RICHARD BRANSON
It may come as a surprise, but Richard Branson wasn’t always the over-achieving entrepreneur that he is today. Sure, he was in business by the age of 20, but he was also a high school drop out who was under investigation for tax evasion and looked like an unwashed hippie. He did however manage to turn his life around and is now the head of a multi-billion dollar empire who has his sites set on space. So what makes Sir Richard so special, and how did he achieve so much success in a single lifetime?
1. Believe In Your Dreams
If you aren’t advocating for yourself, you’re not giving anyone else a reason to. As Branson says, “If you aren’t proud of your idea and believe in your plans, why should anybody else?”
Fellow billionaire Mark Cuban has similar views on what it takes to succeed, particularly for entrepreneurs. “Don’t start a company unless it’s an obsession and something you love,” he wrote in a column on Entrepreneur. Because, “if you have an exit strategy, it’s not an obsession.”
2. Keep Setting New Challenges
“If you don’t write down your ideas, they could be gone by the morning,” Branson says. He solves this problem himself by making lists of every kind, from ideas for companies to upcoming plans.
“Write down every single idea you have, no matter how big or small,” he wrote in a blog post. And then challenge yourself to follow through. You never know what’s going to hit.
3. Have Fun In Everything You Do.
Mr. Branson recognizes that you won’t be truly successful unless you enjoy what you’re doing and allow time for fun. He himself has stated that when he no longer enjoys a project, it’s time to move on from it.
4. He Breaks The Rules
Richard Branson hasn’t been successful by following along with what everyone else does. He breaks the rules and takes risks, albeit calculated ones. After his early career troubles, he learned that innovation was the key to success, but that some confines were necessary. As such, he uses his past mistakes and intuition to guide him and engages in trial and error when it comes to new ventures. Perhaps the greatest lesson that he learned was that failures can lead to great ideas.
5. Learn As You Go.
Life should be one big learning experience. We should always seek to broaden our minds and increase our wisdom and knowledge. Branson never went to university -- in fact, he left high school early -- but he never stopped learning. He looks at life as one long university course, and seeks to learn at least one new thing every day.
Branson has launched a wide variety of ventures over the decades, often in areas he’s unfamiliar with. The key is, when you dive into a new area, you need to learn quickly, but you also should be motivated to do so, he says.
According to Branson, if you see a great opportunity, go for it, even if it’s not in an area you are familiar with or specialize in. Focus on learning as you go and embrace the chance to make new connections. Push yourself to make the most of opportunities when they present themselves.
“It’s really important to realize that it doesn’t matter if you don’t know -- because you can always find out. Seize opportunities and don’t give in to self-doubt,” Branson writes on his blog.
RICHARD BRANSON
By TradeFlo
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