Author @richardbranson
About 10 years ago, I first read Virgin Group CEO Richard Branson’s Autobiography “Losing My Virginity” (great title) which tells the unbelievably fun story of Richard’s life. From the time he was young his parents and family urged him to take chances, and rewarded him handsomely for it. In fact it looks like the whole world has.
He grew up during the tumultuous sixties when young people were doing lots of daring bold things, especially when it came to politics and civil rights. After a few small scale business operations (like a plan to selling Christmas trees) young Richard and some friends put together Student, a magazine catering to students of all ages across England. I won’t tell the whole story here (too much fun to water down), but that first business led to Virgin Records, and ultimately the whole multibillion dollar Virgin Group many years later. Richard Branson maintained the same look, the same optimism (even against the dirtiest, toughest rivals) the whole way. The Virgin Group now comprises 400 companies ranging from Airlines, to Bridal Gowns, to Comic Books and Spaceships. From a branding perspective there is nothing consistent about any of the Virgin brand products. Nothing. But in everything they do, they are cheeky and fun. It defies MBA logic.
A few takeaways from Sir Richard Branson (Knighted in 1999) himself:
◦ Get off your ass (or arse). Stop fantasizing and start doing it!
◦ Pick up the phone and call potential customers. Most people never do this very basic thing. Go through a phone book, and call people asking for money. This is how the magazine got its first customers (ad buyers)
◦ Do whatever you have to do, take whatever low-paying job just to get close to interesting people who you admire. Even if it means pushing a broom around an Art Gallery. It’s worth it. You can work your way up.
◦ Keep Trying and Never Ever Give up.
◦ Never devote your entire life to money. Friends and Family are the real goods. Money is for making things happen. And often that just means sharing it with people you love, and giving to charity.
◦ Taking risks doesn’t have to be a stupid idea or something you only do when you’re drunk. Work out the odds and take smart risks. Even when Branson slipped up, his odds were good.
◦ When Richard Branson gets serious about something, he gets fun about it. And that’s defined the very core of the Virgin brand.
In many ways, this book is a re-hash of the Bio I read 10 years ago. But with some very significant changes. Yes there are dozens of delightful anecdotes about how Richard got himself into and out of trouble. Yes there are fun stories about his adolescence, and the creative way he found the ultimate apartment (hint: houseboating for two). But ever since Al Gore got up on stage and revealed the fruits of his 30+ years of research, the world has been a different place.
Like the Bill Gates Sr. book, there’s alot here about Philanthropy and taking care of the world as a whole.
I remember hearing about the Greenhouse Effect when I was a young boy. I didn’t know what it was, I thought it was something magic. When I played with my friends, we’d run around the house shooting imaginary guns “Watch out! The Greenhouse effect is behind you, oh no!” Here we are 20 years later, and those words are a little more eerie.
Richard Branson has turned the company on its head to fight the Carbon Emmissions crisis (Global Warming/Climate Change). After all, with Virgin Atlantic (and all his other airlines) he’s partly responsible for burning all that fuel. They’ve come up with innovative technologies to greatly reduce emissions. Same goes for their trains, Virgin Rail.
Which brings me to one of the smartest ideas I’ve heard in years: Gaia Capitalism. Obviously the idea of profit and green awareness are not new (since I’m working in an Environmental company, I should think so), but those two things have always seemed to be at odds. The general public figures that certain things are luxuries, and certain things are necessities. Just last week I was listening to an American talk show where the ‘Right side’ was declaring the Environment a luxury the Americans could not afford to concern themselves with. You know, because of the Economic Crisis. Scary stuff.
The brilliance of Gaia Capitalism is that it doesn’t try to rely on the Charity of others, or even the non-profit motive. Gaia Capitalism aims to make great profits for shareholders, all the while taking care of the environment in every aspect of its business. As Branson puts it, “Do no harm.” In so doing, Gaia Capitalism demands that companies make healthy profits, or else they’ll soon go bust, and another more profitable company, with zero regard for the environment will move in and take over. We really are fighting bad guys with this stuff. As such it demands everything of marketing departments and R&D departments to pull together and make a profit while respecting and protecting the environment.
Before I get too heavy for a book about one of the funnest coolest people on the planet, I just want to end it off with a note on family (if you haven’t read my Bill Gates Sr. review, check it out). Once again, we see an amazing family tree full of courage, tenacity and innovation. The stories of how Richard Branson’s mother got into the British Air are just brilliant. Time and time again Richard comes back to his parents and family for help, advice, money, support. I just checked Branson’s Twitter page, and in the background you can see three things: his mom, his dad, and his latest Spaceship. Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean a damn thing if you’re not sharing it with people you love.
