Quotes
99 Richard Branson Quotes About Business, Life & Success
Looking for the best Richard Branson quotes? Then look no further!
Sir Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group, which consists of over 400 Virgin branded enterprises. These include the likes of Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Galactic and Virgin Records.
The inspiring entrepreneur dropped out of school and has been succeeding in business since the age 16. Today he has an estimated net worth $5 Billion.
A large part of Sir Richard Branson’s success is his attitude towards life. His love, energy and charisma is apparent in how he operates all his businesses.
Below I’ve compiled a list of the very best Richard Branson quotes about business, life and success.
99 Richard Branson Quotes:
1. “If you spot an opportunity and are really excited by it, throw yourself into it with everything you’ve got.” – Richard Branson
2. “Don’t become a slave to technology – manage your phone, don’t let it manage you.” – Richard Branson
3. “Engage your emotions at work. Your instincts and emotions are there to help you.” – Richard Branson
4. “Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.” – Richard Branson
5. “You’ve got to take risks if you’re going to succeed. I would much rather ask forgiveness than permission.” – Richard Branson
6. “If you’re hurt, lick your wound and get up again. If you’ve given it your absolute best, it’s time to move forward.” – Richard Branson
7. “Take a chance. It’s the best way to test yourself. Have fun and push boundaries.” – Richard Branson
8. “Entrepreneurship is about turning what excites you in life into capital, so that you can do more of it and move forward with it.” – Richard Branson
9. “Please be polite. Nothing in life should erode the habit of saying thank you to people or praising them.” – Richard Branson
10th Richard Branson Quote: “Remember it’s OK to be yourself.” – Richard Branson
11. “Chance favors the prepared mind. The more you practice, luckier you become.” – Richard Branson
12. “Life is a hell of a lot more fun if you say yes rather than no.” – Richard Branson
13. “Education doesn’t just take place in stuffy classrooms and university buildings, it can happen everywhere, every day to every person.” – Richard Branson
14. “The best way of learning about anything is by doing.” – Richard Branson
15. “Once a changemaker, always a changemaker but only a few swim against the tide.” – Richard Branson
16. “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” – Richard Branson
17. “If you want swashbuckling action in your life, become an entrepreneur and give it a go.” – Richard Branson
18. “It’s amazing what doors can open if you reach out to people with a smile, friendly attitude and a desire to make a positive impact.” – Richard Branson
19. “You can’t do a good business with a bad person. Find the right people to work with and you can’t go wrong.” – Richard Branson
20. “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
21. “When I was a kid, I had a tendency to criticize. But when I did, my mum would whisk me off to the bathroom to stand in front of a mirror. Ten minutes, never less. To think about how criticism is a poor reflection on the one who criticizes.” – Richard Branson
22. “It’s rare for a startup to make money immediately, so you need to make sure that you have enough saved or that you have another income stream that can support you.” – Richard Branson
23. “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
24. “Treat failure as a lesson on how not to approach achieving a goal, and then use that learning to improve your chances of success when you try again. Failure is only the end if you decide to stop.” – Richard Branson
25th Richard Branson Quote: “The best advice I could give anyone is to spend your time working on whatever you are passionate about in life.” – Richard Branson
26. “A complaint is a chance to turn a customer into a lifelong friend. I say that seriously, not as some press release baloney.” – Richard Branson
27. “Especially when you’re at a high level in an organization, criticism can be devastating to an employee. I prefer to praise employees for what they’re doing right, and it tends to lead to them doing more of the same. Not always, but it’s the way I choose to bet.” – Richard Branson
28. “For a successful entrepreneur it can mean extreme wealth. But with extreme wealth comes extreme responsibility. And the responsibility for me is to invest in creating new businesses, create jobs, employ people, and to put money aside to tackle issues where we can make a difference.” – Richard Branson
29. “I believe in benevolent dictatorship provided I am the dictator.” – Richard Branson
30. “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
31. “I think it’s quite great to set yourself a big challenge, and then you’ve got another reason for keeping fit.” – Richard Branson
32. “My general attitude to life is to enjoy every minute of every day. I never do anything with a feeling of, ‘Oh God, I’ve got to do this today.” – Richard Branson
33. “Through the right people focusing on the right things, we can, in time, get on top of a lot if not most of the problems of this world. And that’s what a number of us are trying to do.” – Richard Branson
34. “One thing is certain in business. You and everyone around you will make mistakes.” – Richard Branson
35. “Well, I think that there’s a very thin dividing line between success and failure. And I think if you start a business without financial backing, you’re likely to go the wrong side of that dividing line.” – Richard Branson
36. “Ridiculous yachts and private planes and big limousines won’t make people enjoy life more, and it sends out terrible messages to the people who work for them. It would be so much better if that money was spent in Africa – and it’s about getting a balance.” – Richard Branson
37. “There’s nothing like the endorphins from being fit, and the incredible endorphin rush that goes with that.” – Richard Branson
38. “I never get the accountants in before I start up a business. It’s done on gut feeling, especially if I can see that they are taking the mickey out of the consumer.” – Richard Branson
39. “My philosophy is that if I have any money I invest it in new ventures and not have it sitting around.” – Richard Branson
40th Richard Branson Quote: “Material things are delightful, but they’re not important. – Richard Branson
41. “I cannot remember a moment in my life when I have not felt the love of my family. We were a family that would have killed for each other – and we still are.”” – Richard Branson
42. “There’s an inherent danger in letting people think that they have perfected something. When they believe they’ve ‘nailed it,’ most people tend to sit back and rest on their laurels while countless others will be labouring furiously to better their work!” – Richard Branson
43. “A good leader doesn’t get stuck behind a desk.” – Richard Branson
44. “An exceptional company is the one that gets all the little details right. And the people out on the front line, they know when things are not going right, and they know when things need to be improved. And if you listen to them, you can soon improve all those niggly things which turns an average company into an exceptional company.” – Richard Branson
45. “The true cost to the world of a burger is far greater than the money you hand over to buy it.” – Richard Branson
46. “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
47. “Great thinkers don’t act solely with their own interest in mind; they drive change to affect society for the better.” – Richard Branson
48. “If you don’t have time for small things, you won’t have time for the big things.” – Richard Branson
49. “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
50. “By putting the employee first, the customer effectively comes first by default, and in the end, the shareholder comes first by default as well.” – Richard Branson
51. “My attitude has always been, if you fall flat on your face, at least you’re moving forward. All you have to do is get back up and try again.” – Richard Branson
52. “From a young age, I learned to focus on the things I was good at and delegate to others what I was not good at. That’s how Virgin is run. Fantastic people throughout the Virgin Group run our businesses, allowing me to think creatively and strategically.” – Richard Branson
53. “A passionate belief in your business and personal objectives can make all the difference between success and failure. If you aren’t proud of what you’re doing, why should anybody else be?” – Richard Branson
54. “As a father and now a grandfather to three wonderful grandchildren, I know how magical the first year of a child’s life is but also how much hard work it takes. Being able to spend as much time as possible with your loved ones is absolutely vital, especially early on.” – Richard Branson
55th Richard Branson Quote: “All you have in business is your reputation – so it’s very important that you keep your word.” – Richard Branson
56. “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
57. “You should not build your customer service system on the premise that your organisation will never question the whims of your clients.” – Richard Branson
58. “The art of delegation is one of the key skills any entrepreneur must master.” – Richard Branson
59. “An important priority for me is a business must get their own house in order. Be or become an agent of positive change in your own enterprise and adopt responsible practices to eliminate the risks that often lie at the root of inequality and poverty.” – Richard Branson
60. “There’s no point in starting a business unless you’re going to make a dramatic difference to other people’s lives. So if you’ve got an idea that’s gonna make a big difference to other people’s lives, then just get on and do it.” – Richard Branson
61. “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
62. “You never know with these things when you’re trying something new what can happen. This is all experimental.” – Richard Branson
63. “I always find the time to exercise – kitesurfing, tennis or cycling – and to spend time with my loved ones.” – Richard Branson
64. “I’m a bit like the Queen in that I don’t carry much cash.” – Richard Branson
65. “Can you imagine what a different world we will live in when businesses do what’s right for the communities and the environment in everything they do?” – Richard Branson
66. “If you want to be more productive, then start at the start: get there on time. Whether it is a meeting, a flight, an appointment or a date, it’s important to ensure you are there when you say you will be there. This may feel like an old-fashioned tip to give, but it has served me well for five decades in business.” – Richard Branson
67. “In business, if you realize you’ve made a bad decision, you change it.” – Richard Branson
68. “We’re one of the only animals in the world that don’t really think of ourselves as animals, but we are animals, and we must respect our fellow animals.” – Richard Branson
69. “We are going to transform Britain’s rail system from the worst in the world to the best. If you can do a few things like that, when the body gives out, you can say you’ve lived a good life.” – Richard Branson
70th Richard Branson Quote: “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
71. “It’s a common misconception that money is every entrepreneur’s metric for success. It’s not, and nor should it be.” – Richard Branson
72. “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
73. “Starting your own business isn’t just a job – it’s a way of life.” – Richard Branson
74. “With Virgin, I’ve just loved creating things. And as a private company, I can get away with moving Virgin from records to airlines to train companies to space companies to whatever, without ever having to worry about analysts knocking the value of my stock.” – Richard Branson
75. “If you are a small company taking on a big company, you need to have a sense of humor.” – Richard Branson
76. “Every successful businessman will have experienced set-backs and failures – they’re lying if they say they haven’t. Virgin has had some tremendously successful businesses and some that have not quite worked out. Virgin Cola springs to mind – the product wasn’t distinct enough from Coca-Cola.” – Richard Branson
77. “My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them.” – Richard Branson
78. “Be willing to use yourself to get out there and put the company on the market. If you have to make a fool of yourself, make a fool of yourself, but make sure that you end up on the front pages, not the back pages. In time, it’s possible that your company will stand out from the crowd, and you’ll be successful.” – Richard Branson
79. “I’ve never gone into business to make money. Every Virgin product and service has been made into a reality to make a positive difference in people’s lives. And by focusing on the happiness of our customers, we have been able to build a successful group of companies.” – Richard Branson
80. “Entrepreneurs are natural problem-solvers, which means that we always have ideas for new businesses popping into our heads. Having a lot of options is great, but sometimes it can be hard to focus on one when you are keen to move onto the next.” – Richard Branson
81. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” – Richard Branson
82. “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” – Richard Branson
83. “A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.” – Richard Branson
84. “I felt that I could make a difference. That’s the best reason to go into business.” – Richard Branson
85. “Respect is how to treat everyone, not just those you want to impress.” – Richard Branson
86. “Building a business is not rocket science, it’s about having a great idea and seeing it through with integrity.” – Richard Branson
87. “Screw it. Let’s do it.” – Richard Branson
88. “Learn from failure. If you are an entrepreneur and your first venture wasn’t a success, welcome to the club!” – Richard Branson
89. “My definition of success? The more you’re actively and practically engaged, the more successful you will feel.” – Richard Branson
90th Richard Branson Quote: “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
91. “Happiness is the secret ingredient for successful businesses. If you have a happy company it will be invincible.” – Richard Branson
92. “Whatever business you are in, every company can shoot for the stars in their own way.” – Richard Branson
93. “Cover the downside.” – Richard Branson
94. “When you’re first thinking through an idea, it’s important not to get bogged down in complexity. Thinking simply and clearly, is hard to do.” – Richard Branson
95. “Communication: the thing humans forgot when we invented words.” – Richard Branson
96. “Listen. Take the best. Leave the rest.” – Richard Branson
97. “If you don’t succeed at first, there’s no need for the F word (Failure). Pick yourself up and try, try again.” – Richard Branson
98. “Your company should act as a springboard for ambitious employees, not a set of shackles.” – Richard Branson
99. “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
