.

Scandalous photo shoot with Danny Parkinson for Vanity Fair magazine.

Secrets of success

The entrepreneur is sure that luck does not come on its own, you need to work at it. Richard was never afraid to take risks, betting every last pound on a potentially successful business, but choosing a smart strategy. Branson is sure: “Throughout our lives we constantly take risks, no matter whether in relationships with loved ones or with business partners.” Branson has a high profile in the business world, but he is not afraid to become a target for satirical remarks. His slogan is “ live happily and the money will come».