Richard Branson Facts (Virgin) – # 100 Facts

Richard Branson Facts – Biography

Wonder Years of Richard Branson

1) Date Of Birth

In the middle of 1950, the famous British tycoon Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Kingdom with more than 400 companies, was born on July the eighteenth.

Yes, the business legend is only 62 years old.

He is famous all over the world for his extraordinary business talents.

2) Birthplace

Richard Branson was born in Great Britain in 1950 in the capital of the United Kingdom.

The legendary industrialist opened his eyes for the very first time in Blackheath, London.

It is an internal inhabited zone southeast of London.

He still pays his birthplace great regard and respect.

3) Full Name

Richard Branson is known all over the world for his great empire and is regarded as one of the biggest and wealthiest business magnates.

However, very few people are aware of his full name.

His full name is Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson.

Richard Branson Family

4) Parents

The proud parents of such a wonderful success story are barrister Edward Branson and the beautiful Eve Branson.

Richard comes from a very good and respectable family.

His grandfather, Sir George Branson, was a highly regarded judge of the High Court of Justice.

Richard proudly said that the reason behind his success is his great upbringing.

He belongs to a family that was very modern for its time.

5) Siblings

Richard Branson has two younger sisters.

He is the only son of his parents and eldest of all his siblings.

The names of his sisters are Andrea Branson and Vanessa Branson.

The latter herself is famous all over the world as she is the originator of the Marrakech Biennale.

He always had a good relationship with his family.

6) Wives

Richard Branson married twice.

His first wife was Kristin Tomassi, whom he married in 1972.

The marriage was short-lived as he divorced her in 1979.

Richard said that he and his first wife were not faithful to each other and had open affairs, thus the marriage could not work.

He married again after ten years in 1989.

The beautiful Joan Templeman is his current wife.

7) Children

He is father to a daughter, Holly, and a son, Sam.

Sam and Holly Branson – children of Richard Branson

He actually had two daughters but one of them died in infancy.

He said in an interview that his young daughter only lived for four days because of some complexity in the pregnancy.

All his children were born before his marriage to their mother in 1989.

8) Poor Childhood

One of the richest men in the United Kingdom was not as wealthy as a child.

He belonged to a middle-class family and his father was a besieged barrister.

He has recalled the family not being very affluent and trying to cut costs and expenditures by being very reasonable while spending.

His mother Eve used to keep herself busy by making small household things that she would sell in order to earn money for her family.

9) The Amazing Eve

Eve Branson, mother of the great business king of England, is one amazing woman.

She was a fun mom to be with and a great inspiration for Richard.

She was a showgirl when young, as she was a big fan of the theater.

She also was a flight attendant.

She once snuck into a male-only training program for glider pilots by pretending she was a male.

Richard Branson got his independence and desire to prove himself from her genes.

10) Sam And Holly

Richard Branson’s daughter, Holly Branson, went to London’s University College in 2003 to become a doctor.

Currently Richard’s daughter is in her early thirties and his son, Sam Branson, is in his late twenties.

Richard has a very healthy relationship with his children.

Richard Branson Studies

11) Education

Richard Branson comes from a fine educational background.

Till the age of 13, he attended the Scaitcliffe School which is now known as Bishopsgate School.

He then spent another three years of his academic life in another well-known school, namely the Stowe School.

He never completed his high school and left at the age of 15.

12) Richard’s Dyslexia

The brilliant tycoon Richard Branson was not one of the brightest students as a child.

The reason behind his bad academic performance was a disorder.

He suffered from dyslexia and found it very hard to cope with his studies.

It was no wonder he left his education when only a teenager.

However, Richard never let his problem get in the way of his success and used it as a weapon to achieve all his wealth.

He said in an interview, “The reason that I think people who are dyslexic seem to exceed quite well in life, having had hell at school, is that you do simplify things.”

Richard Branson: Early Business Ventures

13) The Student

Richard proved he was an entrepreneur when he was only 16 years old.

He started a magazine, The Student, in 1966, from the crypt of a church right after he abandoned school.

This magazine was his first gamble and the first step of his great business journey.

He used it to advertise his records as well in the later years.

14) Record Venture

Branson eventually started his record business from the crypt where he had started The Student.

He used to make audio records and deliver them to the customers who had ordered them.

After this initial start, there was no stopping him.

Branson kept his prices low as compared to his big competitors.

Being able to advertise in his own magazine brought overnight fortune to the young entrepreneur.

15) Virgin

Richard Branson named his first business “Virgin.”

Even now, his empire is known as the Virgin Empire.

He picked the name on the advice of one of his friends and coworkers.

They selected this name because they were of the view that all the people including Richard who were part of his new venture were fresh in the business world and had little knowledge about how to do business.

16) Hello, Oxford Street

After being successful on the streets, Richard decided to take his business to another level.

The next step he took was to expand.

He opened a small shop on Oxford Street in London, where he started selling music records.

The place was a business hub.

The decision turned out to be very successful and his store became extremely popular in the new area.

17) Accused Of Involvement In Export Stock

The year 1971 brought bad luck to Branson.

He was accused of being involved in keeping export stock in his record shops, which was prohibited by law.

Richard was very smart at handling this issue and was able to make a settlement out of court.

His mother helped him pay off the taxes and fines in order to get rid of the problem.

The Virgin Empire of Richard Branson

18) Virgin Records

The success and money he got from his record stores was not enough for Richard Branson, who was hungry for more.

In 1972, he came up with a very different idea, which still is a milestone in the music industry.

He opened his very own record studio called Virgin Records.

The store name was changed to Virgin Megastores in later years.

19) Business Partner

Nik Powell was the right hand of Branson and together they started the label Virgin Records.

The two men are very good friends, age mates and business partners.

Together, they worked as a spectacular team.

20) First Album

In 1973, Richard Branson launched the first album recorded in his studio under the banner of Virgin Records.

The company’s first released album “Tubular Bells” received immense appreciation from the audience and was a best seller of its time.

It was also the very first release of Mike Oldfield, who basked in the glory of his amazing work.

21) Wonders Of Virgin Records

Virgin Records proved to be very promising and successful for Richard Branson.

The company gained fame by giving contracts to somewhat controversial musicians who turned out to be extraordinary for the public.

The music industry owes a lot to the company as it brought the concept of the culture group for the first time into the market.

The gay nightclub Heaven was also part of the company as it was purchased in the 1980s.

22) Baa, Baa, Richard

Richard Branson is also the famous producer of a version of one of the all-time favorite children’s songs, “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.”

He came up with an extraordinary tune in collaboration with Doug McLean and Grace McDonald.

The novelty song was a big hit and made its way to the charts of 1982 by holding the No. 42 position.

23) Bye-Bye, Virgin Label

Did you know that in 1991, Richard Branson had a heartbreak? No, it was not because of his love life but because he had to sell away his precious record business due to a financial crisis.

He had to say good-bye to the Virgin Label and sold it to EMI for 50 million pounds.

Branson was devastated at his loss and the rumor has it that he cried after the deal was finalized.

24) Virgin Atlantic Airways

Richard Branson’s desire to win and achieve more did not die with the success of his record business.

In 1986, he started another business, Virgin Atlantic Airways, a world-renowned British airline.

25) Virgin Mobile

Virgin Mobile, another venture of Richard’s huge Virgin Group, provides cellular services in many prominent countries around the globe.

This communication business was founded by Branson in 1991 and brought a lot of fortune to the great industrialist.

26) Virgin Trains

The year 1993 marked the start of another risky venture started by Richard Branson.

He made an entrance into the railway industry by creating Virgin Trains.

Many called it a foolish move on his part but the talented tycoon had a knack of exploring new territories and the decision to become a provider of railway services made Richard even more successful.

27) Virgin Acquisition

The business warrior Richard Branson further expanded his airline business in 1996 by taking over Euro Belgian Airlines after the huge success of his previous airline ventures.

He changed the name of the company to Virgin Express.

Virgin Nigeria and Virgin America were then created  in 2007.

28) Issues With British Airways

At the start of the 1990s, Richard Branson blamed British Airways for activities that were creating problems for his airline, Virgin Atlantic.

British Airways perceived his business as a big threat and hence did many alleged illegal activities that made Richard upset.

He took his case to court but British Airways decided to make an out-of-court settlement.

As a result, Richard gained 160,000 pounds from the company that he evenly distributed among his staff members.

29) Virgin Australia

An airline business in the UK was not enough for Richard Branson.

In 2000, he created another airline especially for Australians in their country, which he named Virgin Australia.

The airline is known in the country for its quality and hospitality and is ranked No. 2 in Australia for its size and service.

30) Soft And Hard Drinks

Confident after his previous achievements, Richard Branson entered the soft and hard drink industry.

He came up with Virgin Cola as well as Virgin Vodka.

However, both these new businesses did not bring the desired results to Branson and failed to live up to his expectations.

31) Virgin Galactic

Richard came up with a crazy idea in 2004 and took the license for his new venture Virgin Galactic, a space tourism company.

The whole concept behind this was to take people who were willing to pay a premium to go to space through new technology.

The venture, which has funding from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, is charging $200,000 per willing passenger.

32) Virgin Fuels

In response to increasing fuel prices and his inspirational breakfast meeting with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Richard Branson came up with Virgin Fuels.

It was a venture to fight global warming and to provide cheap fuels to American and European citizens.

The broader picture was to somehow produce fuel that is high in quality and priced low.

33) Selling Virgin Mobile

The intelligent Richard Branson had to part with his telecommunication venture in 2006.

He sold his Virgin Mobile business for one billion pounds to NTL/Telewest with plans of re-launching the company under the new partnership.

In 2007, the company came back with a bang and a new name: Virgin Media.

Fifteen percent of Virgin Media belonged to Branson.

More Ventures of Richard Branson

34) Venture With The Indians

After being successful in many industries, Richard Branson decided to work in the Indian entertainment industry as well.

In 2006, he joined hands with the famous Indian writer Deepak Chopra and the sharp filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor to establish Virgin Comics and Virgin Animations.

The idea was to cater to the universal audience by coming up with extraordinary stories and cartoons.

35) Virgin Earth Challenge

To ensure technological advancements, Richard Branson decided to declare a prize in 2007.

He offered to award 25 million pounds to anyone who would come up with a way to remove the impact of global warming.

He took this initiative to protect the environment.

He also joined the panel of judges who were chosen to evaluate the candidates.

36) Branson In Malaysia

The amazing legend Richard Branson had a knack for the airline industry.

He had already penetrated many countries with his talented ventures.

In 2007, Richard went into the green lands of Malaysia and bought 20 percent shares of AirAsiaX (a renowned Malaysian airline).

37) Virgin Money

Branson faced much controversy in 2007 when he added the public British bank Northern Rock to his kingdom.

Many Liberal Democrats were of the view that Branson was not a trustworthy candidate to be in charge of the public’s money, as he had made many attempts in the past to waive taxes.

In spite of all the criticism, Branson was able to crack the deal.

He owned 30 percent of the bank after making a smart agreement with the authorities and renamed it to Virgin Money.

38) Interest In Honda

Richard Branson was interested in Honda’s racing team in 2009.

However, he never made any advances to take over the company’s Formula One Team.

Richard shared that he never worked on this idea because Honda was not an environmentally friendly firm.

39) Virgin Brides

He opened a bridal shop in 1996 in several locations in his home country to facilitate all the brides-to-be.

The idea was to provide exclusive and latest designer bridal wear.

His bridal shop was known as Virgin Brides but was not one of his great successes.

40) Culinary Center

In 2009 the creative Richard Branson opened up Ninety Acres, a restaurant and culinary school at Natirar Estate, New Jersey.

A total leisure spot is planned with a restaurant, cooking school, a farm and a comfortable resort.

The idea was to provide an all-in-one vacation hangout.

41) Year 2010

The year 2010 turned out to be a very happening year for Richard Branson.

He invested in a gas balloon race, made a bet with his business partner on car racing, which he lost, and declared the closure of European airspace due to volcanic ash as a big joke.

42) Year 2012

The year 2012 brought more innovative ideas to Richard Branson to expand his already massive kingdom.

He also had to face some losses in the same year.

He decided to introduce an orbital space launch system but had to lose a rail franchise because of rigid policies and competition.

However, Richard was able to convince the authorities that he was right and the franchise was returned to him.

43) Casino Royale

Richard Branson expressed his desire to open a casino in 2003.

According to him, America is a huge land of opportunity and he has been reported recently to show interest in starting a casino business there

He has pointed out that Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, is the most prominent spot to start such a venture.

Accolades: Richard Branson

44) Citizen Of The World Award

Ban Ki-Moon, the secretary general of the United Nations, honored Richard Branson with the United Nations Correspondents Association Citizen of the World Award in December 2007.

This special award was presented to the famous tycoon for environmental and humanitarian efforts.

45) German Media Prize

Media Control Charts bestowed Richard Branson with the German Media Prize in January 2011.

The award previously was given to the former president of the United States, Bill Clinton, and the Dalai Lama.

46) ISTA Prize

In 2011, Richard Branson received the ISTA Prize for providing planned suborbital services through Virgin Galactic.

This prize was given to him by the International Space Transport Association in The Hague for his tremendous efforts in space aircraft.

47) Merit Music Award

Richard Branson received a President’s Merit Award in music for his support and efforts for the growth of the music industry.

The National Academy of Recording and Sciences bestowed this award on him on February 11, 2012.

The award function was held only one night before the Grammy Award show.

48) Possible Mayor?

Many times, the name of Richard Branson has been discussed for being a good candidate to be mayor of London.

Many people have suggested his name for this position but Richard himself has never shown much interest in this discussion.

49) Doctor Of Technology

Richard Branson received an honorary degree from Loughborough University in England in 1993.

It was an academic degree called doctor of technology.

50) Knight Bachelor

In the year 2000, Richard Branson was honored by the royal family by receiving the title of Knight Bachelor in Buckingham Palace for his services to entrepreneurship.

He was also awarded the Tony Jannus Award in the same year for his achievements in the airline industry.

51) In Top Hundred

In the 2002 list of 100 Greatest Britons, Richard Branson was given the eighty-fifth position.

His name also appeared in Time Magazine’s list of Top 100 Most Influential People in the World in the year 2007.

Social Work by Richard Branson

52) The Generous Branson

Richard Branson, the proud business tycoon, is also a very kind-hearted and generous man.

Did you know he invested around $3 billion for the welfare of humanity in 2006? He promised the world to share some percentage of profits derived from Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains to work on a project dedicated to producing environmentally friendly energy.

53) Virgin Health Bank

In 2007, Richard Branson provided parents with an opportunity to keep their babies’ umbilical cords safe forever.

He launched the creative Virgin Health Bank that provided such a chance.

The health bank was created to make transplants much easier.

54) Virgin Healthcare

The generous Branson once again showed his soft side to the world in 2008 with the announcement of opening health care clinics all over England.

These clinics provide homeopathic treatment.

55) The Elders

The universal group, the Elders, was started by Nelson Mandela in 2007, based on a long discussion between Branson and musician Peter Gabriel, who took their idea to the famous world leader.

The group was founded in order to solve world issues with the help of intellectual leaders who are not in it for their personal interests.

Both Branson and Gabriel financially support the group.

56) Richard’s School

Richard Branson owns a school in South Africa called Branson School of Entrepreneurship.

The venture is a partnership between Virgin United and the founder of CIDA City Campus, TaddyBletcher.

He opened this school in 2005 for young entrepreneurs who want to polish themselves and to improve economic growth in the country.

57) Picnic Green Challenge

Richard Branson was the honorary chairperson of the jury of the first Picnic Green Challenge in 2007.

The challenge was a contest started by the Dutch to ensure the world remains a green place.

The winner, a company called Qurrent, received a prize of five hundred thousand pounds.

58) Reserve Dinners

Richard Branson was able to raise $75,000 in one day by being the first guest for the Reserve Dinners.

It is a fundraising and charity collection organization.

Branson injected all the money raised into his nonprofit organization, Virgin Unite, which works for the welfare of humanity.

59) Sekenani Primary School

In 2008, Richard Branson helped with the building of a school in Kenya called the Sekenani Primary School.

It was sponsored by the frequent flyers of his Atlantic airline.

He shared the experience of constructing this school through a documentary, which was filmed by David Collupy and directed by Carolyn Scott-Hamilton.

60) A Charitable Man

Richard Branson has become known all over the world for his generous acts.

He has sponsored many charities and is the patron to International Rescue Corps and Prisoners Abroad, which help Britons stuck outside England.

Richard Branson, The Adventurer

61) Richard’s Voyages

Richard Branson likes adventure. In 1985, he tried to cross the Atlantic Ocean in his boat Virgin Atlantic Challenger in the shortest time but he failed.

However, he was able to do so in the next year, 1986, with the help of a talented sailing specialist, Daniel McCarthy.

His new boat Virgin Atlantic Challenger II allowed him to beat the record by two hours.

62) Traveling in Balloons

Richard likes traveling in hot air balloons.

His Virgin Atlantic Flyer traversed the Atlantic Ocean in 1987

In 1991, Branson made a record-breaking journey in a balloon by crossing over the Pacific.

He made many such journeys all over the world between the years 1995 and 1998.

63) Journey On Gibbs Aquada

Richard Branson was able to make the fastest crossing of the English Channel in a Gibbs Aquada in 2004.

The Gibbs Aquada is an amphibious vehicle which can be driven on land and water.

Branson was able to make this journey in one hour, 40 minutes and 6 seconds.

No one has been able to beat his record yet.

Appearances On Film by Richard Branson

64) Branson, the Actor

Richard Branson has made many guest appearances on numerous television shows.

He mostly played himself.

He guest starred in famous TV shows which include “Friends,” “The Day Today,” “Baywatch” and “Only Fools and Horses.”

He also played a role in a video called “Generals and Majors.”

65) The Pickle Man

Richard Branson was a regular visitor in the nineties on the Saturday morning special show known as “Live & Kicking” that was telecast on BBC.

The Trev and Simon comedy act in the show used to refer to him as the Pickle Man.

66) Richard’s Reality Show

In 2004, Richard Branson was seen on Fox TV as the star of a show “The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the Best.”

In the show, sixteen candidates competed against each other with their entrepreneurial skills.

The show was designed to compete against Donald Trump’s show, “The Apprentice.”

However, it did not prove to be that successful and was closed down after the first season.

67) Branson, the Villain

A cartoon version of Richard Branson was introduced as a villain in the year 2000 series “Zenith.”

The issuer and the supplier of the comic book were both rivals with the Virgin Group.

Hence, they made a parody of Branson showing him as an evil man.

68) Animated Richard

In one of the episodes of “The Simpsons,” titled “Monty Can’t Buy Me Love,” Branson was shown as the magnate Arthur Fortune.

And in “Believe Nothing,” another TV show, the narcissistic character Richard Chutney depicts Richard Branson.

In Terry Pratchett’s “Wings,” the character of Grandson Richard 39 is also an imitation of Branson.

69) Branson’s Movies

Richard Branson has had roles in many films.

He played the hot-air balloon operator in the film “Around the World in 80 Days” and wasa shuttle engineer in the movie “Superman Returns.”

He acted in the James Bond movie “Casino Royale” as a passenger going through a security check at the Miami airport.

70) Documentary Appearances

Richard Branson made brief role in the documentary “Dereck and Clive Get the Horn” in 1978.

It was a documentary that shows how Peter Cook and Dudley Moore recorded their final humorous album.

With his mother Eve, Richard also appeared in another documentary called “Lemonade Stories.”

71) Rove Live

In an episode of “Live at Your House,” Richard Branson and the comedy show host Rove McManus pushed one another into a swimming pool fully dressed.

The show was telecast live on television in the year 2006.

72) The Colbert Report

In the famous late-night talk show, “The Colbert Report,” Richard Branson declared to the viewers that he was naming his new airplane “Air Colbert” after the Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert in 2007.

The show was a fun episode to watch with a friendly water fight between the two figures.

The event followed Richard’s appearance in the weekly TV series, “The Soup,” where he played the part of an intern who gets fired for getting into a water fight with Stephen Colbert.

73) Bollywood Appearance

Richard Branson took his Virgin Mobile to India in the year 2008by providing telecommunication services in this new territory.

In the same year, he was seen in Vipul Shah’s movie “London Dreams.”

It was a Bollywood musical starring Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan and the beautiful Asin.

74) Branson, The Narrator

Jessica Watson, an Australian sailor, used Richard Branson as a narrator in her documentary of her journey as a sailor around the globe in 2010.

She took this trip all by herself.

The documentary was shown for the first time in August of the same year on an Australian high definition channel ONEHD.

75) Playing Titanic With Kate Winslet

In 2011, Richard Branson was seen on the news channel CNN, along with the famous and beautiful Hollywood actress Kate Winslet.

They both made the encounter very entertaining for their fans by reliving one of the scenes from Kate Winslet’s memorable blockbuster “Titanic,” released in 1997.

76) A Day in the Life

Richard Branson was the first celebrity to be seen on the Internet series “A Day in the Life” that was live streamed on Hulu.

The show was the first long-form original production of the website and featured many celebrities by letting the audience watch how their favorite celebrities spend their days.

77) Paying Tribute

Richard Branson, Michael Caine, Elton John, Stephen Fry and Simon Cowell together recited the poem “If” written by Rudyard Kipling during the Pride of Britain Awards in October 2012.

This was done in order to pay tribute to the heroes and champions of the British Olympics and Paralympics.

Assets of Richard Branson

78) Virgin Limited Edition

Richard Branson has a portfolio of vacation territories all around the globe called the Virgin Limited Edition.

These lands are part of his Virgin Group, situated in the prime locations of the world and known for their beautiful surroundings.

79) Necker Island

The beautiful Necker Island in the Caribbean is a small island that belongs to Richard Branson.

The island is a popular resort and can adapt to host around 28 people at a time.

Richard hosted a formal gathering at Necker Island in 2008 in which discussions were held about the global warming issue and how to control it.

The guest list was full of many prestigious world leaders including Tony Blair and Larry Page.

Richard Branson also owns some land on the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean.

80) A Wealthy Man

Famous businessman Richard Branson started to struggle at a very young age.

His efforts, however, turned out to be very fruitful and paid him well.

Currently, he is one of the richest men in all of Britain.

He is ranked fourth in terms of wealth all over the United Kingdom.

81) Rich List

In 2006, Richard’s name was found in the Sunday Times Rich List.

He was ranked ninth in terms of wealth and worth three billion pounds.

It was a big achievement for Richard Branson and a big honor to be known as such a powerful influence.

82) Net Worth

According to Forbes Magazine, Richard Branson has a very high net worth.

The magazine calculated his net worth to be $4.2 billion in 2012 which has been upgraded to $4.6 billion in the current year, 2013.

The most interesting part is that there is still no stopping the great business warrior and the coming years may show us a higher number.

Richard Branson: Family First

83) House on Fire

Richard Branson’s house on his private Island caught fire in 2011.

Most of his family was present on the island at the time of the accident but they all survived the massive fire.

His son and his daughter were both in the house when it caught fire.

Richard and his wife also were present in the area but fortunately they were at another property.

It was a miracle that they all survived.

Richard Branson made sure that this accident did not delay his daughter’s wedding, which was due soon.

84) Holly’s Wedding

Holly Branson, daughter of Richard Branson, married Fred Andrews in 2012 on her father’s private island.

The young woman gave another meaning to the term dream wedding by getting married in a lavish manner.

She got married on the same date and on the same island her parents got married on back in 1989.

Branson was very happy for his daughter and was reported to have said that he had given away his daughter to a very nice man.

85) Time Allocation

Unlike many businessmen, Richard Branson works at home and gets to spend lots of time with his family.

He spends three months of his year at his private Necker Island.

Summer vacations have usually been spent there with his children.

He stays at his home on weekends and spends his weekdays in London.

Personality of Richard Branson

86) Transformational Branson

The big industrialist Richard Branson is undoubtedly a great leader.

His leadership style is purely transformational.

He is known for his principles and strong ethics.

His organizational structure is very informal and the most important pillar of his great kingdom is information.

He has created a friendly workplace for his employees and uses a decentralized approach in his company.

87) ‘Star Trek’ Fan

The business tycoon Richard Branson is a big “Star Trek” fan.

He likes the fictional television series so much that he even named one of his spaceships VSS Enterprise after the “Star Trek” ships.

He even asked one of the star actors of the series, William Shatner, to take a trip into space through Virgin Galactic.

88) Celebrity Dream Boss

The famous tycoon Richard Branson earned many awards and prizes for his great works from all over the world.

In 2009, he received another prestigious award from Cancer Research UK.

It voted him as the UK’s Celebrity Dream Boss.

89) Holly’s Suggestion

Richard Branson married his beautiful wife Joan in 1989 because it was suggested to them by little Holly, their daughter, who was 8years old at that time.

The couple got married on Richard’s private Necker Island.

90) Oxford United

The famous business tycoon Richard Branson is a huge fan of the popular football (soccer) team Oxford United based in Oxford.

91) Richard’s Books

Richard Branson is not just an industrialist but also a famous book writer.

His books have received a lot of appreciation from the world and turned out to be best sellers.

He published his autobiography, “Losing My Virginity,” in 1998, which turned out to be an international best seller.

After that first hit, there was no stopping Richard.

The entrepreneur has written many books up till now.

92) ‘My Friend, Steve Fossett’

In 2007, Richard Branson wrote an article for Time Magazine titled “My Friend, Steve Fossett.”

He wrote it to express his grief at the sudden disappearance of his special friend who used to be his companion in almost all the adventurous trips he took all around the world.

The article was a token of friendship for his lost friend.

93) Richard’s Inspiration

The famous tycoon Richard Branson openly expressed that he has been inspired by Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom,” and feels honored to call such a great man his friend.

94) Richard’s Favorite Books

Richard Branson is a learned man and likes to enjoy reading books in his free time.

He has mentioned in many interviews that “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore is one of his favorite books.

He has also mentioned James Lovelock’s book “The Revenge of Gaia” as a favorite.

In his own book “Screw It, Let’s Do It” he has mentioned that he is a fan of Jung Chang.

95) Global Rank

With a net worth of $4.2 billion, Richard Branson is ranked in the 254th position in the global list of billionaires.

Undoubtedly, he is one of the most known and popular billionaires.

As it is said that your network is your net worth, Richard has proven that he has a very high net worth because of the vast network he operates in.

96) British Entrepreneur

With around 400 companies scattered all over the world, Richard Branson is the ultimate successful British entrepreneur.

Even though he is in his early sixties, he looks just as young and powerful as he was at the age of 22.

Nothing can stop him from conquering the world.

97) Bottom-Heavy Approach

Richard Branson’s philosophy is to operate through a bottom-heavy approach.

He said that this way he keeps his employees motivated and helps them in building their careers.

He is also of the view that it enables him to avoid bureaucracy.

His employees are given enough empowerment to be creative and motivated.

He believes in a close network, thus everyone in the family is part of his business, including his ex-girlfriends.

98) Branson, The Atheist

Business tycoon Richard Branson does not believe in any religion.

He openly declared that he is an atheist and believes in his own self rather than any other external and more powerful force.

He likes taking risks and his nature keeps him sailing in a crisis because his belief in his own self is very strong.

99) Richard’s Philosophy

The famous tycoon Richard Branson believes that business opportunities are everywhere and one just has to be smart enough to grasp them.

In one of his books he has mentioned that such opportunities are like buses, they come and go all the time.

A true entrepreneur is the one who knows how to seize them and Richard has shown us that he is capable of it.

100) Not Lavish

Though he is one of the richest men around, Richard Branson does not like to live lavishly.

He has many cars but he prefers taking cabs.

He keeps a gym bag rather than a proper suitcase.

He likes to keep it simple.

However, he wears a Breitling watch.

The purpose is not to show off but it is for his security purposes.

The watch has a pin which when pulled summons a rescue helicopter.