Learning for life

As someone who didn’t finish school, I think it’s so important to become a lifelong learner and embrace an endless curiosity about the world.

Image from Molly Choma

Learning through chalk boards, textbooks and exams didn’t work for me, so at school I would dedicate my youthful passion and energy into sports. However, I ruptured my knee playing football and was forced to bottle all of that energy up indoors. I found myself obsessed with the news, politics and global affairs – and so began my lifelong love of learning. Despite my struggles at school, when I found my passion for the world I realised that as long as I’m interested in something, I can absorb everything about it.

Newspapers opened my eyes and broadened my mind in the way a textbook never did. As I became more informed about the world outside of school – and particularly disturbed by the wars in Vietnam and Cambodia – I felt compelled to do something. I wanted to give other young people an unbiased and digestible way of learning about the world around them, so they could form their own opinions and take a stand on issues that matter to them. As a result, Student Magazine was born.

I left school altogether and the magazine became my education. I feel very fortunate that I was able to find what I was truly passionate about, gain confidence in my abilities, and build a love of learning. Looking back, I wish my path wasn’t stumbled upon by accident, but was instead paved by the education system. School should help kids find their talents and embrace that talent, so young people can reach their full potential.

We reflected on this a lot during the 2019 Strive Challenge, when we got together to take on an adventure to raise money for Big Change, the charity Holly and Sam founded to reimagine education. Our group was made up of parents, educators, entrepreneurs, engineers, students and scientists – and we all agreed that for young people to become lifelong learners, they need to look outwards to learn. The classroom should be a place of curiosity, where questions are encouraged, and children can find the universe at their fingertips.

The world is a fascinating place – full of incredible people, landscapes, histories, cultures and climates. We need to give students a whole education and properly prepare them for the world so they can take on the global problems they will inherit.

Five rough guidelines for creating a successful business

After five decades in business, I’m often asked if there is a shortcut to success. Unfortunately there isn’t — or if there is, I haven’t found it yet. Creating a successful and profitable business takes time, since you build your reputation as customers learn to trust and rely on you, one by one. 

Image from John Armstrong Photography

Also, there’s no guarantee that spending a huge amount of money on marketing will slingshot your business forward. If you spend your time looking for shortcuts, you will find one — right out of business. 

While there are no set rules for succeeding in business, I have embraced some rough guidelines that can be very helpful:

1. Create a useful product or service

Above all else, you should not go into business purely for financial reasons. Running a company involves long hours and hard decisions; if you don’t have a better reason than money to keep going, your business will more than likely fail, as many new businesses do.

So it’s important to create something of use that is going to benefit society as a whole. If you do something you truly care about, you will be in a much better position to find customers, connect with them, and keep them coming back. 

Once you have decided on the type of product or service that interests you, focus on how to do things differently from the competition: Do your research, find a gap or an area ripe for innovation, and position your business in a way that sets it apart. 

2. Simplify your message

 Customers don’t just shop for a brand and its products, but also identify with its core values. Ask yourself, why did I start my business? Be honest - this will help you establish an authentic value and voice. Then break your message into something simple.

At Virgin, we stand for great customer service, good value and innovative alternatives to our competitors’ offerings. Most importantly, we view business as a force for good. Knowing who we are and what we stand for ensures that we don’t waste time or money on messaging that doesn’t represent us or resonate with our customers. 

3.  Market yourself

Marketing is a powerful tool, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. My mentor, Sir Freddie Laker, a man who had started a company to challenge British Airways on their home turf, gave me some invaluable advice when I was starting up Virgin Atlantic. Knowing that we couldn’t match the more established airlines in terms of marketing budget, he encouraged me to drive the publicity myself: “Use yourself. Make a fool of yourself. Otherwise you won’t survive.” 

I took his advice and I’ve been thinking up fun ways to stand out from the crowd and draw the media’s attention to our company ever since, from breaking world records to pulling pranks. 

While I’ve always been interested in sports and physical challenges, that might not be the route for you. Find your tone, know your brand, do things your own way, and create waves. The free advertising will follow.   

4. Embrace social media

Tools like Twitter and Facebook are wonderful ways to get your message out to a wide audience. Social media is not only more cost-efficient than advertising, but it also offers great opportunities for innovative engagement with your customers. Use it to your advantage.

Remember that there is a difference between selling and marketing. In my experience, selling a product through social media doesn’t always work - it’s better to simply communicate with your customers in an authentic way and have fun. As you build an online profile that people can identify with and trust, you’ll find that they will soon become customers. 

The feedback you receive on social media can be invaluable, especially when your business is just starting out. Listen to your customers’ comments about your company’s offerings to gain an understanding of what you are doing right and wrong. You can also use this feedback to sharpen your social campaigns and measure the effectiveness of your calls to action. 

5. Keep on enjoying what you do

If you genuinely love and believe in what you do, others will take notice and share your enthusiasm. 

If you find your interest flagging, it’s time to make a change — switch from operations to management, move on, expand into new territories, anything that interests you. To find success, you need to be fully committed or your work will show it.

For more tips on starting a business, head over to Virgin StartUp.

New Year's resolutions making lists

It’s time to make New Year’s Resolutions. It’s a nice way to set goals for the coming year and to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Many people don’t make resolutions because they feel like they’ve failed if they don’t stick to it. I think it’s always better to be aiming for something, than nothing at all. Even if you only get one step closer, it’s still a step in the right direction.

My tip for sticking to resolutions and goals is quite simple: write it down.

Ever since I was a young boy I have made lists of goals and resolutions. It’s how I make sense of the ideas in my head, the suggestions I receive, and the progress we are making. What’s more, if I didn’t write down all of my ideas and resolutions, I might forget them!

Here are five simple steps for making a list that you will be able to stick to:

1. Write down every single idea you have. No idea is too small, and no idea is too big either. On a notebook, on your phone or on a napkin – it doesn’t matter where, it just matters that you do it.
2. Have a few lists. One of far off, outlandish goals and another of manageable tasks to complete every day. This way you can set your vision and be taking steps to get there each day. Make sure you have personal goals as well as business goals. There’s no real separation between work and life, it’s all just living. The same goes for lists.
3. Mark off every completed task. There are few more satisfying things than ticking off a job well done. Celebrate your successes (and make more lists of new goals).
4. Make your goals measurable so you know if your plans are working. There’s no point setting targets if you don’t know if you are hitting them.
5. Share your goals with others. You can help motivate each other further and hold each other to account. But remember that, in the end, you are doing this for yourself.
6. My New Year’s Resolution this year is to put my health first. You only get one body so it’s important to look after it. I’m going to make sure I’m getting enough rest, staying fit and healthy and eating well.