If you’re afraid of seeking new opportunities, you should learn more about Richard Branson. Richard is expanding business around the world in a personal quest to offer people a better experience. He is a business legend who knows how to keep a business thriving in the ever-changing world.

Who is Richard Branson, and how does he make the world a better place? Richard Branson is a well-known entrepreneur and the head of one of the multi-brand companies – the Virgin Group. In spite of the ups and downs in life, he has been a business leader in travel, entertainment, health, and many other areas. His book – Finding my Virginity – gives you a glance at his marketing style and some of the best brand extension examples.

Listen to the summary at Blinkist or listen to the book at Audible.

The best kind of marketing is fun!

Richard Branson details his steps to success in the bestseller 'Screw It, Let's Do It'.

Virgin Atlantic is one of those companies for which Richard fought the hardest. But before focusing on it, he kept trying and seeking new opportunities to find what’s fit for the Virgin Group. He tried his hands on cola and vodka, and even cosmetics, but failed.

Richard, however, led the airline business with Virgin Atlantic. He started it to compete with British Airways and offered better services to people. There was a time when Virgin Atlantic even offered in-flight massages. The advertisement went like “BA Don’t Give a Shiatsu”. Savage, yeah?

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Another service that disrupted the market was Virgin Mobile. And it all started with an award by the British Telecom. In those days, users had to enter a contract with the companies to use their services. And one day, Richard got the award of having the most expensive bill in Britain.

So, he founded Virgin Mobile with pay-as-you-go plans instead of lengthy contracts. Virgin Mobile won the Network of the Year in the UK, before reaching the US, Australia, and Asia.

Making the world a better place together

Virgin Active can be called as a small disaster, but Branson continued in seeking new opportunities to improve his business.

Then came the disastrous Virgin Active. People often complained about gym fees, old equipment, and poor services, but they don't have any other choice. The Virgin Group entered the market. The chosen location was perfect, and the facilities fantastic. But, after working on it for two years, the flagship gym caught fire.

The staff, however, worked on the repairs and the community kept promoting it. And the gym started well. Then, seeking original opportunities and with the aim of making the travel experience better, Richard invested in Virgin Trains. The test run of the new Pendolino train made the travel from London to Manchester 15 minutes faster.

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That and many other improvements along with proper scheduling made people take trains more frequently. And as of now, 65 new Azuma trains are due to enter the service this December (2018).

Richard also worked towards charity under Virgin Unite. It aimed at bringing the renowned philanthropists in the UK to work together as a force. Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter, and others had no aim except making the world a better place. They were a team of inspiring minds who shared ideas and traveled to places which needed them.

And they could respond quicker than the UN.

Doing it all but being better

Soon enough, Richard started competing with multi-brand companies.

Virgin America was the first to offer Wi-Fi in airplanes and also had better entertainment choices. But because of a few legal constraints, Richard couldn’t own it for long. Alaska Airlines bought it in 2015. However, before being sold, Virgin America was named the best domestic airline by Conde Nast, ten years in a row.

Then, Virgin also partnered up with NTL, the cable communications giant. NTL, by the way, was at the bottom, when it came to service. Branson, nevertheless, took up the challenge. With the “Four Play” package, Virgin Media was into people’s homes now. It offered cable, internet and also landline and cellular service.

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Richard Branson threw away the support operator scripts and beefed up the customer service. The result was a satisfied customer base. In the act of seeking new opportunities, Richard then ventured into the banking sector. Virgin Money, which used to offer investment services, joined hands with Northern Rock to provide banking services.

Their most distinctive service, though, was the Virgin Money Lounges.

The Sky is the limit, literally!

The flagship spaceship of Virgin Galactic.

One day, Branson ran into Burt Rutan, an aerospace engineer. And the dream of being an astronaut started taking shape. Twelve years later, in 2003, he found a practical design of a spaceship, and Virgin Galactic remained his focus for the next 14 years.

With the help from Microsoft’s Paul Allen, Branson started building the spaceship and the mothership to launch it in the skies. The dream, however, stalled after an accident during the test flight in 2014. Due to a human error, the ship broke apart, killing one of the pilots.

Unlike Elon Musk, Richard doesn’t aim to reach Mars. All he wants is to take people into space, let them view the earth and make it a lifetime memorable experience for them. The death of a pilot did shake Richard, but he knows how to push boundaries. And as of 2016, the testing resumed and continued. Commercial flights could be on-air soon.

Going Global

With Virgin StartUp, Richard aims to finance young and bright entrepreneur minds.

Then, there also is the Virgin StartUp, for financial support to the young entrepreneurs. By mid-2016, it provided over 1000 loans, within three years. Another concept which is among his brand extension strategies is the Virgin OneWeb. With this brainchild of Greg Wyler, an innovator, he wants to connect the entire world.

A network of communication satellites would be sent into the orbit with the help of the Virgin Galactic program. These satellites will then provide a broadband internet connection to the whole world. Branson keeps seeking new opportunities and is also active for social causes like climate change, health issues, and prison reforms.

If you too are interested in making your company successful –

• Never fear taking risks.
• Make customer service your priority.

People are what makes a business, they help it in making money, and you should help them too. Help them, provide the service they love, and see yourself flying high. Someday, maybe even in space.