If you find yourself stuck in the middle there is only one way to go, forward.

The best advice I ever received? Simple: Have no regrets.

If you're hurt, lick your wounds and get up again. If you've given it your absolute best, it's time to move forward.

Seek out strategic alliances; they are essential to growth and provide resistance to bigger competition.

It can be a challenge not to let failure, or negativity from others, prevent you from going after what you believe in and what in your gut you know can work. However it is important to face these challenges head on and give them a go and importantly don't beat yourself up if you fail - just pick yourself up, learn as much as you can from the experience and get on with the next challenge.

All successful people - not just entrepreneurs - have got things wrong over and over again before finding the right solution.

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'.