If you seek entrepreneurial wisdom, who better to get it from than the ultimate money magnet, Sir Richard Branson?
Read and enjoy "Screw It, Let's Do It" as Branson touches on various business topics.
Branson on the importance of Goal setting
“I believe in goals. It's never a bad thing to have a dream, but I'm practical about it. I don’t sit daydreaming about things that are impossible. I set goals and then work out how to achieve them. Anything I want to do in life I want to do well and not half-heartedly.”
“If something is what you really want to do, just do it. Whatever your goal is you will never succeed unless you let go of your fears and fly.”
Branson on taking the first step
"A journey of a thousand miles starts with that first step. If you look ahead to the end, and all the weary miles between, with all the dangers you might face, you might never take that first step. And whatever it is you want to achieve in life, if you don't make the effort. You won’t reach your goal. So take the first step. There will be many challenges. You might get knocked back - but in the end, you will make it.”
Branson on Internet opportunities
“The Internet has opened many new doors. A friend of mine wanted to hire a van. So he looked on the net and soon had twenty offers of a van with working driver. There are work and trading chances on the web – it has changed the lives of people with ideas and energy. Even those with little little experience can create a successful Internet mail-order business.”
Branson on the importance of growing
“If you challenge yourself, you will grow. Your life will change. Your outlook will be positive. It’s not always easy to reach your goal but that’s no reason to stop. Never say die. Say yourself ‘I can do it. I’ll keep on trying until I win.’”
“For me, there are two types of challenge. One is to do the bests I can at work. The other is to seek adventure. I try to do the both. I try to stretch myself to the limit. I am driven.”
Branson on how the virgin airways idea was born
“We spent the rest of our holiday on another island. Our plan was to travel on to Puerto Rico– but when we got to the airport, the flight was cancelled. People were roaming about, looking lost. No one was doing anything. So I did – someone had to. I chartered a plane for £2000. I divided that by the number of people. It came to £39 a head. I borrowed a blackboard and wrote on it: I borrowed a blackboard and wrote on it: VIRGIN AIRWAYS. £39 SINGLE FLIGHT TO PUERTO RICO. The idea of virgin airways was born, right in the middle of a holiday, although the actual airline only properly took off when I was sent a business idea. I had never chartered a plane before, but, as with Tubular Bells and the Jamaican toasters, I saw and grabbed the chance. And look at virgin Atlantic today!”
Branson on the art of napping
“One of the things I am very good at is catnapping, catching an hour or two of sleep at a time. Of all the skills I have learned, that one is vital for me. On a bus between Hong Kong and china, for example, when nothing much is going on, I will sleep. I wake refreshed and ready to go for long hours. It's also a very good way of switching off. Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher were masters of the catnap and I use their example in my own life.”
The importance of carrying a notepad
“I have always written everything down in school notebooks. It started when I found reading and writing hard at school and, to make up for that, built up a very good long-term memory. Now I jot down key words in my notebooks and later, if I need to, I find a note and I can recall entire conversations. This has stood me in very good stead more than once when I have needed to prove something. But it’s not just conversations – I also jot down my own thoughts. Anything I see and hear can spark an idea in me. I note it down at once and often look back through old notebooks to gain fresh ideas or to see what I might have missed. I would advise young people starting out in life to keep a notebook with them. It’s a good habit to get into.”
