Ask Richard 19
- By Richard Branson -
- May 17, 2012
Earlier this week I enjoyed a live Ask Richard Q&A on Google+. Sadly we had some technical problems in the first half of the interview, but lots of you were able to watch the second half live. Below are all the questions and answers you might have missed, and the video too.
Thanks to Sherilynn Macale from Identified for hosting the interview and asking some probing questions of her own. Look forward to the next Ask Richard!
Dzie Quarshie on Google+: If you were a teenager today, what would you do differently that you didn't have the opportunity to in the past?
There is very little about my life that I would change. Having said that, obviously when I was a teenager the internet didn’t exist. So I think I would be much more internet-savvy than I am today. As you can tell from the job you are doing, a lot can be said for absorbing the internet. I am trying through my Twitter, Facebook or Google+ accounts to relate to as many people as possible. I’ve found that it’s been a lot of fun, it’s great to get that immediate feedback when you do something. But other than that, I don’t think I’d change a lot.
@thinkphones on Twitter: when starting a small business, would you recommend partnership or sole ownership?
If you can get away with sole ownership it obviously makes sense, because then you can keep control and maybe later on in your life you can bring in some other shareholders. But it’s not always easy to do. Sometimes by bringing in outside partners who maybe know about your business and can also help mentor you, it can make sense. Sometimes you just need cash from outside partners too. With Virgin I managed to keep 100% control, which has allowed me to do outrageous things that if I’d had other partners they would most likely have stopped me doing. Going from running a record company to an airline to a spaceship company - there aren’t many people who would have gone along with me on that!
Ivan Garcia on Google+: what do adventurous billionaires really believe in? What matters most?
Different entrepreneurs believe in different things. I recently put out a book called Screw Business As Usual, which tries to encourage all entrepreneurs worldwide to unite together to try to see if we can not just run successful businesses (which in themselves can help people) but also make sure we use our entrepreneurial skills to tackle some of the biggest problems in the world. We can’t leave it to politicians and social workers to cure all of the ills of the world. Business people have skills that they don’t necessarily have.
Sherilynn Macale: You definitely embody that. You are always posting new blogs and following your own advice, and I think that’s rare. You seem to know what you are talking about and actually follow through, and that’s great.
Thanks!
Socheater on Twitter: what would you have for your last meal and who would you share it with?
Well, I would certainly want our family around me, which I think most of us would want to have happen. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding – and as many potatoes as I could get away with, because it wouldn’t matter too much! I’d also take up smoking again, drugs, all the things you’re not allowed to do in life. I’d just have a blast!
Sherilynn Macale: I'm going to have to sneak into this final dinner you have and do all these things, it sounds awesome!
And here's the video with the second half of the interview:
If you've got a question then ask away below, on Twitter (tag it #askrichard), Facebook or Google+. Keep them coming!
Watch Watch Ask Richard 18
Watch Ask Richard 17
Watch Ask Richard 16
Watch Ask Richard 15
By Richard Branson. Founder of Virgin Group
