Just Do It!

Some people have a way of making us feel important. Some people light up a room just by walking in. We call this “charisma”. It’s one of those things that people assume you’re born with, but that’s not always the case. We can all be more charismatic. 

Through the decades, entrepreneur Richard Branson has not lost that certain wunderkind vibe about him and the way he runs his brand. This aura makes him especially inspiring to entrepreneurs who are looking to start young. Four years later, in 1970, Branson began selling records by mail. In 1971, he opened his first record store. In 1972, he opened a recording studio. In 1973, he started his own record label. The Virgin business empire had begun, and Branson had not yet turned 24.

Today, the Virgin Group is a well-regarded global conglomerate of about 350 companies, branching into the entertainment, travel, and mobile industries. 

Not all of Branson’s big ideas have been successful. Virgin Airlines and Virgin Mobile are now flagship brands for Branson, but remember Virgin Cola? With big risks come big, public failures. Branson has a follow-up secret to success: determination even when failure seems inevitable.

“If you have enough determination….It’s more likely that you will succeed because of what you learned from the occasions when you didn’t succeed,” Branson said.

“The most important thing is to not be put off by failure BUT TO JUST DO IT!”