You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.
Richard Branson
If you want to be a Millionaire, start with a billion dollars and launch a new airline.
Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.
Business opportunities are like buses, there's always another one coming.
Overcoming fear is the first step to success for entrepreneurs. The winners all exemplify that, and the hard work and commitment they have shown underlines what is needed to set up a business.
I've been very passionate about renewable energy for many years, particularly solar energy and its capacity to bring abundant clean, sustainable energy to millions around the globe.
Being a good listener is absolutely critical to being a good leader; you have to listen to the people who are on the front line.
My attitude has always been, if you fall flat on your face, at least you're moving forward. All you have to do is get back up and try again.
A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.
Those who know me know I'm passionate about lists, and top of my list of priorities is my family. My wife Joan and I do not consider our legacy to our children to be wealth or fame but the opportunity to pursue happiness by following their own path.
Treat failure as a lesson on how not to approach achieving a goal, and then use that learning to improve your chances of success when you try again. Failure is only the end if you decide to stop.
Material things are delightful, but they're not important.
Fun is one of the most important - and underrated - ingredients in any successful venture. If you're not having fun, then it's probably time to call it quits and try something else.
Right now I'm just delighted to be alive and to have had a nice long bath.
I believe in benevolent dictatorship provided I am the dictator.
By putting the employee first, the customer effectively comes first by default, and in the end, the shareholder comes first by default as well.
Too many people measure how successful they are by how much money they make or the people that they associate with. In my opinion, true success should be measured by how happy you are.
From my very first day as an entrepreneur, I've felt the only mission worth pursuing in business is to make people's lives better.
On one of my last days at school, the headmaster said I would either end up in prison or become a millionaire. That was quite a startling prediction, but in some respects, he was right on both counts!
My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them.
To me, business isn't about wearing suits or pleasing stockholders. It's about being true to yourself, your ideas and focusing on the essentials.
All you have in business is your reputation - so it's very important that you keep your word.
If you're embarking around the world in a hot-air balloon, don't forget the toilet paper.
One thing is certain in business. You and everyone around you will make mistakes.
A passionate belief in your business and personal objectives can make all the difference between success and failure. If you aren't proud of what you're doing, why should anybody else be?
There's nothing like the endorphins from being fit, and the incredible endorphin rush that goes with that.
The art of delegation is one of the key skills any entrepreneur must master.
A good leader doesn't get stuck behind a desk.
An exceptional company is the one that gets all the little details right. And the people out on the front line, they know when things are not going right, and they know when things need to be improved. And if you listen to them, you can soon improve all those niggly things which turns an average company into an exceptional company.
The true cost to the world of a burger is far greater than the money you hand over to buy it.
At Virgin, we have always backed the power of the entrepreneur and inventor to find solutions to tricky problems. Why should climate change and the battle against carbon be any different?
I was dyslexic, I had no understanding of schoolwork whatsoever. I certainly would have failed IQ tests. And it was one of the reasons I left school when I was 15 years old. And if I - if I'm not interested in something, I don't grasp it.
I love the freedom of movement that my phone gives me. That has definitely transformed my life.
A complaint is a chance to turn a customer into a lifelong friend. I say that seriously, not as some press release baloney.
My general attitude to life is to enjoy every minute of every day. I never do anything with a feeling of, 'Oh God, I've got to do this today.'
An important priority for me is a business must get their own house in order. Be or become an agent of positive change in your own enterprise and adopt responsible practices to eliminate the risks that often lie at the root of inequality and poverty.
I love to dance, but my children tell me I shouldn't. Can't see why.
The balloons only have one life and the only way of finding out whether they work is to attempt to fly around the world.
I nearly failed when Virgin was in its infancy; I nearly failed in the early 1980s, and, of course, I have nearly died more than once trying to achieve a world record for boating or ballooning. But through a combination of luck and planning, both Virgin and I are still here.
I love travelling full stop - so while I've had some harrowing instances, I never look at them negatively. Memories are made when you're travelling - not when you're chained to your desk.
It's a common misconception that money is every entrepreneur's metric for success. It's not, and nor should it be.
Taking bold action on climate change simply makes good business sense. It's also the right thing to do for people and the planet. Setting a net-zero GHG emissions target by 2050 will drive innovation, grow jobs, build prosperity, and secure a better world for what will soon be 9 billion people.
We're one of the only animals in the world that don't really think of ourselves as animals, but we are animals, and we must respect our fellow animals.
Especially when you're at a high level in an organization, criticism can be devastating to an employee. I prefer to praise employees for what they're doing right, and it tends to lead to them doing more of the same. Not always, but it's the way I choose to bet.
And you know, I've had great fun turning quite a lot of different industries on their head and making sure those industries will never be the same again, because Virgin went in and took them on.
I read everything, but generally more fact than fiction - especially autobiographies and biographies. I've read 'Long Walk to Freedom' by Nelson Mandela at least twice on holiday. Every time, I'm totally awed by his vision, strength and forgiveness. I feel honoured to have got to know him and his wonderful wife Graca over the years.
The music industry is a strange combination of having real and intangible assets: pop bands are brand names in themselves, and at a given stage in their careers their name alone can practically gaurantee hit records.
The jet stream is a very strong force and pushing a balloon into it is like pushing up against a brick wall, but once we got into it, we found that, remarkably, the balloon went whatever speed the wind went.
Most people would assume my business success, and the wealth that comes with it, have brought me happiness. But I know I am successful, wealthy, and connected because I am happy.
I don't think so, in that Virgin is already a global brand. Brands like Amazon have had to spend hundreds of millions of pounds you know, building their brands, whereas Virgin is already well-known around the world.
