Richard Branson: How I built Virgin
- By Jack Preston -
- Jun 21, 2012
Richard Branson recently took time out of his hectic schedule to discuss the secrets of his business success with entrepreneur.com, revealing the strongly held beliefs that have enabled him to guide Virgin through over four decades of change.
"There is no point in going into a business unless you can make a radical difference in other people's lives. To me, it's like painting a picture: You have to get all the colours right and all the little nuances right to create the perfect picture, or the perfect company,” explained the Virgin Group founder.
“I know that there's need for Virgin to come in and attack a marketplace, because I know that I'm frustrated by having to experience bad service in that particular marketplace. So I'll throw all the paint up and get all the best people in. By the time it sticks on the canvas, we'll try to start getting some order into it. Every little single detail has to be right."
As well as giving insights into his approach to business, Branson was happy to explain how he is currently feeling on a personal level: "I did a blog the other day saying, 'If you didn't know how old you are, how old do you think you would be? I feel like I'm still in my 20s, although I'm obviously not. I still enjoy life enormously. I throw myself into it as much as I did when I was in my 20s."
This youthful approach has been more than apparent in recent years, with Branson maintaining a healthy appetite for rule breaking and pushing the boundaries. "Virgin is an adventurous company because I am an adventurer as well as an entrepreneur," he explained.
"We were the first to cross the Atlantic in a balloon, and we've broken lots of other world records. That's been part of the spirit of building the brand and building the company, and set it apart from the more staid companies we compete with. On the other hand, one could analyse it and say it's very irresponsible. But we still like to break the rules occasionally."
By Jack Preston. Content Executive. Tweets at @JackPressedOn
