Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group
On Tuesday, September 24th, I had the opportunity to meet and interview a lifelong hero and role model of mine, Sir Richard Branson. As a child, one of the first books I read was Who Is Richard Branson? The book follows Sir Branson’s young life and career as an entrepreneur whose dyslexia never limits his potential or his dreams. The book, which quickly became a favorite, motivated me to follow my own dreams and pursue a career in the aviation industry. I have been inspired by Sir Branson’s passion, ingenuity, and out of box thinking and admire his resilience.
Sir Branson is a visionary entrepreneur who has started three airlines: Virgin Atlantic (1984), Virgin Australia (1999), and Virgin America (2004). Throughout his career he has founded over 400 companies, including the Virgin Group which he founded in 1968. In addition to his portfolio of companies, Sir Branson spends considerable time supporting Virgin Unite, the entrepreneurial foundation of the Virgin Group and advocating for causes that will help create a better world. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Joshua Kupietzky: As a young child in fourth grade, my mom read me the book Who Is Richard Branson? and after listening to the book, I knew I wanted to follow in your footsteps and be an entrepreneur with a passion and focus for the aviation industry. As someone who has shared his personal life path living with Dyslexia, can you give any advice on how you have been so successful, especially in the aviation industry given your learning challenges and struggles in the education system?
Richard Branson: I have followed my dreams. I have started businesses out of frustration, so I have seen something not being run very well by other people, and I just thought, 'screw it' let's see if we can do it better than other people doing it. The only way I can do that is to find really good people with a lot of experience to run it. So, I surround myself with extraordinary people, and then I get on and give it a go.
JK: I understand from your book Finding My Virginity that your impetus to open an airline was because of your frustrating experience flying from Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands. After being bumped from the American Airlines flight you hired a plane and filled your first plane with all of the other passengers that were bumped from the flight. Since you started Virgin Atlantic, it has consistently been one of the most innovative airlines. From being one of the first to offer lie flat seats and a premium economy product you have often anticipated what the market is looking for. How do you think your Dyslexia thinking has helped you become such a visionary in the aviation industry?
RB: Being a stickler for detail is very important. The big picture is obviously essential, but getting all the details right is really important. I think it is always worthwhile to carry a notebook and write things down because for me there are a lot of things going on in my mind, and if I don’t write things down, I won’t get them done. If you can get those little details sorted, you can have an excellent company. If you don’t get those details sorted, you shrug your shoulders and leave them to fester, then your company becomes very average. We are competing with Virgin Atlantic [against] companies where the Chairman, I don’t think, flies on his airplanes very much, and they do not write down things and get things fixed.
JK: You have started over 400 companies ranging from airlines to hotels to most recently a cruise line, and all of your innovations have primarily revolved around enhancing the customer’s experience. What are some lessons from your business experience for entrepreneurs trying to carve out a specific niche?
RB: One has to keep one's eyes open. You just have to keep your eyes open for things that frustrate you and where you think you can do something better. If you're interested in starting a business and you think that something is not being done that well, then you have an opportunity to start a business to do it better. Keep your eyes open for opportunities.
JK: Out of all your businesses, is aviation still your favorite?
RB: Virgin Atlantic will always be our baby, she has grown to be 40 years old now. New projects are a bit like a new child in that you must give them time and energy. Our latest venture has been our cruise company, Virgin Voyages, and it has been through COVID and had a hard birth, so we spend quite a bit of time on the newer companies. But I also spend most of my time working with our non-for-profit to address issues in this world which are worthwhile and need resolving.
JK: What do you think is the next big thing in the aviation industry? How do you envision AI technologies disrupting or enhancing the marketplace?
RB: The most exciting breakthrough would help us get to net zero emissions by 2050 even faster. Some breakthrough on clean fuel where it can be made in quantity and be affordable. Those are the areas where we really hope to see breakthroughs.
JK: Throughout the years Virgin has demonstrated a unique ability to innovate and excite using unique marketing tactics. One of my favorites is the 1999 London Eye/ British Airways advertisement campaign for Virgin. The marketing line poked fun at BA's inability to open the London Eye. Where do these out of the box ideas come from and how did this specific campaign come about?
RB: I got a telephone call at 06:30 one morning saying that BA [British Airways] had problems erecting the giant wheel [London Eye] opposite the House of Commons. We happened to own an airship company, so we thought, 'Let's be cheeky.' The airship company was only an hour from London, so they managed to get the banner onto it very quickly and make the whole world smile.
