Richard Branson

“Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.” ~ Richard Branson

“You can call it what you like, luck, good fortune, coincidence, serendipity, right place at the right time, or even ‘hard work’, but I think no one has defined this mysterious element any better than Roman Philosopher Seneca who some two thousand years ago said, ‘Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.’” ~ Richard Branson

“I don’t think of work as work and play as play. It’s all living.” ~ Richard Branson

“Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to keep things simple.” ~ Richard Branson

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a ride!” ~ Richard Branson

“Take a chance. It’s the best way to test yourself. Have fun and push boundaries.” ~ Richard Branson

“Starting your own business isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life.” ~ Richard Branson

“Don’t think what’s the cheapest way to do it or what’s the fastest way to do it… think ‘what’s the most amazing way to do it.’” ~ Richard Branson

“The best way of learning about anything is by doing.” ~ Richard Branson

“My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them.” ~ Richard Branson

“If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes — then learn how to do it later.” ~ Richard Branson

“Whatever your goal is you will never succeed unless you let go of your fears and fly.” ~ Richard Branson

“The brave may not live forever – But the cautious do not live at all” ~ Richard Branson

“If your dreams don’t scare you they are too small.” ~ Richard Branson

“Entrepreneurship is about turning what excites you in life into capital so that you can do more if it and move forward with it.” ~ Richard Branson

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” ~ Richard Branson

“Learn to look after your staff first and the rest will follow.” ~ Richard Branson

“Life is a hell of a lot more fun if you say yes rather than no.” ~ Richard Branson

“Don’t become a slave to technology – manage your phone, don’t let it manage you.” ~ Richard Branson

“There is no magic formula for great company culture. The key is just to treat your staff how you would like to be treated.” ~ Richard Branson

“There can be no greatness without striving.” ~ Richard Branson

“One thing is certain in business. You and everyone around you will make mistakes.” ~ Richard Branson

“My family brought me up to always look for the best in other people. I love people, I love spending time with people, I love learning from people.” ~ Richard Branson

“Put your staff first, your customers second and your shareholders third.” ~ Richard Branson

“I can’t change the world by myself… but it does take somebody to start.” ~ Richard Branson

“It’s a common misconception that money is every entrepreneur’s metric for success. It’s not, and nor should it be.” ~ Richard Branson

“Hard-won things are more valuable than those that come too easily.” ~ Richard Branson

“If your eyes are fixed on the rear-view mirror, you’ll miss that important turn coming up.” ~ Richard Branson

“My general attitude to life is to enjoy every minute of everyday. I never do anything with a feeling of, “Oh God, I’ve got to do this today.” ~ Richard Branson

“Take the competition seriously, but not yourself.” ~ Richard Branson

“Respect is how to treat everyone, not just those you want to impress.” ~ Richard Branson

“Chance favors the prepared mind. The more you practice, the luckier you become.” ~ Richard Branson

“Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” ~ Richard Branson

“In business, if you realize you’ve made a bad decision, you change it.” ~ Richard Branson

“If you don’t have time for the small things, you won’t have time for the big things.” ~ Richard Branson

“As soon as something stops being fun, I think it’s time to move on. Life is too short to be unhappy. Waking up stressed and miserable is not a good way to live.” ~ Richard Branson

“Life is all about striving and growing. I never want to have made it; I want to continue making it!” ~ Richard Branson

“I believe that, above all else, my hard-wired passion — some call it obsession — for consistently giving our customers, both internal and external, a better work environment or service experience than they can find anywhere else is what’s at the very heart of everything tat I, and by extension the Virgin brand, stands for.” ~ Richard Branson

“Business isn’t about ties, suits and briefcases. It’s about adventure.” ~ Richard Branson

“You don’t learn to walk by following the rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” ~ Richard Branson

“I firmly believe that smart leaders and clever entrepreneurs have the knack of engineering their luck — it’s also known as risk-taking.” ~ Richard Branson

“I think if you believe in what you’re doing, many people will tell you why you’re mistaken or why it will never work. But if you really believe passionately in what you’re doing just keep going, keep pushing, keep pushing on until you either succeed or at least you realize that it’s just not going to happen. And then if you don’t succeed, pick yourself up and try again. And ultimately, if you’re that determined, you’ll succeed in life, and if you don’t, you’ll have a lot of fun trying.” ~ Richard Branson

“Developing mental toughness isn’t just about being resilient – it’s about accessing your reserve tank when you think you just can’t go any further.” ~ Richard Branson

“Overcoming fear is the first step to success for entrepreneurs. The winners all exemplify that, and the hard work and commitment they have shown underlines what is needed to set up a business.” ~ Richard Branson

“The best advice I could give anyone is to spend your time working on whatever you are passionate about in life.” ~ Richard Branson

“Finding the spotlight isn’t about standing in it. There’s so much to be gained from working with people who support each other to achieve great things.” ~ Richard Branson

“Loyal employees in any company create loyal customers, who in turn create happy shareholders.” ~ Richard Branson

“The art of delegation is one of the key skills any entrepreneur must master.” ~ Richard Branson

“To become an entrepreneur is not easy, and a lot of people who try to become entrepreneurs they fail along the way. But the good ones pick themselves up and try again and try again until they succeed.” ~ Richard Branson

“All you have in business is your reputation – so it’s very important that you keep your word.” ~ Richard Branson

“Fun is one of the most important – and underrated – ingredients in any successful venture. If you’re not having fun, then it’s probably time to call it quits and try something else.” ~ Richard Branson

“Most people would assume my business success, and the wealth that comes with it, have brought me happiness. But I know I am successful, wealthy, and connected because I am happy.” ~ Richard Branson

“Entrepreneurial business favors the open mind. It favors people whose optimism drives them to prepare for many possible futures, pretty much purely for the joy of doing so.” ~ Richard Branson

“Material things are delightful, but they’re not important.” ~ Richard Branson

“Never go into business purely to make money. If that’s the motive, you’re better off doing nothing.” ~ Richard Branson

“The best lesson I learned was to just do it. It doesn’t matter what it is, or how hard it might seem, as the ancient Greek, Plato, said, ‘The beginning is the most important part of any work.” ~ Richard Branson

“We spend most of our waking lives at work, so it’s important that we do what we love and love what we do.” ~ Richard Branson

“If I had to give one reason why I have been fortunate enough to experience some success, it would be my knack of bringing together wonderful people.” ~ Richard Branson

“Stick your neck out…it’s a lot more fun than sitting at home and watching other people do it.” ~ Richard Branson

“Spend more time smiling than frowning and more time praising than criticizing.” ~ Richard Branson

“The time to go into a new business is when it’s badly run by others.” ~ Richard Branson

“If you look for the best in your employees, they’ll flourish. If you criticize or look for the worst, they’ll shrivel up. We all need lots of watering.” ~ Richard Branson

“I have always believed that the only way to cope with a cash crisis is not to contract but to try to expand out of it.” ~ Richard Branson

“Good leadership is by definition all about taking the venture forward and finding viable new avenues where the business can evolve and prosper. Poor leadership, on the other hand, typically tends to be static, much more about protecting the status quo and, if there any around, resting on laurels.” ~ Richard Branson

“The first thing to look for when searching for a great employee is somebody with a personality that fits with your company culture. Most skills can be learned, but it is difficult to train people on their personality.” ~ Richard Branson

“Don’t be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them.” ~ Richard Branson

“If you want swashbuckling action in your life, become an entrepreneur and give it a go.” ~ Richard Branson

“The most important skills to learn to be successful are people skills.” ~ Richard Branson

“Happiness is the secret ingredient for successful businesses. If you have a happy company it will be invincible.” ~ Richard Branson

“To launch a business means successfully solving problems. Solving problems means listening.” ~ Richard Branson

“Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you, give them everything they need to grow, and your business will thrive.” ~ Richard Branson

“I think as just being a generally positive person, you can make positive things happen.” ~ Richard Branson

“Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” ~ Richard Branson

“As some wise person once said, ‘Life is not a dress rehearsal.’ This is it! So unless you plan to give it a better shot in your next life — assuming you are lucky enough to get a second chance — then why risk wasting any of your limited time on this earth doing stuff that doesn’t light your fire?” ~ Richard Branson

“Being a good listener is absolutely critical to being a good leader; you have to listen to the people who are on the front line.” ~ Richard Branson

“Embedding purpose into your business will help it to stand out, and align it with customers who have the same values.” ~ Richard Branson

“A business is simply an idea to make other people’s lives better.” ~ Richard Branson

“Through the right people focusing on the right things, we can, in time, get on top of a lot if not most problems of this world. And that’s what a number of us are trying to do.” ~ Richard Branson

“Your company should act as a springboard for ambitious employees, not a set of shackles.” ~ Richard Branson

“Too many people measure how successful they are by how much money they make or the people that they associate with. In my opinion, true success should be measured by how happy you are.” ~ Richard Branson

“I like to take chances on people, and whenever possible, promote from within — It sends a great message to everyone in the company when someone demonstrates a passion for the job and leadership skills at every step along the way is rewarded with a leadership role.” ~ Richard Branson

“Life is a series of ups and downs. Make it worth your wild!” ~ Richard Branson

“I believe that “luck” is one of the most misunderstood and under-appreciated factors in life. Those people and businesses that are generally considered fortunate or luckier than others are usually also the ones that are prepared to take the greatest risks and , by association, are also prepared to fall flat on their faces.” ~ Richard Branson

“There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions — in a way that serves the world and you.” ~ Richard Branson

“If you motivate people, if you praise people, if you don’t criticize people, these are all the skills needed to be a great leader.” ~ Richard Branson

“The brands that will thrive in the coming years are the ones that have a purpose beyond profit.” ~ Richard Branson

“From my very first day as an entrepreneur, I’ve felt the only mission worth pursuing in business is to make people’s lives better.” ~ Richard Branson

“I should perhaps make it clear that I am not a big fan of meeting-for-the-sake-of-meetings-based cultures as, somewhat paradoxically, I have found that a prime reason for poor communications can often be that there are simply too many meetings.” ~ Richard Branson

“Just as seniority is usually just a measure of tenure and has specific linkage to contribution, unfortunately titles have no true bearing on anyone’s true ability to lead.” ~ Richard Branson

“To me, business isn’t about wearing suits or pleasing stockholders. It’s about being true to yourself, your ideas and focusing on the essentials.” ~ Richard Branson

“To be successful you have to be out there, you have to hit the ground running.” ~ Richard Branson

“If you spot an opportunity and are really excited by it, throw yourself into it with everything you’ve got.” ~ Richard Branson

“A good leader doesn’t get stuck behind a desk.” ~ Richard Branson

“How slim the line is between genius and insanity and between determination and stubbornness.” ~ Richard Branson

“The key is to set realistic customer expectations, and then not to just meet them, but to exceed them — preferably in unexpected and helpful ways.” ~ Richard Branson

“If you opt for a safe life, you will never know what it’s like to win.” ~ Richard Branson

“You’re guaranteed to miss every shot you don’t take.” ~ Richard Branson

“Learn from failure. If you are an entrepreneur and your first venture wasn’t a success, welcome to the club.” ~ Richard Branson

“Once a changemaker, always a changemaker but only a few swim against the tide.” ~ Richard Branson

“Throughout the more than 40 years Virgin has been in business we have been continuously striving – striving to deliver wonderful products and services, striving to make a positive difference, striving to change people’s life for the better. Had we not kept striving, we certainly wouldn’t be where we are today.” ~ Richard Branson

“A company is people. Employees want to know — am I being listened to or am I a cog in the wheel? People really need to fee wanted.” ~ Richard Branson