Have you ever shopped in a Virgin Megastore? Have you ever flown on Virgin Atlantic Airways? If so, you may have put a few more dollars in Richard Branson's pocket.
Born in England in 1950, Richard Branson is a world-famous businessman, billionaire, and adventurer. He's kind, nice, and exciting-and he's never been afraid to take any risk. "You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and falling over." He syas.
However, when Branson was a student, he had problem with reading and writing. Even so, he started a national magazine calledStudentwhen he was only 16 years old. At 17, he decided to set up a student center to help young people who had problems in their teenage life.
Branson was just 19 years old when he started a mail0order company to sell records that were cheaper than in many other music stores. At 20, he opened a record shop on Oxford Street in London. Two years later, in 1972, he built the recording studio where the first musical artist under the Virgin label was recorded. Branson even took chances on new bands that no other record company would like to sign.
Virgin Atlantic Airways, which Branson started in 1984, is now the second largest British international airlines.
Today, Richard Branson has about 150 companies and more than 5,000 people work for him. He's busy, but he still enjoys his time off from the business world. One year his boat crossed the Atlantic Ocean faster than any other boat at that time. The next year, he was the first person to cross the Atlantic in a hot air balloon. He simply knows how to enjoy life to its fullest.
