My parents brought me up with this philosophy. You must do things. You mustn’t watch what other people are doing. You must not listen to what other people are doing.
First of all, if you’re setting up a new company, you want to try to find a brand that can work on a global basis.
Branding is everything. A young girl once came up to me and told me I could be famous because I looked just like Richard Branson!
We’d love to be involved with the creation of something very special, something quite large and something quite exciting.
I prefer to have a great time and to keep my wits about me.
First and foremost, any business proposal I like must sound fun.
Customers shouldn’t just think of your business as a place to buy a product or use a service – it should be a fun place to be.
In a sense, when we started Virgin Atlantic, I was trying to create an airline for myself. If you try to build the perfect airline for yourself, it will be appreciated by others.
I think because I have great difficulty saying the word, ‘no,’ almost every day’s a different adventure.
Find somebody else to run your business on a day-to-day basis.
The Earth cannot wait 60 years. I want a future for my children and my children’s children. The clock is ticking.
And if after all this you eventually fail; don’t take it personal. Don’t be ashamed to start all over again.
Seek out strategic alliances; they are essential to growth and provide resistance to bigger competition.
Don’t hesitate to seek external help or advice where need be. Sometimes, it takes an external, emotionally unattached individual to detect your business flaws and render unbiased advice.
Listen to the customer’s complaint and act fast.
Grow internally first. Strengthen your bottom line first before considering external growth.
For a successful entrepreneur it can mean extreme wealth. But with extreme wealth comes extreme responsibility.
Remain focused on fulfilling your business mission. Never allow adversity divert your attention and efforts.
I have fun running all the Virgin businesses, so a setback is never a bad experience, just a learning curve.
I enjoy the company of other people. That’s where I get most of my satisfaction from.