Lesson #4: Break Records

Article Overview: “We’re going where no one has gone before,” says Branson, referring to Virgin Galactic’s partnership with the estate of New Mexico to build the world’s first commercial spaceport. “There’s no model to follow, nothing to copy. That is what makes this so exciting.”

Lesson #4: Break Records

“We’re going where no one has gone before,” says Branson, referring to Virgin Galactic’s partnership with the estate of New Mexico to build the world’s first commercial spaceport. “There’s no model to follow, nothing to copy. That is what makes this so exciting.”

Branson has made a career out of taking risks and daring to enter uncharted airways. From entering the struggling airline industry against already behemoth competitors to attempting to circle the world in a hot air balloon, Branson thrives on the adrenaline he gets from taking chances. Whether or not they pay off, he sets his goals high and doesn’t rest until he has left his mark.

The key to Branson’s fearlessness comes from how he views himself. He is not an entrepreneur; he is not a businessman; he is simply someone who likes to set exciting challenges for himself and rise to the occasion. “If I was a businessman, or saw myself as a businessman, I would have never gone into the airline business,” he says. “My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them.”

This is what led Branson to attempt to break a number of world records in the past ten years. In 1986, Branson’s boat, Virgin Atlantic Challenge II, crossed the Atlantic Ocean in record time. The next year, Branson crossed the same ocean for the first time ever by hot-air balloon. The list goes on: he shattered all the world records when crossing the Pacific Ocean in 1991 as well as when he flew from Morocco to Hawaii in 1998. These pursuits were not only for Branson’s personal satisfaction, but they also served to increase Virgin’s presence worldwide and heighten its reputation for being innovative and exciting.

“Records are made to be broken,” says Branson. “It is in man's nature to continue to strive to do just that.” For Branson, it is essential that he not only be the best at whatever he is doing, but that he does it in a unique way. That is why, for instance, when he launched Virgin Cola in 1994, he drove a tank up to the Coke sign in Times Square and fired at it to signify the challenge that he was starting. Branson didn’t want to just find success, but he wanted to do it in a flamboyant and original way.

“To be successful, you have to be out there, you have to hit the ground running, and if you have a good team around you and more than a fair share of luck, you might make something happen,” says Branson. “But you certainly can't guarantee it just by following someone else's formula.”

By following his own path and refusing to accept the standards that had been set before him, Branson carved out a unique career and an impressive success for himself. He set his sights on the impossible and made it possible, and he had a little fun doing it along the way too.

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Article Tags: adrenaline, airline business, airline industry, atlantic challenge, atlantic ocean, behemoth, businessman, commercial spaceport, entrepreneur, fearlessness, galactics, hot air balloon, morocco, new mexico, pacific ocean, personal satisfaction, record time, taking chances, virgin atlantic, virgins



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