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‘VIRGIN GROUP’ FOUNDER’S STORY OF
PASSION, HARD WORK, AND DEDICATION
‘VIRGIN GROUP’ FOUNDER’S STORY OF PASSION, HARD WORK, AND DEDICATION
‘VIRGIN GROUP’ FOUNDER’S STORY OF PASSION, HARD WORK, AND DEDICATION
Richard Branson is a British entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist whose fortune comes mostly from the multinational Virgin group, which has more than 400 companies under its control including Virgin Galactic of SpaceShipOne project fame and Virgin Atlantic. He gained prominence for his work in transportation, retail, and music. In 2000, he received a knighthood from the Buckingham Palace for his “services to entrepreneurship.” He currently has a net worth of $3.9 billion, according to Forbes.
Branson was born on July 18, 1950 to Edward James Branson, barrister, and Eve Branson, a flight attendant, in Surrey, England. At an early age, the billionaire investor showed extreme difficulties in handling school requirements which were primarily attributed to his dyslexia. He attended school at Scaitcliffe School until he was 13, then transferred to Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, England.
At age 16, however, Branson dropped out school and instead opted to create a magazine, called Student, which centered on youth culture. For its first edition, the magazine earned $8,000 from advertising with the first 50,000 copies distributed for free. Branson later on covered the expenses incurred using their earnings from advertising.
In 1973, Virgin Records featured its first artist, Mike Oldfield, for his song, “Tubular Bells.” The single was a hit and stayed on the UK Billboard charts for 247 weeks. This kept the ball rolling for Branson as he signed more artists that later on became phenomenal in the music industry such as the Sex Pistols, the Rolling Stones, Genesis, and the Culture Club. The success of these artists catapulted Virgin Records as one of the top six recording companies across the globe.
In 1980, Branson expanded his business ventures and added the travel company Voyager Group on its roster. He then included the Virgin Atlantic airline along with a number of Virgin Megastores by 1984. However, things turned sour for the Virgin brand in 1992 and Branson was forced to sell the company to Thorn EMI for $1 billion.
In 1993, however, Branson picked up where he left off and founded record company Virgin Radio. A second one, named V2, was created by 1996. Gradually, the Virgin Group once again expanded and is now present in at least 35 countries worldwide. It has almost 70, 000 employees around the globe including the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Asia, South Africa, and Europe. Aside from his record companies, the Virgin brand has ventures in various industries such as luxury game preserve and mobile phones. Branson is also eyeing to dominate the space tourism industry with Virgin Galactic.
Branson is married to Joan Templeman. The couple has three children, namely, Same, Holly, and Clare Sarah.
Richard Branson: Screw It, Let’s Do It — TIP040
Richard Branson: Screw It, Let’s Do It — TIP040
Richard Branson: Screw It, Let’s Do It — TIP040
Listen to The Investor’s Podcast’s episode wherein Preston and Stig discuss Richard Branson’s book, Screw It, Let’s Do It. Learn more about his journey to success and his tips and tricks on making it big in business and investing.
Get to listen to more free episodes of The Investor’s Podcast and discover the secrets to success and other books about other Billionaires by subscribing via iTunes, Stitcher, or Soundcloud.
