Richard Branson

By: Heather Dela Cruz

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Early Life

Born July 18, 1950 in Surrey, England

Dyslexic

Educated at Stowe School

Dropped out of high school

At 16, he started a youth-culture magazine called Student

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Student Magazine

Inspired by student activism in the late ‘60s

Focused on the students – not the school

Sold $8000 worth in advertisement in first publication

50,000 copies in its first run

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Virgin MusicOpened a mail order record retailer in 1970

1973 – Virgin Records launched

Mike Oldfield was first artist signed – his hit “Tubular Bells” stayed on the UK charts for 247 weeks

Other Virgin artists – the Sex Pistols, the Rolling Stones, the Culture Club, Janet Jackson, etc.

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The Sound of Success

One of the top 6 record companies in the world

1992 – Branson sold Virgin Music label to Thorn-EMI for $1 billion

1993 –Launched Virgin Radio

1996 – Created V2 Records

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Taking the AirBranson’s true passion lies in the airline industry

1984 – Created Virgin Atlantic Airways (Branson’s most recognized brand)

Flies worldwide including Australia, the Caribbean, USA, Asia and Africa

Won major awards including “Airline of the Year” on numerous occasions

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Virgin AmericaLaunched in 2007 – based in San Francisco

Affordable

High-end service and entertainment

Seatback TV in each seat

Won best in-class awards including “Best Domestic Airline”

Thrived when other U.S. carriers filed for bankruptcy

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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Dominates in travel industry

Virgin Galactic – takes ordinary people to space for $200,000

Virgin Trains – runs throughout England

Virgin Holidays – offers adventures in USA, Caribbean, Africa, Indian Ocean, Middle East and Far East

Virgin Oceanic – “flying” submarine; dives 40 meters below surface to enhance experience

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Branson Takes Over the WorldMore than 200 Virgin Brand companies in 29 countries

Virgin global revenues exceeded $17 billion in 2008

Ranked No. 261 on Forbes’ World Billionaires list in 2009

Worth about $2.5 billion

Knighted in 1999 by Queen Elizabeth II for services to entrepreneurship

Also known for his humanitarian efforts including going on a hunger strike in 2009 to raise awareness in Darfur

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Works Cited"Branson, Richard (1950- )". Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia . 08 Sep 2005. eLibrary . Web. 09 Feb 2010.

Deutschman, Alan. "The Enlightenment of Richard Branson". Fast Company . 01 Sep 2006: 49. eLibrary . Web. 09 Feb 2010

Levy, Steven. "Virgin Master". Newsweek . 02 Jun 2008: n/a. eLibrary . Web. 09 Feb 2010.

Lorie, Anouk. "Richard Branson launches high-tech 'flying' submarine - CNN.com." CNN.com . 18 Feb. 2010. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. <http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/18/branson.flying.submarine/>.

"Richard Branson - Biography -." Biography.com . Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://www.biography.com/articles/Sir-Richard-Branson-9224520>.

Shepler, John. "Richard Branson's Virgin Success - The Incredible Triumph of an Enigmatic

Entrepreneur." John Shepler.com . Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://www.johnshepler.com/articles/branson.html>. "Virgin." Virgin.com . Web. 09 Feb. 2010. <http://www.virgin.com/virgin/>.

Virgin Atlantic Airways . Web. 20 Feb. 2010. <http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/whatsonboard/economy/index.jsp>.

"Virgin." Virgin.com . Web. 09 Feb. 2010. <http://www.virgin.com/virgin

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