Eleven Secrets To Success According To Sir Richard Branson

It’s not every day that you get the chance to hear the wise words of Sir Richard Branson, so when he was a keynote speaker at the World Business Forum in Sydney yesterday, B&T was in full attendance.
And while we could document every word and story and joke he said, we’re literally too hungover from our cracker of a party, 30 Under 30, last night. This is the best we’ve got today folks.
Here’s the top tips every entrepreneur should know, according to Sir Branson.
1. “To be a really good leader, you have to listen, listen, listen. Only then will you get good and honest feedback.”
2. “If you’re true entrepreneur you need to delegate. I would set up a company, then go back to my houseboat and make sure someone else was there to run it and make sure all goes well.”
3. “I would recommend if you want to have a decent life, every entrepreneur should try and put themselves out of business. Find someone better than you to run your company. Step out of the building and you can find time to take company forward to new areas, and not get bogged down with the minutiae of running a company.”
4. “Try to promote from within if you can.”
5. “You need to take the mickey out of your biggest competitors.” In this case, Branson used the example of when the British Airways-sponsored London Eye was suffering technical difficulties, and Branson knew the world press would be there and it was his duty to give them something to look at. What he did made sure Virgin ended up on the front pages of newspapers instead.
6. “Give where give is due and take where take is due.”
7. “Parties are important. It’s completely fine for a company to take staff out and give them a party.”
8. “Design is incredibly important and a lot of companies don’t spend enough effort on design. When we designed the spaceships we made them sexy. If you’re going to spend all that time getting there you may as well travel on something sexy that looks good and feels good.”
9. “If you’re a small business take a look at your community and help those who are struggling. If you’re a slightly bigger business maybe help on a national scale. If you’re bigger again, go global.”
10. “I recently tweeted my grandchildren learning to walk, and they were walking and falling over and getting up and walking again. This is not dissimilar to entrepreneurship. You just walk, and if you fall over, you pick yourself up and keep going.”
11. “Screw it just do it.”
Please login with linkedin to comment
Advertising Standards Bureau MNet PR disaster sir richard branson virgin airlinesLatest News

ghd Appoints GrowthOps Digital As Digital Marketing Partner
Global hair styling brand, ghd has today announced the appointment of GrowthOps Digital as its digital marketing partner.

Prahran Market Announces Masterchef Grand Finalist Simon Toohey As ‘Sustainable Simon’
Prahran Market is excited to announce Simon Toohey as the Market’s new sustainability guru ‘Sustainable Simon’

Xandr Shares Comprehensive Approach To Identity
Xandr today shared insight into its multi-faceted approach to identity solutions, to facilitate high-value transactions for buyers and sellers following the deprecation of third-party cookies and device IDs.

Bolster Group Launches Regional Tour ‘Small Town Big Sound’, For The Transport Accident Commission’s Vanessa
A nod to the colourful, late 70’s Aussie pub rock scene, Bolster Group has created the Small Town Big Sound campaign; collecting a handful of the nation’s locally adored bands to tour regional Victoria in the latest campaign for TAC’s Vanessa.

When It Comes Brand Building, Less Isn’t Always More
In this guest post, Hulsbosch’s creative director Marcel Wijnen, casts his design eye over what truly makes a brand and says it’s all about being true and essential… To do simple – and to be original – is a truly tough task. Not impossible, but not easy. Naturally, we can get lost in ‘striving for simplicity’ […]

Seven Victorian Charities Join Forces To Light Up Thousands Of Lives With ‘Power Up’ 2021 Campaign
Seven Victorian charities are uniting for a month-long virtual fundraising challenge - Power Up 2021 - between 28th February and 28th March. There’s no denying that 2020 affected everyone, but small charities experienced a huge drop in much needed donations and it is hoped the Power Up campaign will bring fundraising back to life.

South Australian Supermarket Chain Foodland Launches ‘Mighty’ New Campaign, Via KWP!
South Australia’s largest independent supermarket chain, Foodland – with its unforgettable jingle “Foodland, the mighty South Aussies, yeah” – will launch a new campaign on 7th March. The campaign coincides with the chain’s $251m expansion program to open twenty-five new stores, revamp fourty-seven and create 2,500 new jobs over the next five years. Agency KWP! […]

AFG Launches Brand Refresh From The Works Ahead Of Tech Launches
Ahead of major new technology launches, AFG (Australian Finance Group) has unveiled a new brand design, logo and campaign created by The Works.

Client Retentions Boost Carat’s Billings And Solidify Growth
Jim Groves, Managing Director of Carat Perth, announced today a significant growth period for the agency with the retention of three existing clients.

Julie Bishop, Thelma Plum And More: Klarna’s First Aussie Smoooth Session
A-listers turned out to Klarna's Sydney party last night. It did move significantly down the alphabet on B&T's arrival.

The Future Of Post-Pandemic Advertising Or Plain Gross? People Are Freaking Out Over This Racy Menswear Campaign
B&T warns this contains imagery of attractive people in various states of undress. And by "warn" we mean "encourage".

A Win For Privacy Or For Google? Ad Tech Industry Weighs In On Tracking Changes
Here, B&T asks "a win for privacy or for Google?" & you'd pick the splinters out of our arse such was the fence-sitting.

72andSunny Announce New Narratives: Mapping Modern Masculinity Event
72andSunny announces plans for a masculinity event, adding it's not compulsory to do donuts in a ute before attending.

Government Supports ‘Buy Aussie Now’ Marketplace With ‘Tick Of Approval’ For Australian Businesses
B&T always looks to buy Australian, except that is when it comes to sombreros, Shih Tzus or plundered Inca ruins.

Co-Founder Of Eyeota Returns As Head of Brand Solutions AU/NZ
Eyeota, the leading audience technology platform enabling the intelligent use of data, today announced its co-founder, Trent Lloyd, has been appointed Head of Brand Solutions, Australia/New Zealand.

Muval Launches First Broadcast And Digital Advertising Campaign, Targeting ‘Relocation Of The Nation’
Muval is an online booking platform for removalists, despite sounding like a psyllium fibre supplement for constipation.

The Indie Recipe: A Dash Of Agility And A Spoonful Of Adaptation
Here's the recipe for indie agency success! Sadly it doesn't go so far as tips on stealing your competitor's clients.

Clems Melbourne Launches New Content Division
Judging by the press photo, Clems content division enjoy a laugh. Unless they're learning of a colleague's termination?

The Wiggles Mash-Up Tame Impala’s ‘Elephant’ With Iconic Hit ‘Fruit Salad’ For Triple J
The Wiggles have done triple J's 'Like A Version' and, thankfully, no one had a bout of narcolepsy or a heart attack.

Yes, You Can Now Buy Cadbury Creme Egg-Flavoured Beer!
The hot cross bun said to be the ideal accompaniment to Cadbury Creme Egg beer. Followed by a trip to Weight Watchers.

WPP Snares Facebook’s Dave Rolfe For Global Head Of Production Role
Dave Rolfe named WPP's global head of production while confirming he's no relation to convicted sex pest Rolf Harris.

Thursday TV Wrap: Gogglebox Numbers Continue To Climb
With MAFS on hiatus, it was a Steven Bradbury sprint to the line for the networks last night. Sans the silly helmets.

Australian Community News Launches Travel Website
Clearly having not read a newspaper in the past 12 months, Australian Community News announces plans for travel website.

Moccona Launches New “Me-Time” Brand Platform, Via Edge
Moccona's the premium instant coffee of choice at the B&T office. Even if we do refill the jar with International Roast.

Network 10 And Nickelodeon International Partner For First-Time With Live Action Series
Dreading the fast-approaching school holidays? This may be of interest or even a bulk purchase at Dan Murphys.

Introducing The Zavy Social Scoreboard
Get yourself acquainted with the Zavy Social Scoreboard here. Why not mix a martini for added mood and intimacy.

Study: 81% Of Creatives Say COVID’s Hit Their Earnings, 40% Saying It’s More Than Halved
In lieu of the AstraZeneca vaccine, B&T's warding off the pandemic with a Vick's Vapor Rub & a Johnnie Walker & honey.

Priceline Pharmacy Celebrates Every Day Being A Festival of You, Via Whippet
Priceline celebrates the 'festival of you' in latest campaign. Particularly if you stink, itch, secrete or blister.

Foxtel Media Unveils Four New Digitally Enabled Cient Offerings
Miss the Foxtel Group 2021 Showcase yesterday? Watch a video replay of it in full here while pausing for toilet breaks.

“The Free And Open Internet Is A Force For Good”: Quantcast Reveals New Intelligent Audience Platform
On Thursday, Quantcast held their Virtual NOVA event, discussing the current state of the advertising industry, the end of third-party cookies, the open internet vs walled gardens, and data privacy and consent. The event coincided with the launch of their new Quantcast Platform. It is an intelligent audience platform powered by the company’s patented AI […]