How Richard Branson Built Virgin Group To A $5.7B Empire - YouTube

His headmaster told him he would either  end up in prison or become a millionaire.  

He was never the one to shine bright in academics,  especially while battling dyslexia and ADHD.  

His determination to succeed and  his will to open doors to diverse  

industries paved his way to becoming a global  icon with a net worth of USD 5.7 Billion.  

At the age of 70, he flew into space on board  Virgin Galactic Unity 22, a suborbital test flight  

for his very own spaceflight company Virgin  Galactic and became the third oldest person  

to fly into space. So, hold on tight we are about  to take off to the world of Richard Branson.  

Three, two, one (insert sound  of a rocket taking off)  

And make sure to stick around until  the end of the video, will tell you  

how one lucky winner can win a book of  Richard Branson of your choice.  

From a young age itself, Richard Branson set  his eyes on becoming an entrepreneur. He  

achieved his dreams at the age of 16 with his  first business venture, a magazine called Student.  

His ideas for entrepreneurship ran wild and  ran free. He was able to see opportunities  

where many sees none. Being dyslexic never  restrained him from striving for growth.  

His energy and hunger for success go unmatched.  His dyslexia stood no chance against him.  

It was his determination that resulted  in him being placed in the Time  

100 Most Influential People in the World. If anyone ever puts you down for having dyslexia,  

don t believe them. Being dyslexic can be a big  advantage, and it has certainly helped me.  

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson was born  in London, in the year 1950 to Eve Branson and  

Edward James Branson. His performance at school  was very poor. He was struggling to keep up.  

However, his parents were supportive  of his learning difficulty.  

He faced ups and downs in school especially since  many were not educated about dyslexia, hence they  

were unable to recognize and guide him through  his learning disability. Instead, his teachers  

simply ruled him out as lazy, couldn t keep up,  and didn t fit in. It was much later in life when  

he found out that he suffered from Dyslexia. He  continued his education until the age of sixteen  

and voluntarily dropped out. He then invested his  time in growing Christmas trees and budgies in an  

attempt at selling to earn a few extra bucks. By 1969, Richard Branson s net worth was estimated  

at 50,000. While maintaining Student, he  worked on a mail-order record business.  

He knew and understood the benefit  of handling the two hand in hand,  

he used the magazine as a source of advertising  popular albums. He even interviewed many prominent  

figures back in the 1960s including Mike Jagger.  This connection between the two investments drove  

his sales through the roof and paved the way for  the opening of his record shop on Oxford Street,  

London. Virgin Records was a huge success and soon  became globally known. In no time the roads ahead  

of him cleared and he went on to become the  world s largest independent record label.  

He found the stepping stones to success It  was one entrepreneurial idea after another.  

Before he knew it, he was cooking up a recipe  to become an international business tycoon.  

What came next for Richard Branson? While  on a trip to Puerto Rico and having his  

flight cancelled, he decided to charter his  flight and offered a trip to the rest of the  

stranded passengers. This was the beginning of  Virgin Atlantic, his airline company. He later  

invested in Virgin Cargo and Virgin Holidays.  In his late 20s he invested in Necker Island,  

located about 100 miles east of Puerto Rico, which  he purchased in the year 1979 for just $180,000,  

he spent over $10 million for renovations  when he transformed it into a luxury resort.  

This is a 74-acre island with white sandy  beaches and spectacular wildlife. This island was  

uninhabited until Richard Branson turned  it into an exclusive luxury resort.  

In the early 1990s, his luck took a break.  Financial troubles multiplied by 1992.  

The company was having trouble staying afloat. To  keep his airline company stable he decided to end  

something very dear to his heart. He ended the  chapter of Virgin Records by selling it to EMI.  

This time was very traumatic for Branson. He  valued Virgin Records deeply as it was the  

initial step to the success of the Virgin Empire  he created. The path to success is a learning  

process. There must be ups and downs. One must  fall and get up. It will always be unpredictable.  

Along with the sale of Virgin Records, a few of  Richard Branson s other ventures came crumbling  

down and collapsed. Virgin Cosmetics, Virgin  Brides, Virgin Publishing, Virgin Clothing,  

and Virgin Cola. He admits that his greatest  failure was Virgin Cola and not knocking Coca-Cola  

off their pedestal . Even though this was a  mentally challenging period for Richard Branson,  

he still vividly saw opportunities that no  one else saw at first glance. The global  

icon re-entered with new businesses including  Virgin Radio, Virgin Money, Virgin Mobile,  

Virgin Active, Virgin Trains and many more. "I suppose the secret to bouncing back is not  

only to be unafraid of failures but to use  them as motivational and learning tools.  

There's nothing wrong with making mistakes as  long as you don't make the same ones repeatedly."  

Never did he hide from failure, instead he  found learning opportunities in his thirst for  

achievement. This quality in him is what made him  iconic. His surprising attitude towards failure  

is what makes him Richard Branson. After the setback, he soon began pushing through  

in search of clear skies. Searching for the  sweet smell of success by removing obstacles and  

jumping hurdles and racing to the very top.  He reached so far and beyond and grabbed at  

an opportunity like no other Space Tourism. Virgin Galactic, taking paying passengers to  

suborbital outer space. This business venture is  another clear example of how this global icon is  

the risk-taker we could never be. In 2014, the  first test flight destroyed the original ship  

but He has a dream of exploring space and  wants to include as many individuals as he can  

to bring along for the ride among the stars. "I was once a kid with a dream looking up to the  

stars, and now I m an adult in a spaceship  looking back to our beautiful Earth."  

Richard Branson, this iconic business  magnate, how did someone suffering from  

dyslexia achieve so much in life? What  is his secret to riding high and above?  

Screw it. Let s do it. Have an idea, have a  dream, and work for it. Strive for its success.  

Make it happen. Also, in one of his books, Branson  confirmed that even though Winston Churchill  

and John F. Kennedy's oratory skills were lauded,  their achievements were far greater. Indeed,  

Branson believes that these great men were also  great listeners. Listening, in Branson's opinion,  

is a woefully undervalued skill and the hallmark  of many excellent leaders. The untold secret of  

business success is the ability to truly listen.  Having grown up with dyslexia, I learned very  

early in life that if I wanted to take anything in  then I had to force myself to listen intently.  

Sometimes, if you see an amazing opportunity, but  there is a stubborn obstacle in the way, you have  

to think creatively to get around it. There is  no doubt he is the ultimate daredevil in today  

s world. In 1986, he aimed to achieve the fastest  Atlantic crossing by ship in his Virgin Atlantic  

Challenger II. He beat the record by two hours.  In 1991, he broke the record for crossing the  

Pacific from Japan to Arctic Canada in a hot air  balloon. In 2004, he was able to set a record for  

the fastest crossing of the English Channel from  England to France in an amphibious vehicle.  

He is an inventor, an author and  an adventurer. The founder of the  

Virgin Group now owns more than 400 companies in  multiple industries. He opened multiple new doors  

when one closed on him. He accepted his  disability and turned it into a superpower.  

Make sure to comment down below, how Richard  Branson inspired you for today s giveaway.  

Winner will be announced on next week s video. Thanks for watching. See you in the next video.