Richard Branson, a business idol…

Before leaving to live and work in England three years ago, a close friend gave me the book “Losing My Virginity” by Sir Richard Branson. Ever since, I have been inspired, amazed and impressed with the business mogul. Today, I was not surprised, but definitely still impressed to see an article that Branson is developing an underwater plane. Who else comes up with this stuff and succeeds?

Branson started off by turning a high-school magazine into Virgin Records. As the record business has morphed, Branson has continued to take on new industries. Virgin is one of the rare companies which transcends an industry. Virgin now competes in the air and space industries. Branson himself owns Necker Island in the Caribbean and countless other properties. Upon visiting Noosa, north of Brisbane in Australia, a tour guide informed us that Branson owned the smoothie shop my girlfriend and I had just read bought smoothies from, along with a home and an island resort in the city. Why did he own a smoothie shop? Well, it seems that when Branson would go for his morning run, there were no juice shops opened. What to do? Branson bought a franchise and put one on main street. That’s how I like to see business done.

Branson’s transformation of the west coast rail in England, connecting London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh made life very easy to get around. Had I been relegated to the previous train operators when I moved there, my appreciation for the country would have been far less. Branson’s stamp is always memorable.

Do yourself a favor, pick up “Losing My Virginity”, “Screw It, Let’s Do It”, or “Business Stripped Bare.” They’ll get you excited to succeed.

Quick hits of the day:

– Went to lunch at the food court under the Citi building in HK today. There are at least 3 restaurants in what must be a 50 story plus building. It also connects easily to other buildings bringing in more guests….and there were NO tables to eat on. Not impressed. Thankfully the humidity had been knocked out for the day so munching on a surfer burger outdoors felt appropriate.

– Glad to see the hate for the budget I ranted about yesterday is bi-partisan. That plan is a disaster waiting to happen. I hope your children learn Mandarin and Cantonese…quick.

– Kobe Bryant is the all-time leading scorer in LA Laker history…WOW! Not even 32 and he surpasses The Logo, Kareem, Elgin Baylor, Magic, Wilt. Who would have predicted that during the Boulder flare-up of a few years ago? Wait, you don’t remember? Neither do most who follow the game. And people say Tiger won’t be the same. Whatever.

– Obviously this elected official is not managing his personal checkbook. “We’ve got to spend our way out of this recession” is not exactly what I want to hear. Maybe we should introduce him to the W curve he will help push the country into (which, by the way, I predict we are headed for anyway.

Goodnight and God Bless,

Scott