Look, I think that when we started Virgin Atlantic 30 years ago, we had one 747 competing with the airlines that had an average of 300 planes each. Every single one of those have gone bankrupt because they didn't have customer service. They had might, but they didn't have customer service, so customer service is everything in the end.
Richard BransonWe all know about the big world conflicts: Israel and Palestine, Zimbabwe, and so on. But there are smaller conflicts that aren't even on the world's radar screen; most of the world has no idea that Ethiopia invaded Somalia a year ago. It makes sense for the Elders to sit down with both sides and see whether leaders can come to an understanding.
Richard BransonRed tape will often get in your way. It's one of the reasons I often carry scissors!
Richard BransonWhat's the quickest way to become a millionaire? Borrow fivers off everyone you meet.
Richard BransonGlobal warming is another big area that we need to get on top of. And diseases in Africa, which we're also working on and seeing if we can make a difference on. And there are lots of issues that governments seem to be blind about.
Richard BransonI never went into business to make money, but I have found that if I have fun, the money will come.
Richard BransonThere's no better satisfaction than watching the people around you, who have worked day and night to get something right, realising the dream.
Richard BransonYou shouldn’t blindly accept a leader’s advice. You’ve got to question leaders on occasion.
Richard BransonI definitely go on gut instinct but it has always had the back up of research and information.
Richard BransonEntrepreneurship is about turning what excites you in life into capital, so that you can do more of it and move forward with it.
Richard BransonWhat's the most critical factor in any business decision you'll ever have to make? Basically, it boils down to this question: If this all crashes, will it bring the whole house tumbling down like a pack of cards? One business matra remains embedded in my brain - protect the downside.
Richard BransonI set up this magazine called Student when I was 16, and I didn't do it to make money - I did it because I wanted to edit a magazine. There wasn't a national magazine run by students, for students. I didn't like the way I was being taught at school. I didn't like what was going on in the world, and I wanted to put it right.
Richard BransonIf young people do see me as an example (I'm very flattered if they do!) I hope it is as someone who will go out there and live life to the full.
Richard BransonI am a great believer that you need passion and energy to create a truly successful business. Remember many new businesses do not make it and running a business will be a tough experience, involving long hours and many hard decisions - it helps to have that passion to keep you going.
Richard BransonYou can't do a good business with a bad person. Find the right people to work with and you can't go wrong.
Richard BransonWe're going where no one has gone before. There's no model to follow, nothing to copy. That is what makes this so exciting.
Richard BransonFlowers flourish when they're watered, and shrivel up when they're not. People are no different. The best leaders are the ones who look for the best in people.
Richard BransonWe should focus on what people get done, not on how many hours or days worked. Just as we don't have a nine-to-five policy, we don't need a vacation policy.
Richard BransonI am a believer in trying to treat people properly and trying to respond and making sure that I find the time to be courteous.
Richard BransonI have always believed that the only way to cope with a cash crisis is not to contract but to try to expand out of it.
Richard BransonI never learned the rules in the first place. To change the game is at the heart of what Virgin stands for, so the company culture has always been: "Don't sweat it: rules were meant to be broken."
Richard BransonI felt uneasy about making the rapid decisions I have always made, and wondered whether every decision should be formally ratified and minuted at a board meeting.
Richard BransonHave fun, work hard and money will come. Don't waste time - grab your chances. Have a positive outlook on life. When it's not fun, move on.
Richard BransonIf we can just get young people to do the same as their fathers did, that is, wear condoms
Richard BransonI truly believe that capitalism was created to help people live better lives, but sadly over the years it has lost its way a bit. The short-term focus on profit has driven most businesses to forget about the important long-term role they have in taking care of people and the planet.
Richard BransonGood people have always been at the heart of the Virgin business, and that's largely because we have tried to keep our business small, and our management teams tight-knit. I feel that small, compact companies, are better run. That is partly because people feel more connected in small companies.
Richard BransonI believe a great company, whether improving a sector or creating a new one, needs to have an excellent product or service at its core; needs strong management to execute the plan and a good brand to give it the edge over its competitors. Providing quality service, combined with value for money and in an innovative way ensures you offer real value - and finally to be responsible to society and the planet.
Richard BransonWe believe that within five years, 96 percent of British consumers will have access to the Internet, whether it be through a personal computer, a set-top box or a mobile phone.
Richard BransonDon't think about making money, think about making a difference, spot where others are doing it badly and do it better
Richard BransonMany assume my business success has brought me happiness. But the way I see it, I am successful because I am happy.
Richard BransonAll 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.
Richard BransonGiving back has to do with the way I was brought up and the fact that I've traveled widely and seen terrible situations in the world. To sleep well at night, those of us who are in a position to help must address these situations. I'd get far greater satisfaction out of, say, walking into a hospital I'd built in South Africa than I would by sitting on a beach. I'm fortunate enough to be in a position to make a difference, and I don't want to waste that. I suspect I was also lucky to have parents who drove me from a young age.
Richard BransonThe ability to bounce back after a setback is the single most important trait an entrepreneurial venture can possess.
Richard BransonYou get the idea. Every business, like a painting, operates according to its own rules. There are many ways to run a successful company. What works once may never work again. What everyone tells you never to do may just work, once. There are no rules. You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over, and it's because you fall over that you learn to save yourself from falling over. It's the greatest thrill in the world and it runs away screaming at the first sight of bullet points.
Richard BransonTo achieve consistently terrific customer service, you must hire wonderful people who believe in your company's goals, habitually do better than the norm and who will love their jobs; make sure that their ideas and opinions are heard and respected; then give them the freedom to help and solve problems for your customers. Rather than providing rules or scripts, you should ask them to treat the customer as they themselves would like to be treated - which is surely the highest standard.
Richard Branson