Talking about the capitalist's hip-hop life

He was voted "the Smartest Man in Britain" in a British media poll.

He, often has the astonishing behavior, once streaking the company product, is also the British most robs the lens "the hippie capitalist";

He, who had sailed the whole Earth in a hot-air balloon;

He, once drove a tank into New York's "Times Square";

He, once in the Gulf War, drove his own aircraft into Baghdad to rescue the hostages;

He was seen as an arrogant upstart and an idol to the CEO of the world's big companies ...

These unconstrained, seemingly Branson factors constitute the Chairman and President of the Virgin Group, the urchin of the business community, the star known to Europe and America, the most legendary billionaire in the world-Branson.

A businessman who is least like a businessman

Born in 1950 in the United Kingdom, Virgin (Virgin) brand founder, in 1999, British Queen Elizabeth to the jazz. He started from a booth size office in the 1970s from scratch, money is less than most people go to entertainment to enjoy a night in the evening spent, the 80 's success through Virgin Aviation, now his corporate kingdom tentacles throughout the wedding, cosmetics, aviation, railways, records even including condoms, recently more into the mobile phone, Electronic consumer product area. The Times estimated its personal wealth of more than 3 billion pounds in 2007.

"I never thought work was work, entertainment was fun". In the Caribbean island of Nick, Branson lounging in a hammock outside the villa, with a small black Ben in his lap and a plastic ballpoint pen in his mouth. Although it was 7 o'clock in the morning, he had been working for two hours, but it was hard to see a trace of fatigue in his face. He randomly sketched the instantaneous inspiration in his notebook, and recorded the important contents of business negotiations and contracts. But that's not all he wrote in the book, and Michael Jackson wanted to play on the island next week, Nicole Kidman said she wanted to play tennis here, a letter for Nelson Mandela, and so on.

Branson, this is the founder of Virgin Brand, the world's most high-profile "hippie capitalists." His image is beyond our imagination, although in the Celebrity society, but a shawl long hair, casual dress up, cynicism. All this made him more like a rock star, not a business world "a gentleman in a suit."

Creating a legendary business empire

Such a "hippie capitalist" created the "Virgin" brand and made the brand popular in the UK with a "shocking" 96% of its cognitive reach. The brand is high quality and cheap, and always lead the fashion trend, has been followed by the enthusiasm of the younger generation.

From 1970 to the present, Virgin Group has become Britain's largest private enterprise, with more than 200 large and small companies, involving aviation, finance, railways, records, wedding dresses until condoms, as if half of the national production sector.

"If anyone wants to," Branson said, he could spend his life--drinking ' virgin cola '--growing up, going to the Virgin Record store to buy Virgin Radio, go to the ' Virgin House line ' to see a movie, get a girlfriend through ' virgin.net ', and sit with her. Virgin Airlines ' flight to the holiday, enjoy ' virgin holiday ' meticulous service, and then by the ' virgin Bride ' arranged a grand wedding, happy to spend a lot of ' virgin condoms ', until finally holding the ' Virgin Endowment Insurance ' into the tomb. "Of course, if it's not happy enough, Virgin also offers a lot of vodka to choose from."

Branson, the 54-Year-old hippie, lies in a hammock in the Garden of Eden, and laughs freely at a legendary business empire that he has been planning since his boyhood and is now worth 7 billion dollars.

Have business acumen since childhood

Branson was born in a British middle-class family and was sent to public schools to learn self-reliance. Here he proved to be a "big trouble"--because of dyslexia, which leads to poor learning, he was whipped every week, and although he started out as a sports athlete, he was the last one in the class after an injury, and, to make it worse, Branson was a natural retard of numbers, In any case, do not have the basic arithmetic problem.

On an Easter holiday, he and his friend Nick bought the saplings with newspaper money, planted 400 Christmas trees and figured out how to make a profit of 800 pounds with the initial investment of 5 pounds. But in the following summer, most of the saplings were eaten by hares. So they hunted the hare angrily and sold it at the price of a shilling. Later, he found that the parrot is a "great" business opportunity, who thought, unbearable to wash the mother of the bird shed secretly put the parrot all away.

At the age of 17, Branson finally left school and sponsored a "student" magazine in a narrow basement with 4 pounds from his mother. The headmaster gave him the parting: Congratulations, Branson. I think you will either go to jail or become a millionaire.

Branson is responsible for the commercial operation of the magazine. When the partners are still passionate about politics, he is thinking about how to make the most of the "student" brand for multiple businesses. When he was advertising, he told the Coca-Cola Company that Pepsi had booked a magazine ad page; he pretended to be busy in front of a visiting journalist, who interviewed celebrities like John Lennon, a member of The Beatles, and sent reporters to visit hot spots around the world to get their own people and brands to pay for them-all of which The circulation of "students" has surged to 200,000.

The birth of Virgin record company

An accidental opportunity, Branson found that because of the high retail price of the record store at that time, the discount mail order recording business was much faster than the student magazine, and decided to devote. At first he wanted to name his own record-mail company as a "slip record," and later a girl suggested, "What about virgin?" There are few virgins in the world, and we are all new in business. ”

Branson should be lucky not to call his own mail-order company A "slip record" because the names "gliding airlines" and "sliding brides" are too unattractive. A few years later, this record store attracted a lot of music fans, achieved great success, more importantly, has laid the core concept of Virgin Group Corporate Culture: Virgin is a happy place, it represents a new way of life.

In the face of the ensuing financial crisis, young frivolous and inexperienced Branson constantly conceal customs, tax evasion, and soon after finally planted in a tax evasion-middle school president's first prophecy came true: he became a criminal. In prison, he finally realized the importance of reputation to the businessman, vowed not to do the illegal things.

Through the record store's great success, Branson has seen the great potential of the music industry. After he got out of jail, he mortgaged all his possessions and bought an estate as a studio to rent a virgin record company.

As a novice in the music industry, Virgin, despite being a small company with only 7 employees, still follows Branson's usual adventures of making and distributing another record company, and Virgin herself is responsible for all the marketing work, taking all the risks-either crushing or maximizing profits. Virgin signed the Maik Odefield, published his personal album "Jungzhong". "Jungzhong" ranked first in two consecutive months, and finally sold 13 million, becoming the history of Europe and the United States record enduring classic.

Digging up the first bucket of gold, Branson and Simon decided to sign up to the satisfaction of the bands and singers at all costs and set the three principles of negotiation: long-term copyrights, international copyrights, bands and individual copyrights of all band members. Then they signed the pop band "Sex Pistol", "People's Union", "Simple Mind", as well as singer Collins and George Boy and so on. The bands and singers became more and more popular, especially the singer-George Boy, who accounted for 40% of their 1983-year profit. Branson then founded Virgin Publishing and Virgin Studios, the former leader in Entertainment book publishers, who made famous films such as The Electronic Dream and 1984.

Virgin Atlantic Airways

Because Branson has dyslexia, so he particularly believes in his intuition that he can judge a person within 60 seconds, and that he can determine a business plan within 60 seconds, but when American lawyer Lendolf Filz asked him if he was interested in running an airline, he thought about it for a whole weekend and kept telling himself: "Don't be tempted, refuse to consider." Two days later, he finally couldn't restrain himself, and began to scratch his back, even Simon threw out the "if you want to get air, you cross over my corpse." "The threat cannot stop him.

Aside from the promise of independence for Virgin and Virgin, Branson's other reason is "fun"--one of his basic business principles. From the entertainment industry to the inexperienced, high threshold of the aviation industry, Branson's behavior by the then many people in the financial sector as a "suicide."

Indeed, the airline was not playing well, the Civil Aviation Authority did not approve, the engine was on fire, and Randolph offended the airline staff, and Branson had to use 1 million pounds to clear him out. However, through Branson and Virgin Airlines employees countless times all night fighting, Virgin finally overcome all obstacles, the maiden voyage was successful.

The Mystery of success

Branson believes that fun is the main reason for doing business and the secret of Virgin's success. Fun to keep Branson's entrepreneurial passion devote yourself to the work, seize the good ideas, and constantly overcome difficulties, fun also let Branson face reputation and money, because his purpose is to find pleasure, not power, and the fun also let Virgin again into unfamiliar fields, and success.

To have a good idea and be able to implement it, you need someone. Branson's business career has always put people in high places. For senior talent, he not only gives equity incentives, but also take care of their feelings, put them in the right place, show them their stage. In this way both from the internal excavation today EMI President Ken, Virgin Retail President Burke, also attracted the dawn, Trevor and other outside professional managers to join. These people in Virgin realized their dream, also put Virgin's career as their own career.

Fun is also given to employees. Branson hates hierarchies and insists on writing a letter to Virgin's employees every month. He also attaches great importance to the staff's good ideas, "virgin Bride" is an ordinary female staff idea. BA's payments to his employees, both personal and corporate, were given to the staff in the form of an "BA allowance" as a way of thanking them for having had a hard time.

After having Necker Island, Branson did not forget his employees, who spent 2 million of dollars to buy an eco-tourism park for all of the Virgin Group's employees in Australia, where they could go on holiday for free. Employees with high satisfaction with the company will naturally bring the best service to their customers, and Branson finally brings the fun to their customers. His customers are those who do not follow the rules, adventurous, fashionable people, Virgin business class passengers can enjoy playing games, nails and other first-class service

The best spokesperson for Virgin brand

Branson's eclectic, rebellious and humorous personality are reflected not only in his brand image, but also in his creative advertising.

In a British premiere of Virgin Group TV commercials, Branson ran naked in a shoal on the English Channel, then ran back to shore with both hands covered with the lower body, and leisurely, wearing only triangular shorts and the famous actress in the Virgin Health drink advertising film, with 20 almost nude models with "WYSIWYG" slogan in the streets of London streaking, Make promotional promotions for Virgin's mobile phone, dress up as a Cossack, advocate for Virgin vodka and much more.

Branson is one of Virgin's best live ads: his long hair, perpetual casual attire, aplomb manners, and in the business world those who "wear suits" do not need to be explained. Branson's record-breaking adventure was his promotion of the Virgin brand, whether it was an advertisement on a motorboat or a hot air balloon, or the naming of each event, which culminated in the focus of the human eye on Virgin. Again and again in line with the Adventures of "Virgin" brand connotation: a life attitude-free, open, rebellious. It is worth noting that in every time the Virgin brand extends, Branson will personally carry out a unique marketing, that is Branson's show.

Although often faced with a lot of criticism, blame and ridicule, but Branson still, I dressed in dirty, sloppy sweater, laugh very happy to appear in the "Times" front-page headlines. People are becoming more and more fond of him and his brand, in Britain, Virgin's brand recognition rate reached 96%, and he himself, in a poll conducted in BBC2001 years, was rated as the most enlightening figure in the second, even higher than Jesus, the British called him: Rebellious Branson, hippie Branson, Daredevil Branson, Adventurer Branson.

Branson never regarded himself as a corporate hero, but he led Virgin to success again and again. Branson, which has never been to business schools and hated financial statements, has become a case study in business schools. Of course, people are also concerned about his next surprise, and more concerned about the future of the Virgin Group in the post-Branson era.