The success story of Richard Branson

Richard Branson – (Sir Richard Branson actually!) is the British Entrepreneur, most famous for his publicity stunts and founding Virgin Atlantic Airways. How has he become so successful? Was it his likeable personality and ability to entertain, a bit of good luck, hard work or a combination of all those qualities, as well as many others?

Sir Richard Branson is a British entrepreneur, famous for his Virgin brand of over 200 companies. Today, his worth is estimated at over US$7.8 billion according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2006.

Sir Richard's first successful business was at age 16, when he dropped out of secondary school and moved to London to set up a magazine called Student. His next business, a record mail-order company, led to his big break: a chain of record stores called Virgin Megastores, now with over 100 stores worldwide.

Branson's Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s when he set up Virgin Atlantic Airways. Other brands that have followed since include Virgin Cola, Virgin Vodka, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Finance, Virgin Brides, Virgin Cinema and over a hundred others.

Not all of Sir Richard’s ventures have been a success: Virgin Trains damaged the company’s reputation, as they inherited many of the problems left over from British Rail. He also had to sell Virgin Records in 1992 to keep his airline alive: a move he regretted, resulting in the launch of V2 Records a few years later.

Other interesting facts about Sir Richard:

- Virgin Galactic plans to make flights to outer space available to the public with tickets priced at US$200,000.

- His company is called Virgin, because Sir Richard and the other co-founders were all “virgins to business”

- He owns Necker Island, a 74-acre island in the British Virgin Islands.

- He has been involved in a number of world record-breaking attempts for oceans crossings by both boat and hot air balloon.

- He had a reality TV show called The Rebel Billionaire

- The Simpson's have based a character on Sir Richard

- He was knighted in 1999 for "services to entrepreneurship"

- Sir Richard appears at No. 85 on the 2002 BBC list of "100 Greatest Britons"

- Sir Richard was ranked in 2007's Time Magazine Top 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Zenvo's ST1 – The First Danish Supercar

Danish company Zenvo Automotive has apparently close to entering the final phases of testing its first all-Danes' designed supercar, codenamed the ST1.

According to Zenvo, the project was birthed way back in 2004, and the ST1 will go into a limited production of 15 in 2009. This is no ordinary Danish cookie: the rear-wheel-drive ST1 hides a turbocharged and super-charged 7.0-liter V8 engine, mid-mounted, and capable of 1,104bhp with an electronically top speed of 233mph.

Zenvo claims that the ST1 clocked a 0-62mph (0-100km/h) sprint during its first performance test in 3.2 seconds in early October this year, (apparently, that still falls short of the Danish company’s goal of a flat three seconds).

The subsequent 0-124mph (0-200km/h) run chalked up 8.9s. That record should not worry the likes of the Bugatti Veyron or the SSC Ultimate Aero, but for a first shot at producing its own supercar, Zenvo has certainly scored a Danish delight.

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Network Your Way to the Movers and Shakers

Why are race car drivers able to drive so fast? Because they’re all professionals who have been trained to drive their cars that way. So they can pretty much count on every other driver to behave in a certain way.

If you want to move up fast in your career, you need to learn how other people rose to their position. The best way to do that is to get to know them so you can find out first hand how they did it.

So how do you get to know these movers and shakers? Network your way to them!

How do you do that? Here’s a six-step plan to meet the right people.

#1 – Who are they?
You may know this already. If you don’t, it’s the first thing you’ll want to do – determine who you should get to know. Who has succeeded at what you want to do? Who are the people at the top of your chosen craft?

#2 – Do some research
What can you learn about the person you want to meet? What has been written about them? Have they written anything about themselves? What is their particular area of expertise? What are their concerns about the industry? Where do they see the opportunities? What are their strategies? How did they get where they are?

The internet is a wonderful tool for finding the answers to these questions. But don’t stop there – check out trade magazines and other industry sources that may not be fully archived on line.

#3 – Who do you know who knows them?
Once again, the internet comes into play. Are they on any social media sites? If so, do you have any common connections? If this doesn’t work, ask the people you know. Be patient and keep networking.

#4 – Ask for an introduction
Once you find someone who knows them, ask them to introduce you to the person you want to meet. This can be done in any number of ways, but most likely it will be in some form of electronic communication. Of course, if you can meet them in person (e.g. at a conference), that’s even better.

Bonus tip #1: Industry functions are a great way to meet movers and shakers. They’re leading discussions or are participating on panels about the important issues faced by your industry. Approach them after the session and exchange business cards.

#5 – Follow-up

Now you’re ready to contact them. Here’s what you want to do with this initial communication …

Ask them a good question.

Make it a question about something in which you know they’re interested. Ask for their advice. Keep it short. Make sure it doesn’t require a lengthy answer, but does beg for something more than a “yes” or “no”. By doing this, you start a conversation that can be ongoing.

#6 – Impress them
When they respond to you, the most important thing you can do is to thank them for their help. Then give it some time and report back on what you’ve learned by taking their advice or studying the issue you questioned some more.

Once again, keep it short. And ask them another question to keep building the relationship.

Bonus tip #2: If there is something you learn they’re interested in (e.g. their hobby) and you find an interesting article, pass it on to them. And keep it at that … no business on this go-around.

Want to be a mover and shaker? Then get to know the movers and shakers in your field.

What is luxury? To some it is just a word, to others an impossible dream or an everyday expectation. Often it’s a promise that is never quite delivered - why?

Everyone’s idea of luxury is different. For you it may be the roar of a Ferrari’s V12 on an Alpine pass, or dinner prepared by a Michelin starred chef aboard a mega-yacht, gently lit by a glorious sunset. For others luxury can be simplicity itself, like having the time to reread that favourite novel on a secluded beach.