Achievements Of Richard Branson

"What are some of the major achievements of Richard Branson?" was a question I recently asked.




One of the responses I received in return was... "Founder of Virgin Records company, Virgin Airways; Own his own island in the Caribbean."

While these responses are true, the achievements of Richard Branson are so much more than this.

Sir Richard Branson was knighted by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace. That's pretty cool.

Entrepreneur Richard Branson is the founder and chairman of the Virgin Group of Companies, a global publishing, retailing, aviation and entertainment conglomerate based in London, England.

Branson is the flamboyant pop-music tycoon who started his empire and $1 billion personal fortune from scratch when he was 15 years old. He built his business during one of Britain's darkest economic hours. That is an amazing feat and a favorite among the many achievements of Richard Branson.

Mr. Branson found his first success selling discount records and then expanded the business into one of the world's hottest record companies. He signed an impressive artistic roster, including Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Winwood, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, and the Rolling Stones.  Impressive indeed.

He later created the successful Virgin Atlantic Airways and became an international celebrity when he co-piloted the largest hot-air balloon ever built on an historic transatlantic voyage.

This "multi-millionaire turned folk hero" recently sold his Virgin Music Group for a headturning $973 million, the highest price ever paid for a privately-held record company.  Can you imagine that?

Richard Branson was selected in a poll of British youth as the third most popular individual in the world after Prince Charles and the Pope. That is pretty impressive.

Let's not forget Necker Island; Branson's own private island. Seventy two arces of exotic beauty and fun in the British Virgin Islands.

Branson stated, "Business is giving people in their lifetime what they need and what they want. And you know, I've had great fun turning quite a lot of different industries on their head and making sure those industries will never be the same again, because Virgin went in and took them on. Occasionally we'll come unstuck and you know, we'll learn from our mistakes but so far I think we've managed to get it right more often than we've got it wrong."

Yes, I say the achievements of Richard Branson are impressive indeed. Did I mention the word impressive?