Richard Branson: Secrets of a Rogue Entrepreneur

culled from:wobi.com

With a presentation worthy of a rock star status within the business community, Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Group, took to the stage at last week's World Business Forum in New York for a conversation with his friend Mark Thompson that was at the same time fun and inspirational.

An unconventional dreamer and risk taker, as well as being one if the world's most admired and successful entrepreneurs, Branson grew Virgin from a record label to a conglomorate of different industries:  energy, mobile phones, finance, travel, even space travel...  An adventurer and record breaker - on land, sea and in the air - Branson's interests also extend well beyond the business environment.  Here we present some of the secrets to his entrepreneurial success that he revealed during the World Business Forum.

- Love challenges:  The challenges you set yourself and the desire to make a difference in the world are the reasons you get out of bed in the morning

- Be a leader that listens and learns:  It is those that work on the front lines directly with customers that know whether things are going well or not.  To be a better company in any field, you need to listen to your people and know the details

- Start by hiring from within:  what you see in interviews isnt always the truth.  Focus on promoting those who keep their heads up, listen and are flexible.

- Treat people as human beings.  Put the employee first and give them the tools to be effective.  Then the consumer.  If not you'll have an unhappy company and you wont be successful.

- Keep your feet on the ground:  Honor your values.  It was Branson's parents who kept his feet on the ground from a young age and today it is his own family - the result of 35 years of marriage!

- If you want to be an entrepreneur, be an adventurer.  At the age of 15 Branson was already and entrepreneur, but he has had to face various challenges in the course of his career.  Keep taking claculated risks, go to places where others dont go, bet on what's different, and you'll go far - in Branson's case literally, she'll soon be going to space thanks to his latest initiative Virgin Galactic.

- Take maximum advantage of your entrepreneurial skills:  Each business has an oppotunity to tackle problems facing the world.  Adopt a problem!  Business can be a force for good, not just a way to make money, but also a means to change the community in which you live.