Follow your dreams, believe in your ideas and have a sofa in the kitchen - Richard Branson reveals his top 10 tips for business success
Richard Branson has unveiled his top 10 tips for success and they include following your dreams, believing in your ideas, not giving up and having a sofa in the kitchen.
After leaving school at the age of 16 Branson set up Student Magazine with one of his friends and went on to start the Virgin empire with Virgin Records in the 1970s, before launching Virgin Atlantic in the 1980s and Virgin Mobile and Virgin Trains in the 1990s.
in his top 10 tips for success Branson says "follow your dreams, get involved in life, in the things that interest you. If you are going to create a business, make sure it is your hobby, your passion and something you really enjoy. You will live a much better life that way."
He warns that though lots of people have good ideas very few "put them into practice" and that more need to take a risk as they will end up with the chance of a "much more exciting and rewarding life".
Positivity is another of Branson's top tips as is believing in your ideas - "there's really no point in doing something in life unless people feel really good about it and proud about it," he said. "If an idea is a good idea you should be able to pitch it in two or three sentences."
Branson also advises would be entrepreneurs to have fun and look after their team and to not give up, something which he describes as "extremely important".
"There have been situations in my adventures, like crossing the pacific in a balloon, where the odds were stacked very heavily against us surviving. Being an entrepreneur is not that dissimilar to being an adventurer. You have plenty of situations where your back is right up against a wall and you have to work day and night to overcome the difficulties a particular company finds itself in. Brush yourself down the next day and move onto something else."
Writing lists and setting challenges are also key to success as is spending time with your family and learning how to delegate according to Branson.
As for the sofa in the kitchen, he says: "The truth is, so long as you've got a kitchen which has space for a sofa, and a bedroom, and a partner you love, you don't necessarily need the add-ons in life."
Easy to say coming from someone with his own Caribbean island….
Here's Branson's top 10 in full:
- Follow your dreams and just do it
- Make a positive difference and do some good
- Believe in your ideas and be the best
- Have fun and look after your team
- Don't give up
- Make lots of lists and keep setting yourself new challenges
- Spend time with your family and learn to delegate
- Try turning off the TV and get out there and do things
- When people say bad things about you, just prove them wrong
- Do what you love and have a sofa in the kitchen