Richard branson quotes

What is a business? It's simply an idea that makes someone else's life better

Don't bother doing something unless you're radically different from the competition.

Sometimes the riskiest decision you can make is to do nothing.

As a leader of people, you have to be a great listener, a great motivator, be very good at praising and bringing out the best in people.

If people are crazy enough to dare, impossible things happen.

The best lessons are usually learned from failure. You musn't beat yourself up if you fail - just pick yourself up, learn as much as you can from the experience and get on with the next challenge...The brave may not live forever, but the cautious never live at all.

Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to.

Life's too short. If you're passionate - stand up.

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.

Listen more than you talk. Nobody learned anything by hearing themselves speak.

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.

The amount of time people waste dwelling on failures rather than putting that energy into another project, always amazes me

Commitment is not letting people down. That's very important in life. If you say you're going to do something, make sure you do it. Just try never to let people down.

Have faith in yourself. Think yes not no. Live life to the full. Never give up.

Learn to look after your staff first and the rest will follow

Starting a business is a huge amount of hard work... You had better enjoy it.

Please don’t get hung up on this question of whether you need to have experience in an industry before you launch your startup.

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!

Throwing yourself into a job you enjoy is one of the life's greatest pleasures!

Past failures unlock future successes

If you're looking to become an entrepreneur then don't waste your time going to university or business school - just get on and do it.

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

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.

You know I think if the people who work for a business are proud of the business they work for, they'll work that much harder, and therefore, I think turning your business into a real force for good is good business sense as well.

All successful people - not just entrepreneurs - have got things wrong over and over again before finding the right solution.

Some 80% of your life is spent working. You want to have fun at home; why shouldn't you have fun at work?

There is no such thing as a boring person: everyone has stories and insights worth sharing. While on the road, we let our phones or laptops take up our attention. By doing that, we might miss out on the chance to learn and absorb ideas and inspiration from an unexpected source: our fellow travelers.

Respect is how to treat everyone, not just those you want to impress.

Consider getting smaller in order to get bigger.

Being an entrepreneur simply means being someone who wants to make a difference to other people's lives.

Most skills can be learned, but it is difficult to train people on their personality.

Innovation happens when people are given the freedom to ask questions and the resources and power to find the answers.

Every great movement in the world starts with a tiny group of people who simply refuse to accept a situation.

Give your employees a mission that matches their ambitions. When you challenge people, they surprise you.

I believe a good leader brings out the best in people by listening to them, trusting in them, believing in them, respecting them and letting them have a go.

A company is simply a group of people. And as a leader of people, you have to be a great listener, you have to be a great motivator, you have to be very good at praising and looking for the best in people. People are no different from flowers. If you water flowers, they flourish. If you praise people, they flourish. That's a critical attribute of a leader.

The best way forward is to give more people everywhere greater power to build their own destinies.

Every success story is a tale of constant adaption, revision and change. A company that stands still will soon be forgotten. Trying to provoke positive change is a principle we've embedded across the Virgin family for more than four decades.

Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.

Every risk is worth taking as long as it's for a good cause, and contributes to a good life.

If you take care of your workers they'll take care of your business.

Don't wait till you are big before you begin building your brand. Build a brand from scratch alongside your business.

Realize that the people who are working with you, this is their life. You know, 80% of their time is spent at work. Make sure that they're proud of what they're doing, that they're enjoying what they're doing.

If you don't have time for the small things, you won't have time for the big things

You get the idea. Every business, like a painting, operates according to its own rules. There are many ways to run a successful company. What works once may never work again. What everyone tells you never to do may just work, once. There are no rules. You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over, and it's because you fall over that you learn to save yourself from falling over. It's the greatest thrill in the world and it runs away screaming at the first sight of bullet points.

A business is simply an idea to make other people's lives better.

If you get into business solely to make money, you won’t. If you try to make a real difference, you’ll find success.

You only live once, and I just don’t want to waste a minute of my life.

Just start. You will learn so many lessons just by doing.

Don't become a slave to technology - manage your phone, don't let it manage you.

Dreaming is one of humanity’s greatest gifts; it champions aspiration, spurs innovation, leads to change, and propels the world forward.

You can't do a good business with a bad person. Find the right people to work with and you can't go wrong.

Business opportunities are like buses, there's always another one coming.

Dream big by setting yourself seemingly impossible challenges. You then have to catch up with them.

If you look after your staff, they'll look after your customers. It's that simple.

Confidence breeds confidence and negativity breeds negativity. Treat those around you with respect and dignity and they will thrive.

Having a personality of caring about people is important. You can’t be a good leader unless you generally like people. That is how you bring out the best in them.

If you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it. You must love what you do.

Rather than getting nostalgic...embrace the new opportunities and challenges available to you now.

Education doesn't just take place in stuffy classrooms and university buildings, it can happen everywhere, every day to every person.

Brave people don't live forever, but cautious people don't live at all.

If people aren't calling you crazy, you aren't thinking big enough.

We'd love to be involved with the creation of something very special, something quite large and something quite exciting.

Only a fool never changes his mind.

I have no secret. There are no rules to follow in business. I just work hard and, as I always have done, believe I can do it. Most of all, though, I try to have fun.

Please be polite. Nothing in life should erode the habit of saying thank you to people or praising them.

Communicate your passion clearly, concisely and with genuine conviction.

The best way of learning about anything is by doing.

Setting customer expectations at a level that is aligned with consistently deliverable levels of customer service requires that your whole staff, from product development to marketing, works in harmony with your brand image.

Never take your eyes off the cash flow because it's the life blood of business.

It is important to remember that life is not a dress rehearsal and that none of us should waste our time on doing things that don’t spark fires within us. My golden rule for business and life is: We should all enjoy what we do and do what we enjoy.

Lead by listening - to be a good leader you have to be a great listener.

If you aim higher than you expect, you could reach higher than you dreamed.

There is so much to be learned from listening to people's hopes, frustrations, and points of view

Learn to use your brain power. Critical thinking is the key to creative problem solving in business.

All you have in life is your reputation: you may be very rich, but if you lose your good name, then you'll never be happy. The thought will always lurk at the back of your mind that people don't trust you.

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.

There is no point in going into a business unless you can make a radical difference in other people’s lives.

Dream big and you will be presented with the opportunity to lead the world on an incredible adventure.

I'm sure you get the best out of people if you look for the best in them. People don't need to be told when they've done something wrong - they know it without having to be told.

Business leaders take things far too seriously, and forget that most of the time people spend in their lives is at work, and it should be fun.

Listen. Take the best. Leave the rest.

Your company should act as a springboard for ambitious employees, not a set of shackles.

Every success story is a tale of constant adaption, revision and change.

My number one rule in business, and in life, is to enjoy what you do. Running a business involves long hours and hard decisions; if you don't have the passion to keep you going, your business will more than likely fail. If you don't enjoy what you are doing, then you shouldn't be doing it.

Play fair, be prepared for others to play dirty, and don't let them drag you into the mud.

A good leader leads from the front. Don't get stuck in the office. Get out, meet people and listen to their stories.

People have to decide on priorities if they want to get anywhere. The best lessons I learned was to just do it.

Above all, you want to create something you're proud of.

Create the kind of workplace and company culture that will attract great talent. If you hire brilliant people, they will make work feel more like play.

Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to keep things simple.

You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.

Drive, determination, passion and hard work are all free and more valuable than a pot of cash.

The way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers

Success cannot be measured in wealth, fame or power, but by whether you have made a positive difference for others.

I am convinced that companies should put staff first, customers second and shareholders third - ultimately that's in the best interest of customers and shareholders.

It's all about finding and hiring people smarter than you. Getting them to join your business. And giving them good work. Then getting out of their way. And trusting them. You have to get out of the way so YOU can focus on the bigger vision. That's important. And here's the main thing....you must make them see their work as a MISSION.

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.

There are no quick wins in business - it takes years to become an overnight success.

Breaking the rules and challenging convention is in the DNA of every successful entrepreneur.

Colleagues should take care of each other, have fun, celebrate success, learn by failure, look for reasons to praise not to criticize, communicate freely and respect each other.

Your employees are your company’s real competitive advantage. They’re the ones making the magic happen-so long as their needs are being met.

We've all got to do everything we can to avoid conflicts.

Right now I'm just delighted to be alive and to have had a nice long bath.

Spend more time smiling than frowning and more time praising than criticizing.

Successful entrepreneurs don't wait for the perfect moment - they create it

Follow your instincts and live with the consequences.

To get the respect of people, I think you've got to roll up your sleeves and lead with your people. The absolute key is treating your people well. Looking for the best in your people. Lots and lots of praise, no criticism.

If you spot an opportunity and are really excited by it, throw yourself into it with everything you've got.

My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long University education that I never had - everyday I'm learning something new.

People are no different from flowers. If you water them, they flourish. If you are not nice to them, they shrivel up

One thing is certain in business: you will make mistakes. When you are pushing the boundaries, mistakes are inevitable-how you react is important.

Doing good is good for business.

I will work day and night to avoid failure, but if I can't, I'll pick myself up the next day. The most important thing for entrepreneurs is not to be put off by failure.

A company's employees are its greatest asset and your people are your product

Talent comes from experience and failure

Tough times are inevitable in life and in business. But how you compose yourself during those times defines your spirit and will define your future.

It can be a challenge not to let failure, or negativity from others, prevent you from going after what you believe in and what in your gut you know can work. However it is important to face these challenges head on and give them a go and importantly don't beat yourself up if you fail - just pick yourself up, learn as much as you can from the experience and get on with the next challenge.

Luck is when determination meets opportunity

Universities are fantastic places to gain knowledge on a subject, develop a personal network, explore your character and learn new techniques to approach problems. I do however believe that there is a strong argument for students who have an idea they are passionate about to just try and turn it into a reality. I fell into this category and I don't regret not going to University.

If you run a business, put on top your employees, then your consumers, and then your shareholders.

I have always believed that there is no point in having regrets as you learn far more from mistakes than successes. Embrace a mistake and learn from it; don't regret them.

If you want to stand out from the crowd, give people a reason not to forget you

Unless you dream, nothing will happen. If you dream, you might be able to make your dreams come true.

Always think, 'what's the worst that can happen' and have some kind of strategy to deal with it