What I've found is that there is no single prescription for running a successful entrepreneurial company. There are a lot of ways of doing it. My views have been formed over more than forty years in the white heat of daily, unfolding business life.
Whether you are starting out in business or running the biggest multinational in the universe, there are some common themes that can be applied. There is a plethora of business books out there on the shelves. I see them in the airports and some look rather tedious and dreary. To be perfectly honest, I seldom read any of them. Life is too short to read tomes written by passive observers. Business is about taking action.
I've stripped Virgin's businesses bare. Rather than banging on about how successful they are, I've written about what my companies are actually about. What were our intentions? How well, or how badly, did we realise our early hopes? I've gone through my notebooks and diaries, hunting for common themes and ideas, and I've divided what I've found into seven sections. I'll be looking at:
- People
- The brand
- Why delivery is vital
- What we learn from our mistakes and setbacks
- Innovation as a driver for business
- The value of entrepreneurship and leadership
- The wider responsibility of business
So join me back here soon as I'll be posting more on these themes shortly...
