BalanceJulyIssue17 - 27
T H E B I G I N TERVIEW
idea of a sports event that not only catered for
enthusiasts but for their friends and families, too.
No one had ever tried it before and I was so tired
from cycling up the steep hills that I said "yes!'''
Richard likes saying 'yes' but that doesn't
mean to say he passes the onerous task of setting
up a new Virgin business over to someone else.
He's still very much at the forefront of all his
companies and, despite being in Washington the
day before and due in Barbados the day after, he
still managed to fire the starting gun at the first
Festival of Sport in Hackney earlier this year.
And, true to his word, it was indeed a family
affair, as Richard's own children Holly and Sam
were there, along with his four grandchildren.
'It was lovely for us all,' says Richard. 'We at
Virgin are on a mission to get people moving,
to break down barriers to participation and
encourage everyone to get active. It's the start
of an experiment and another opportunity to
create a little bit of magic.'
STILL LEARNING
At the age of 66 - he's 67 this month - and despite
being the only person in the world to build
eight, billion-dollar companies in eight separate
sectors, Richard still wants to make a difference.
'When I stop enjoying it, I'll stop doing it,' he
says. 'After five decades, the reason I keep going is
the same today as it was the day I started: To make
a positive impact on people's lives. All businesses
need to have this desire in their DNA to succeed.
I'm inspired all the time, by everyone around
me. I'm still learning even after 50 years of
putting ideas in motion.'
The biggest lesson he's learned so far is that
success is about you and I - 'dealing with people
in a fun and friendly way.' He says. 'We spend
roughly 80% of our waking lives working, so it's
important we do what we love, and love what we
do. Virgin prides itself on having people who
like working there. They're totally committed and
when positive values are instilled in your team,
they feel empowered and encouraged.
'A lot of companies say that of their colleagues,
but we really live and breathe it. I can sleep well
at night knowing the recent awful passenger
incidents on other airlines would never, ever
happen on a Virgin flight, because the team is
imbued to genuinely care about other people.' [In
April, Kentucky doctor David Dao was forcibly
dragged off a United Airlines flight after he
refused to give up his seat to employees of a
partner airline after United overbooked the flight.]
WHAT THREE
THINGS WOULD
YOU LIKE
TO CHANGE
ABOUT THE
WORLD?
❶
G ET S CH O O L S
U P TO DATE
'I've never been one to
hide my feelings on our
current education system
and I remain baffled that
so little has changed in
the last century. There
are many subjects still
taught on a daily basis,
which are of very little
value to students. I hope
more practical solutions
are introduced to the
education system by the
time my grandchildren
are attending school.'
❷
K E EP I T
S USTA I NA B LE
'We must move to an
economy that is powered
by more renewable
energy and where we can
minimise the impact we
are having on the world's
resources and climate.
The Paris climate change
agreement and subsequent
ratification by large
nations, including China,
was a profound moment
in world history.'
❸
G ET WO R L D
PRO BL EM S S O LV E D
'I want to see
more and more
entrepreneurs working
to solve the world's
problems. We've seen
a rise in this through
our own not-forprofit, Virgin StartUp,
which provides
loans, mentorship
and business advice
to more than 1,800
entrepreneurs across
the country. The world is
full of problems waiting to
be solved, entrepreneurs
are those who keep their
eyes and ears open and
find great solutions on
how to fix them.'
July 2017 BALAN CE
N O U PS WITHO UT D OWN S
That's not to say it's been plain sailing all the
way. Richard has faced adversity and uphill
struggles against huge corporations in his
attempts to offer the public choice. He says:
'Perhaps my craziest idea was believing that
by having one secondhand Boeing 747 I could
take on British Airways with their 300 planes!
We did it, though, despite their dirty tricks
campaign to bury not only the airline but the
Virgin brand completely.
'Athletes, runners, business people from all
walks of life will have their downs. It's these
downs which teach us most about our character.
He continues: 'I try not to dwell on the failures
in life; you must learn from them, but they can't
become a weight around your neck holding
you back. It's best to take all the positives you
can from them and move on. I've had to do it a
number of times, whether it's ballooning around
the world or launching Virgin Cola, they've
all taught me something which I've carried into
my next project or business.'
As a born optimist, Richard can build on the
positive, even when disaster strikes a venture at
the 11th hour.
'We were about to open our first Virgin Active
health club in the north of England some years
ago and on the day we were due to open, the
whole place burned down. It was a huge setback,
but the team managed to rebuild it. Some years
later, I was in the bath when I got a call from
Nelson Mandela. He told me the largest health
club chain in South Africa
was going bust, with 4,000
people about to be out of
work. He asked me to get on
the next plane out there
and save them,
which I did!
'Virgin
Active is now
the second
biggest
health club
chain in the
world and
the South
Africa clubs
are among our
most successful.'
With all that Richard
has achieved, he'd be forgiven for taking his foot
off the pedal a little to sit back and enjoy life.
'ATHLETES,
RUNNERS, BUSINESS
PEOPLE FROM
ALL WALKS OF LIFE
WILL HAVE THEIR
DOWNS. IT'S THESE
WHICH TEACH US
MOST ABOUT OUR
CHARACTER'
27
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BalanceJulyIssue17
BalanceJulyIssue17 - 1
BalanceJulyIssue17 - 2
BalanceJulyIssue17 - 3
BalanceJulyIssue17 - 4
BalanceJulyIssue17 - 5
BalanceJulyIssue17 - 6
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