Like everyone else, billionaire Richard Branson climbs into his hot air balloon one leg at a time. The Virgin Group founder, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, may be recognized for some of his more eccentric pastimes, but his motivation remains the same as when he first began his career: a desire to change the world.
Making a difference and being active still play a significant role in what drives Branson today. He articulated a mindset that resulted in him founding hundreds of businesses, both for profit and nonprofit.
Due to a cancelled trip between Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Branson decided to enter the aviation market. Branson, who was 28 years old at the time, became enraged when the flight was cancelled owing to insufficient passenger numbers.
His present initiatives to establish a space tourism industry are only one example of the many enterprises that Branson has headed. It has also forced him into situations when things did not turn out as planned.
Branson has been a pioneer in philanthropy in addition to creating successful businesses that bring him wealth. The billionaire founded Virgin Unite in 2004, a nonprofit that acts as a hub for a range of charities that rely on the resources of the different businesses Branson has founded. The Elders, a 'independent gathering of world leaders working together for peace and human rights,' is one of the many non-profit initiatives he has started since then.
Branson declared, 'We can't leave it up to governments to address every issue on the planet. 'We have to attempt to inspire our businesses to go out there and solve some of the problems of the world. Little businesses, local issues, major issues at the national level, even greater issues at the international level.'.