He is dyslexic, which if you read Malcolm Gladwell's latest book you'd be convinced is not so much a hindrance as a surmountable obstacle that bestows upon its sufferers useful traits, like an ability to work hard, negotiate and think outside the box. By struggling to read and understand what was going on in school, he didn't achieve the sort of success early on you might have expected from someone of his stature.
He grew up with a very strict mother and a slightly easier father; at age 15, he convinced them to let him drop out of school to start a magazine. This would be the first of over 400 companies he's started during his life. A funny story he told was years after he left school, and had made a little money, the headmaster came calling for a donation, in the hopes of building a new girls dormitory. Not having enjoyed his time at the school very much, Branson said he'd only give if he could name the dorm after his company. (Virgin, for the slow ones.) Needless to say, the headmaster stopped calling.
The magazine taught him the art of survival and from there he was off. His airline was started almost on a lark - needing to get somewhere quickly (I think he said he had to meet a beautiful woman somewhere outside of driving distance), his only hope was to charter a private plane, which at the time he could barely afford to do. He set up a sign in the airport selling seats on his chartered ride for $29, and sold them all in almost no time. His interest piqued, he called up Boeing to inquire about how to buy a used 747, and Virgin Airlines was born.
He battled the incumbent British Airways incessantly, leading to this epic stunt:
I was woken up at 5.30am one morning to be told that the BA-sponsored London Eye had a technical problem - they couldn't erect it.They had the world's press waiting to see it going up and I knew we had a duty to give them something to look at. We had an airship company just outside London so we scrambled a blimp and the end result was an airship flying over the wheel bearing the slogan 'BA Can't Get It Up'!!
His business philosophies are refreshing. His entire goal in any business endeavor he starts or joins is to make his customers lives better, and at the end of the day to be proud of his products. He's heavily philanthropic and noted that business leaders can and should do more to tackle the problems of the world. After all, personal freedom comes from economic freedom. He talked a lot about the importance of resolving conflicts before they escalate out of control and into lose-lose situations for all of the parties involved. He was actually part of an envoy set to visit Saddam Hussein to encourage him to acquiesce and cooperate on the verge of the US invasion in 2003. Sadly, that meeting was just a few days late - the bombing started the day before they were set to fly in.
It's not hard to see why he's so successful. He leads from a position of warmth and openness - he espouses the virtues of praising his employees and celebrating their successes rather than becoming angry at their failures. Clearly, with the wide array of ventures he's got going at any one time, he needs to be a good delegator and surround himself with good people.
You may have heard about his space travel company, called Virgin Galatic. That might be the last frontier he has yet to conquer - and you can join him too! (for the low, low price of $250,000.)
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