I want Virgin to be as well-known around the world as Coca-Cola.

I am a believer in trying to treat people properly and trying to respond and making sure that I find the time to be courteous.

First and foremost, any business proposal I like must sound fun.

All you have in life is your reputation: you may be very rich, but if you lose your good name, then you'll never be happy. The thought will always lurk at the back of your mind that people don't trust you.

I moved into a nice houseboat in Little Venice when I was 15 years old. I found a girlfriend called Monday and a houseboat called Friday, so I had the week sewn up.

Fun is at the core of the way I like to do business and it has been key to everything I've done from the outset. More than any other element, fun is the secret of Virgin's success. I am aware that the ideas of business as being fun and creative goes right against the grain of convention, and it's certainly not how the they teach it at some of those business schools, where business means hard grind and lots of 'discounted cash flows' and net' present values'.

Can you afford to ignore China? It's like saying you can afford to ignore the internet. I don't think so.