Here are 17 of our favorite inspirational leadership quotes from ultra-successful billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.
“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.
“My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them.”
“As much as you need a strong personality to build a business from scratch, you also must understand the art of delegation. I have to be good at helping people run the individual businesses, and I have to be willing to step back. The company must be set up so it can continue without me.”
“I am prepared to try anything once.”
“The brands that will thrive in the coming years are the ones that have a purpose beyond profit.”
“To be successful, you have to be out there, you have to hit the ground running, and if you have a good team around you and more than a fair share of luck, you might make something happen. But you certainly can’t guarantee it just by following someone else’s formula.”
“Fun is one of the most important – and underrated – ingredients in any successful venture. If you’re not having fun, then it’s probably time to call it quits and try something else.”
“To launch a business means successfully solving problems. Solving problems means listening.”
“All you have in business is your reputation – so it’s very important that you keep your word.”
“Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”
“My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long university education that I never had — every day I’m learning something new.”
“A business is simply an idea to make other people’s lives better.”
“In business, if you realize you’ve made a bad decision, you change it.”
“My attitude has always been, if you fall flat on your face, at least you’re moving forward. All you have to do is get back up and try again.”
“Too many people measure how successful they are by how much money they make or the people that they associate with. In my opinion, true success should be measured by how happy you are.”
“A passionate belief in your business and personal objectives can make all the difference between success and failure. If you aren’t proud of what you’re doing, why should anybody else be?”
“From a young age, I learned to focus on the things I was good at and delegate to others what I was not good at. That’s how Virgin is run. Fantastic people throughout the Virgin Group run our businesses, allowing me to think creatively and strategically.”
If you liked this post, check out our Richard Branson Leadership Style article.