Guide Note

English billionaire Sir Richard Branson is the chairman of Virgin Group, which is the parent corporation to over 350 companies.

Fast Facts

Born on July 18, 1950
Net worth: About $7.9 billion
Spouse: Joan Templeman
Holds several world records for hot air ballooning

Early Life

Richard Branson was born in South London, England. He suffered from dyslexia and did poorly in school. He dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen and began his first business running a magazine called Student.

Rise of Virgin

Eventually Branson branched out into the music business and began selling records. The company, named Virgin, eventually started signing and producing various musicians under their label. Among the artists introduced to the world by Virgin are the The Sex Pistols, Faust, and Culture Club. In 1984, Branson founded Virgin Atlantic Airways, and in 1999 he founded Virgin Mobile.

Categories

Business and Finance | Entrepreneurs

View Note History

Richard Branson

The Mahalo Top 7

Official Site: Virgin Galactic
Virgin.com: Who's Richard Branson
Wikipedia: Richard Branson Entry | List of Business Ventures
Forbes.com: Richard Branson, The World's Richest People (October 1, 2006)
Esquire: What I've Learned (December 31, 2001)
FastCompany.com: The Enlightenment of Richard Branson (September 1, 2006)
YouTube: Richard Branson Hologram at Virgin Digital launch (Time 02:50)

Richard Branson Recent News

Times Online Richard Branson News
Virgin.com: Virgin in the News
The New York Times: Richard Branson News
New York Times: Out of the Boardroom for a Bollywood Turn (March 9, 2008)
Earthtimes: Branson unveils SpaceShip Two design (January 24, 2008)
Metro.co.uk: Branson is dope in rope (October 11, 2007)
WCSH6.com: Billionaire Branson Hurt In Risky Stunt (October 11, 2007)
New Scientist: $25 Million Prize for Greenhouse Gas Removal (February 9, 2007)
Grist.org: Embracing Ethanol and Slashing Airplane Emissions (December 7, 2006)
Treehugger: Branson To Invest $3 Billion to Fight Global Warming (September 21, 2006)
Space.com: Virgin Galactic Unveils SpaceShipTwo Interior Concept (August 28, 2006)

Richard Branson Background and Profiles

IMDb: Richard Branson
Wikipedia: Richard Branson Entry | List of Business Ventures
Time: Builders and Titans: Richard Branson
Guardian Unlimited: The Thoroughly Postmodern Billionaire (April 28, 2006)
Inc.com: 26 Most Fascinating Entrepreneurs: Richard Branson (April 1, 2005)
BBC News: Profile: Richard Branson (September 27, 2004)
Fortune: Richard Branson: What a Life (September 1, 2003)
AskMen.com: Richard Branson (December 1, 1999)
BBC News: Branson's Balloon Dream Deflated (March 19, 1999)

Richard Branson Blogs and Commentaries

Google Blog Search: Richard Branson
Gawker: Richard Branson
Gadling: Richard Branson
The Huffington Post: Richard Branson
Stuff.tv: A Chat with Richard Branson (February 27, 2007)

Richard Branson Photos

Richard Branson Videos

Google & YouTube Video Search: Richard Branson
Big Think: Richard Branson Idea Videos
MSN Video: Billionaire Branson hurt in risky Vegas stunt (Time 01:53)
YouTube: Al Gore and Richard Branson: Investing to Solve Global Warming (Time 09:17)
YouTube: Richard Branson Hologram at Virgin Digital launch (Time 02:50)
YouTube: Richard Branson Pushing Rove McManus into a Pool (Time 00:59)
YouTube: Branson Talks About Music and Drugs (Time 01:28)

Richard Branson Satire and Humor

Cinematical.com: British Airways Cuts Branson Footage From In-Flight 'Casino Royale' (April 21, 2007)
Daily Mail: How Paris was left hopping at Branson's Mad Hatter bash... (September 10, 2006)

Related Searches

Virgin Galactic | Big Think