The years I would have spent at University, I spent building Student Magazine and Virgin Records. For me that was far more fun and satisfying. I have treated everyday as the University education I never had and think I learnt more about business and life than I would have at University in the process.
Richard BransonAs people's access to the internet grows we're seeing the sharing economy boom - I think our obsession with ownership is at a tipping point and the sharing economy is part of the antidote for that.
Richard BransonI think a lot of becoming an entrepreneur is something which people have to learn just from getting out there and giving it a go, and having to learn the art of survival.
Richard BransonAlthough my spelling is still sometimes poor, I have managed to overcome the worst of my difficulties through training myself to concentrate.
Richard BransonBrands always mean something. If you don't define what the brand means, your competitors will
Richard BransonYou see, it's essential that one of us stays awake during the flight [ballon]. So, rather than using the comfortable Virgin seats which we used to cross the Atlantic, we've asked British Airways for two of theirs.
Richard BransonWe will be producing supersonic planes which will go far, far faster than Concordes. New York to Tokyo could be less than an hour. You could be traveling at 19,000 miles an hour orbitally.
Richard BransonI've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests with ZERO-G [a charter-flight service in Arlington, Va., that uses modified Boeing 727s to simulate weightlessness], which went great.
Richard BransonI believe in myself. I believe in the hands that work, in the brains that think, and in the hearts that love.
Richard BransonIn 30 years time, as technology moves forward even further, people are going to look back and wonder why offices ever existed.
Richard BransonComplexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to keep things simple.
Richard BransonIf you get into entrepreneurshi p driven by profit, you are a lot more likely to fail. The entrepreneurs who succeed usually want to make a difference to people’s lives, not just their own bank balances. The desire to change things for the better is the motivation for taking risks and pursuing seemingly impossible business ideas.
Richard BransonYou can never go too far wrong by thinking like a customer who’s new to the business.
Richard BransonIf you spot an opportunity and are really excited by it, throw yourself into it with everything you've got.
Richard BransonI learnt from an early age this need to delegate responsibility out to other team members as there is just too much for one person to do themselves. What is the point of hiring talented team members if you don't give them the freedom to make the most of the chance you have given them?
Richard BransonBeing dyslexic can actually help in the outside world. I see some things clearer than other people do because I have to simplify things to help me and that has helped others.
Richard BransonAs much as you need a strong personality to build a business from scratch, you also must understand the art of delegation. I have to be good at helping people run the individual businesses, and I have to be willing to step back. The company must be set up so it can continue without me.
Richard BransonThe best advice I could give anyone is to spend your time working on whatever you are passionate about in life.
Richard BransonI was trouble - and always in trouble. Aged eight I still couldn't read. In fact, I was dyslexic and short-sighted. Despite sitting at the front of the class, I couldn't read the blackboard. Only after a couple of terms did anyone think to have my eyes tested. Even when I could see, the letters and numbers made no sense at all.
Richard BransonUniversities are fantastic places to gain knowledge on a subject, develop a personal network, explore your character and learn new techniques to approach problems. I do however believe that there is a strong argument for students who have an idea they are passionate about to just try and turn it into a reality. I fell into this category and I don't regret not going to University.
Richard BransonWhat can you do to make a difference? And why should you do it? (...) the scale of one's social investments doesn't matter. What matters is that you operate as a force for good at every scale available to you.
Richard BransonThe idea that business is strictly a numbers affair has always struck me as preposterous. For one thing, I've never been particularly good at numbers, but I think I've done a reasonable job with feelings. And I'm convinced that it is feelings - and feelings alone - that account for the success of the Virgin brand in all of its myriad forms.
Richard BransonIf you do something for fun and create the best possible product, then the profit will come.
Richard BransonHave passion for what you do; believe in yourself and your product and your customer; persevere; delegate; listen. Have fun. Today, I add: "Do good".
Richard BransonMy number one rule in business, and in life, is to enjoy what you do. Running a business involves long hours and hard decisions; if you don't have the passion to keep you going, your business will more than likely fail. If you don't enjoy what you are doing, then you shouldn't be doing it.
Richard BransonPublicity is absolutely critical. A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad.
Richard BransonI've been taught not to have any regrets. If we were to add up all of the hours spent regretting mistakes and use that time to develop new ideas, who knows how many brilliant new businesses would be created.
Richard BransonWe will eventually build space science labs and hotels, prodding the capability for missions beyond the orbit of the Earth. Our space-hotel guests will be able to take breath-taking excursions, flying a couple of hundred feet above the Moon's surface in small two-man spaceships. In time, we will launch missions to Mars and beyond.
Richard Branson