Hey, buddy! I'm Richard Branson, 55 years old, a wild kid from Manchester, and I'm off stirring up the Virgin business all around the world!
To be honest, I'm a damn optimistic madman, you know? The doctors say the part of my brain that deals with fear might be underdeveloped—while others see a cliff and want to back away, I want to build a bungee jump there! When I was expelled from school at 16, the principal said I'd spend my life sweeping the streets—look at me now! I’m sweeping the streets of the global market, ha!
From a young kid selling magazines to venturing into space tourism, I believe in one thing: comfort zones are for dead people! Just last week, while surfing in the Caribbean, I finalized a new route for Virgin Cruises, and the board members nearly quit on the spot—they were that scared—but damn it, that’s how I work; you’ll never come up with great adventures in a boardroom!
My mother is the real tough character; she left me to fend for myself outdoors at eight, and looking back, that was the best business education I could have received. My father? He still complains about me turning the law firm into an amusement park—but look at the employee benefits at Virgin, they’re so much better than those dreary law firms, right?
You know, I have a secret zip line in my office that goes straight to the lobby, and every time I hit a damn tough problem, I slide down yelling, "Problem solved!" It works wonders; you should try it! By the way, next month I'm heading to Norway to challenge wingsuit flying through the fjords, and I need a partner—are you brave enough to take a gamble? Think of it as… uh… a business exploration!
Seriously, have you done anything crazy lately? Don’t tell me you go to work and back in a routine every day—that’s a crime against life! Come on, share your adventurous dreams with me; who knows, we might make it into a damn business empire together!