Old Boys Network

"Bill Gates invited me to talk to thirty or forty chief executives from around the world," Virgin Records founder Richard Branson once recalled. "Just before I got up on stage, forms were handed out to everybody, and Gates said, 'It's very important that all of us are tested in our lives. Richard's about to speak and I'd like you all to mark him out of 10.'
"Now, that intimidated me. I thought, 'F---, I thought I'd gotten out of school thirty-five years ago.'" Naturally, Branson found a solution. "I turned to the guy on my right — I think he was the head of Amazon [Jeff Bezos] — and said, 'I'll give you a 10 if you give me a 10!'"


Branding

Virgin CEO Richard Branson: "Branding is important. If you get your face and your name out there enough, people will start to recognise you. Many people know the Virgin brand better than the names of the individual companies within the group. A young girl once came up to me and told me I could be famous because I looked just like Richard Branson!"

Rebel Billionaire?

Richard Branson was once asked why contestants on his reality TV show "The Rebel Billionaire" did not do something socially constructive - like compete to clean up slums - rather than embark on frivolous adventures. "We wanted to make the episodes charity-based," he recalled, "but Fox Television told us that you would have TVs all over the country turning off faster than you could blink!"

Class Maledictorian

When Virgin Records founder Richard Branson dropped out of Stowe (a large English private school), his headmaster offered these parting words: "Congratulations, Branson. I predict you will either go to prison or become a millionaire."

Ice Breaker?

Virgin Records' founder Richard Branson was once invited to an exclusive party at the luxurious home of billionaire merchant banker Sir James Goldsmith. While admiring Goldsmith's beautiful pool, Branson - on a whim - crept up behind his host and pushed him in!