Business is what concerns us. If you care about something enough to do something about it, you're in business

Please be polite. Nothing in life should erode the habit of saying thank you to people or praising them.

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 believe in goals. It's never a bad thing to have a dream. If something is really what you want to do, just do it. Whatever your goal.

Most of our businesses do succeed, but if something completely fails, then as long as we bow out gracefully and pay off all our debts, and nobody gets hurt, then I don't think people disrespect Virgin for trying. The public appreciates someone having a go; it appreciates the attempt. Who's been a success in life who hasn't failed?

In the same way that I tend to make up my mind about people within thirty seconds of meeting them, I also make up my mind about whether a business proposal excites me within about thirty seconds of looking at it. I rely far more on gut instinct than researching huge amounts of statistics.

Listen more than you talk. Nobody learned anything by hearing themselves speak.