Richard Branson is most certainly one of the most successful and most recognizable entrepreneurs of the last 40 years. Like a lot of other small businesspeople, he didn’t start out wanting to be an entrepreneur. He just wanted to do what he loved and learned how to run a business in order to keep doing it. From his first venture in a small student magazine to Chairman of the Virgin chain of companies, Mr. Branson has achieved a level of success that most would-be business owners nay dream of. Along the way he’s penned three books and had a lot to say about running small and larges businesses alike. Here are nine things he’s said that we find inspirational:
“Every business, like a painting, operates according to its own rules. There are many ways to run a successful company. What works once may never work again. What everyone tells you never to do may just work, once. There are no rules. You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over, and it’s because you fall over that you learn to save yourself from falling over. It’s the greatest thrill in the world and it runs away screaming at the first sight of bullet points.”
“We look for opportunities where we can offer something better, fresher, and more valuable, and we seize them. We often move into areas where the customer has traditionally received a poor deal, and where the competition is complacent…. we also look to deliver ‘old’ products in new ways. We are pro-active and quick to act, often leaving bigger and more cumbersome organisations in our wake. When we start a new venture, we base it on hard research and analysis. Typically, we review the industry and put ourselves in the customer’s shoes to see what could make it better.”
“Above all, you want to create something you are proud of…. That has always been my philosophy of business. I can honestly say that I have never gone into any business purely to make money. If that is the sole motive, then I believe you are better off doing nothing.”
“To be successful, you have to be out there, you have to hit the ground running, and if you have a good team around you and more than a fair share of luck, you might make something happen. But you certainly can’t guarantee it just by following someone else’s formula.”
“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.”
“Throwing yourself into a job you enjoy in one of life’s greatest pleasures!”
“Good brands reflect the histories of the time and the group of people that made them. They can not be copied. They can not be recycled.”
“Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”
“I don’t think of work as work and play as play. It’s all living.”
—Sir Richard Branson
Completely agree with your business plan. And mostly likes your this topic…..“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.”