Lessons from Richard Branson’s life – By Commerceshala

One of the greatest men of all times, Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is a British business magnate and investor. He is the founder and chairman of Virgin Group of more than 400 companies. Virgin Group’s core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. At just the age of 16, his first business venture was a magazine called Student and that was the beginning of the rise of his genius.

What many of us don’t know is that Richard Branson has dyslexia and had poor academic performance as a student. But there was no stopping him. Branson started his record business from the crypt of a church where he ran the Student. Trading under the name ‘Virgin’, it was an overnight success. Branson in 1972 launched the record label Virgin Records. In 1984 he formed Virgin Atlantic Airways, in 1999 launched Virgin Mobile, Virgin Australia in 2000. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over” said Richard Branson. Rightly so making mistakes is the fastest way to learn. In 1992, to keep his airline company afloat, Branson sold his record company to EMI. He wept when the sale was completed since the record business had been the birth of the Virgin Empire. He later created V2 Records to re-enter the music business. His spirit and courage are remarkable. He faced failure, but still always emerged as the winner.

In 1993, Branson entered into the railways business, what many saw as a risky one. But nothing could stop him from achieving what he wanted. Giving your 100% in what you do, makes all the difference. Branson is a living proof that age does not matter and it’s never too early to start. He is proof to the fact that age is just a number. Richard Branson made several world record-breaking attempts after 1985, when he attempted the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing. His fearlessness and carefree attitude are truly an inspiration for others. Giving up or losing hope, Branson does not know of. He just knows how to keep moving forward and pushing your limits harder. ‘Change is the only constant’ is what he believes in.      

Branson has guest starred, usually playing himself, on several television shows like Friends, Baywatch, The Day Today and more. He has also made cameo appearances in films like Around the World in 80 Days, Superman Returns and Casino Royale. He’s a worldwide celebrity and an ardent humanitarian, not just any other billionaire. He has his fingers in all sorts of pies. What he teaches is to be the best at what we do and don’t compromise for anything less than greatness.

“Right now I’m just delighted to be alive and to have had a nice long bath.” Even though he has the kind of life that most people envy, for him it is the simple things that matter. Richard Branson with his stellar attitude, teaches us to be what we want to be. His simple principle is to just keep going no matter how hard it is. Not everybody can be Richard Branson, but let us try to be the best version of ourselves.

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