Richard Branson is a bit of an icon when it comes to life. He has been able to turn his failure into success, and he’s always found time for adventure, despite all odds!
He has the life of an adventurer, with his many businesses spanning more than six decades. From running a record label in Jamaica at age 16 to becoming CEO for Virgin Records by 28 years old – Richard knows how to live!
So, the following are lessons from Sir Richard Branson to make you successful in your own life.
1. Stay true to yourself.
Richard has spoken candidly about his life, and a recurring message is that he’s never compromised on who he is as a person or an entrepreneur. To achieve success, you have to stay true to yourself and never abandon your vision or values – no matter how tough things get.
For example, in a 2010 interview in The New York Times, Richard was quoted saying, “There has always been a link between adventure and business for me. I don’t know why. It probably started when I was young. If something scared me, I would go out of my way to get involved.” That makes sense!
2. Be honest to yourself, too.
Richard’s airline, Virgin Atlantic Airways, was on the brink of bankruptcy more than a few times in its early history. Yet, he refused to let the failures stop him from pursuing his vision for a more modern, customer-focused air travel company. Rather, he continued to be honest about the situation and accepted that things needed to change.
3. Work hard to live the life you want.
Richard is known for his fun-loving lifestyle, travelling around the world with his family and taking on adventurous activities like kite surfing and hot air ballooning. However, he’s also worked incredibly hard throughout his life despite this public persona – he says, ‘I work hard, play hard for a reason!
He’s known for his hands-on approach, including on the job training to learn new skills quickly. He famously says, “I didn’t go to business school- I went straight from school to starting my first business.”
4. Look beyond what’s right in front of you.
While Richard’s businesses are household names, many people don’t realize that he wasn’t always so heavily involved with them: He started many of these ventures because he spotted a gap in the market and decided to work on his innovative ideas.
He even uninvited his parents from his wedding, as they wanted him to join the family law firm. However, Richard had already made up his mind that he wanted to do something else with his life, so he made the difficult decision to go against what was expected of him.
5. Know your strengths and weaknesses.
Richard has always known his strong points, which certainly isn’t law! He majored in business studies at school but didn’t attend university after that point. Instead, he started learning quickly through the school of hard knocks.
He knew that he was good at finding innovative solutions to business problems and motivating people. Still, he also saw enough where his weaknesses lie – he isn’t an accountant or a lawyer! So rather than forcing himself into these roles (which would likely fail), he hires experts in those fields to help him succeed.
6. Seek out the best mentors you can find.
Richard has been known to surround himself with top-notch mentors who help him make important business decisions and understand complex concepts he doesn’t have a full grasp on himself. He values these relationships highly, as they can supplement what would otherwise be a shallow learning curve for him.
This is further proof that you need to know your strengths and weaknesses and seek out the people who can fill in those gaps for you.
7. Trust your instincts (but make sure they’re good).
As we’ve seen earlier, Richard was made fun of for quitting law school and starting his own business – he had no idea what he was doing! But his instincts told him to go for it, and he did. Many would say that was a good move, given the success of Virgin Group today. Imagine how different things would be if he hadn’t followed his instincts?
8. Once you’ve taken the plunge, go all in!
Richard’s first step of faith was to quit law school and start his own business – but he didn’t stop there. He has always gone ‘all in’ with everything that he does, which is why we see him taking part in so many adventurous hobbies! Life is short, so why not try new things?
9. Never stop pushing yourself to be better!
Richard’s never been a man afraid of a little hard work – he says that “work isn’t the reason I get up in the morning”, but it certainly feels like it sometimes! Even at 67, he still travels 300 days a year, taking on new business ventures.
Don’t ever get too comfortable with your success because you never know when you need to adapt again!