10 tips on Business and Life from Richard Branson

1. 10
From
Richard Branson
Business
and Life
TIPS ON
LAUNCHYOURGENIUS.COM

2. 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.” ― Business Stripped Bare: Adventures
of a Global Entrepreneur

3. “The best lesson
I learned was to
just do it.”

4. TIP 1. Yes, You Can Do It!
“Life is a helluva lot
more fun if you say
yes rather than no.”

5. The staff at Virgin have a name for
Branson and it is “Dr. Yes.”

6. In the book, Screw it, Let’s
do it:
“I don’t believe that that
little word ‘can’t’ should
stop you.”

7. His strategy and motto in life :
“screw it, let’s do it!”

8. “If you don’t have the right
experience to reach your goal,
look for another way in. Keep
your eyes open. Look and
learn. You don’t have to go to
art school to be a fashion
designer. Join a fashion
company and push a broom.
Work your way up.”

9. “I think because I have great difficulty saying the word,
‘no,’ almost every day’s a different adventure.”

10. TIP 1 Recap:
Yes, You Can Do It!
1. Are you saying no more than
you are saying yes to things.
2. Are you allowing the word
“cannot” to stop you?

11. “I just Love learning. I am
incredibly inquisitive. I love
taking on the status quo and
trying to turn it upside
down.”- TED talk: Life at
30,000 feet
TIP 2. Life is One Long Learning
Process

12. “I have seen life is one long learning
process.”- TED talk: Life at 30,000 feet

13. TIP 2 RECAP:
Life is One Long Learning Process
1. Learn something new
everyday.
2. Be curious and ask questions
about things you do not
understand.

14. Tip 3. Make Your Life a Fun and
Creative Adventure
“You only live once, and I
just don’t want to waste
a minute of my life.”

15. “There is no greater thing you can do with
your life and your work than follow your
passions – in a way that serves the world
and you.”

16. Branson tells a story when he was going to go around
the world in a hot air balloon in 1997. The trip was
considered very risky and he was not sure if he would
return from his adventure.
He wrote a letter to his children that said: “Live life to
the full. Enjoy every minute of it. Love and look after
your mum.”

17. Branson’s life philosophy:
Do not waste any time,
have a lot of fun and
love your family...

18. Tip 3 RECAP.
Make Your Life a Fun and Creative Adventure
1. Are you having fun in your
life?
2. Combine your unique skills
and passions in a way that
serves the world and fulfills
your dreams.

19. “We have a lot of fun and I think the
people who work for it enjoy it. We
go in and shake up a lot of
industries. We do it differently and
industries are not quite the same as
a result of Virgin.”- On his Virgin
group of companies
Tip 4. Work as Play: Make Your Work
and Workplace Fun and Exciting!

20. An inspiring story about making work fun comes from
Branson’s part vacation and fun and part work trip to
Jamaica in 1977.
He came across a new form of music made by the local
DJ’s and was called “toasters” that felt like early rap
music and Branson signed on almost twenty reggae
artists and some toasters...

21. Since Jamaican musicians did not take checks, he had
to sign them up with a case full of cash and went on to
sell many records with them.
This is a great example of Branson’s motto of having a lot
of fun and the money will follow.

22. “Throwing yourself into a job
you enjoy is one of the life’s
greatest pleasures!” ―
Business Stripped Bare:
Adventures of a Global
Entrepreneur

23. Tip 4 RECAP.
Work as Play: Make Your Work and Workplace Fun and Exciting!
1. Infuse funand excitement into
work.
2. Do not be afraid to be creativeand
attempt to do things differently and
push the status quo.

24. Tip 5. Opportunities Are
Everywhere
“Have 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.” -
Screw it, Let’s Do it.’

25. In 1977, on the way to Puerto Rico from
the Virgin Islands, Branson’s flight got
canceled.
He saw that people were looking lost and
were aimlessly wandering around in the
airport.

26. “No one was doing anything. So I did-
someone had to.”
“I chartered a plane for $2000. I divided
that by the number of people. It came to
$39 a head. “
“I borrowed a blackboard and wrote on
it: Virgin Airways. $39 single flight to
Puerto Rico.”

27. And thus was born the idea for an
airline...in the middle of a holiday!

28. Tip 5 Recap.
Opportunities Are Everywhere
1. Great opportunities are
everywhere!
2. Look for opportunities and when
you find them, take a smallstep
forward.

29. Tip 6. Engage Your Creative Talents
“A business has to be
involving, it has to be fun,
and it has to exercise your
creative instincts.”

30. “If you are trying to grow a diverse, creative team, you
don’t need to bring your employees to the Caribbean to
keep them learning.
Invite guest speakers to your office.
Go to events focusing on topics that are not strictly
related to your industry and bring some of your
employees along.”

31. “Watch a few of the many incredible TED talks online.
Remember, one of the best ways to learn is by taking
your team members out of their comfort zone and
embracing new ideas — and you’ll see results.
Focusing on a topic out of the norm can bring renewed
vigor to everyday activities.”

32. 1. Make sure that you and your team
are stretchingbeyond the
comfort zone.
2. Do something newand embrace
novel ideas that get generated by the
collision of old and new ideas.
Tip 6 Recap.
Engage Your Creative Talents

33. Tip 7: Connecting With and
Inspiring Other People
“I learnt early on that If you can
run one company. You can really
run any company. A company is all
about finding the right people and
inspiring those people, drawing
out the best in people.”

34. “ If you treat people well, people will come back for
more. All you have in life is your reputation and it is a
very small world.”

35. “I actually think that the best way of becoming a
successful business leader is dealing with people fairly
and well and like to think that is how we run Virgin.”

36. “There’s a reason why I avoid boardrooms. I’d rather
spend time with people ‘in the field,’ where eye contact,
genuine conviction and trustworthiness are in full
evidence.” - In an interview to the Forbes magazine

37. 1. Connect, upliftand inspire
the people in your work and at
home.
2. Interact with others like they
really matterand attempt to
learn from others.
Tip 7 Recap:
Connecting With and Inspiring Other People

38. “When you’re first
thinking through an idea,
it is important not to get
bogged down in complexity.
Thinking simply and clearly,
is hard to do.”
Tip 8: Keeping it Simple And in
Focus

39. In a recent interview with
Forbes magazine: “If something
can’t be explained off the back
of an envelope, it’s rubbish.”

40. Branson does not care for long and uninteresting
presentations.
Instead, he prefers short and simple pitches and
also the outdoors and unconventional settings.

41. Action Tips:
Keep your plans and goals simpleand
in ready focus.
Try meeting outdoors and/or go for
short and simple pitches.
Tip 8 Recap:
Keeping it Simple And in Focus

42. Tip 9: Every Small Detail Matters and
Makes Up The Entire Experience
“Sometimes a small detail,
such as more transparent
pricing or a friendlier staff,
gave us our edge.”
In a recent article written by him in the Entrepreneur magazine :

43. Branson gives the example of Innocent:
the British Smoothie company
In a recent article written by him in the Entrepreneur magazine :

44. The company’s big picture: Provide
healthy smoothies to everyone in a fun way
and while making the planet a little better.
Big picture is addressed by having the
right structure, choosing the right team
and building relationships.

45. The company also prides itself for
checking even the tiniest details like the
lids on their bottles.
The lids list the “enjoy by” date and not
the “use by” date.

46. Branson carries a notebook with him at
all times to jot down ideas and
conversations with customers and with
employees.

47. “If you’re running an airline, restaurant, or any
other company, it’s attention to detail that
defines great delivery.”

48. Attend to the small details
because it is the details that make up
the big picture.
Keep a small notebook or a digital
application handy to jot down the
details of new ideas.
Tip 9 Recap: Every Small Detail Matters
and Makes Up The Entire Experience

49. “I was dyslexic. I had no understanding
of school work whatsoever. I certainly
would have failed IQ tests. It is one of
the reasons that I left school when I
was 15. If I am not interested in
something, I just don’t grasp it.”
Tip 10: The Secret to Success is
Managing and Learning from Failure

50. In a recent article by him in the Entrepreneur magazine :
Branson says that the three attributes that can make a real
difference to someone’s career are keeping it simple, realizing
that at first you may not succeed and having fun.

51. In a recent article by him in the Entrepreneur magazine :
“Few first ventures work out. It is how a beginning
entrepreneur deals with failure that sets that person apart. In
fact, failure is one of the secrets to success, since some of the
best ideas arise from the ashes of a shuttered business.”

52. Branson tells the story of Dylan Jonsson who is a
chef and started his own restaurant that ended
up failing due to poor planning.
In a recent article by him in the entrepreneur magazine :
Jonsson has since launched “A Thyme to Dine” that
incorporates cooking and catering and also sells 4
types of chocolate balsamic reductions.
Jonsson developed the reductions while he was
running his restaurant that failed to be successful.

53. This quality of finding a winning idea within despair and
failure and developing a skill and idea that can repurposed
and launched as a successful business sets apart the truly
successful from those who fail and give up.
Jonsson’s sauces and drink powders have been picked up
by two chains in South Africa and he is looking to begin
international sales.

54. "I will work day and night to
avoid failure, but if I can't, I'll
pick myself up the next day.
The most important thing for
entrepreneurs is not to be
put off by failure."

55. 1. Develop the habit of managing and learning
from failure.
2. Focus on learning new skills and even if a
venture fails, you may be able to creatively apply
what you have learnt and repurpose it to create
value.
Tip 10 Recap:
The Secret to Success is Managing and Learning from Failure

56. “My interest in life comes
from setting myself huge
apparently unachievable
challenges and trying to rise
above them.”
BONUS TIP: Dream BIG and Be Bold

57. When Branson was four or five, while on a vacation to
the county of Devon in England, his Aunt Joyce bet him 10
shillings that he would not be able to learn to swim by
the time that they returned back.
On the way back home, when he spotted a river, he asked
his dad to stop the car and jumped into the river. After a
bit of a struggle, some kicking and splashing and
swallowing water, he soon began to swim downwards.
He had won the bet and received a 10-shilling note.
Most of the days, the seas were rough and despite all his
attempts at splashing around, he was unable to learn.

58. In an interview to Inc magazine:
"Unless you dream, you're not going to achieve anything."

59. After the huge success of Virgin Atlantic, Branson
dreamed of offering flights into space and Virgin
Galactic will do just that.

60. 1. Live life like it is a daring adventure.
2. You need to have big dreams and
then take the actions towards it to
make it possible.
BONUS TIP Recap: Dream BIG and Be Bold

61. THANK YOU for being such an inspiration!
All Quotes in this presentation from
Richard Branson!

62. SUMMARY
1. Yes, You Can Do It!
2. Life is One Long Learning Process.
3. Make Your Life a Fun and Creative Adventure.
4. Work as Play: Make Your Work and Workplace Fun
and Exciting!
5. Opportunities Are Everywhere.
6. Engage Your Creative Talents.
7. Connect with People and Inspire Them.
8. Keep it Simple And in Focus.
9. The Small Details Do Matter and Make up the Big
Picture.
10. The Secret to Success is Managing and Learning
from Failure.
BONUS TIP: Dream BIG and Be Bold

63. THANK YOU!
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