Introduction
The influence of many successful personalities has been very important for many people looking for career paths. By identifying with the interests of these people, students in schools have been able to curve their career paths. As a business student, I have often dreamt about leaving a legacy that not only serves the world innovatively, but also culminates in the achievement of my dreams. It is for this reason that I have found Sir Richard Branson to be very inspiring as business personality. In this paper, I will ventilate on the biography of Sir Richard Branson. I will highlight his career path, interesting career choices and turns and also discuss the lessons learnt. I will relate these to my personal career goals culminating in my career plan.
In his early life in school, anyone would have been forgiven for thinking that Branson would not excel in life. As a person with dyslexia and nearsightedness, Branson did not excel academically. However, his insatiable appetite and desire for success despite his dismal performance academically was very instrumental large business empire. At sixteen years, Branson started a national magazine and a student advisory service at seventeen years. Soon after completing school, Branson started a music business where he sold records through a mail-order catalogue. The success of the business under this model made him open a discount shop for his records and named it Virgin (Biography channel 1).
As a continuation of his business, he started Virgin Records where the first album recorded sold in excess of five million copies. Later in 1984, Branson, in collaboration with Singapore Airlines started the Virgin Airlines, company that has won many awards and is ranked second in long haul international airlines in Britain. Branson had to sell Virgin Records in 1992 in order to refinance the airline, a business decision that was hard given that Virgin Records was his first venture. As highlighted earlier, his insatiable desire for success saw him take over the railway network in Britain under the name Virgin Rail (Biography channel 1).
Other recent ventures include startups such as an internet company, mobile phone network and a beverage called Virgin Cola. His business prowess is seen in the sales of the Virgin Mobile Company for one billion sterling pounds and a further eight and half million sterling pounds annually for the continued use of the Virgin name and also becoming the largest shareholder of the company in the process. In 2007, the renowned businessman purchased a 10% stake in AirAsia X, a Malaysian airline. In 2011, he took over Northern Rock in a deal worth 747 million sterling pounds (Biography channel 1).
Besides these takeovers, Branson also launched a new business called Virgin Healthcare in the healthcare industry by starting up clinics that offer homeopathy and traditional medical treatment. The interests of Branson also include efforts towards environmental conservation. For instance, the promulgated the Virgin Earth Challenge in 2007. This initiative rewarded individuals or teams who developed viable products that would reduce the amount of greenhouse gases devoid of harmful effects for a period of ten years with twenty five million dollars (Biography channel 1).
Lessons Learnt
I have drawn several lessons from Branson’s biography. Firstly, the desire of Sir Branson for success started at a tender age when he was still in school. From this I have learnt that the desire for success is not impeded by hardship or aridity. Even though Branson did not perform exceptionally well in school, his desire for success weathered all impediments in his way. I also noted that even while in school, Branson was keen to generate his idea and turn them into projects. For instance, Branson started a national magazine and a student advisory at sixteen and seventeen years respectively.
The success of these products must have encouraged Branson to further explore his creativity after completing school. It is the same spirit that he showed through his startup businesses after completing school. From this, I have learnt that I should not have to wait for a certain age to show initiative. Even while in school, I can develop economically viable ideas that even if I am not able to implement at the moment, they can serve as my projects after graduation. As highlighted in his biography, Branson has shown a lot of business savvy behavior. In growing his business empire, Branson explored portfolio diversity (Branson 250).
In addition to his ventures, he also explored acquisitions of businesses in different industries. This has enabled Branson to be risk averse. I have also learnt the importance of decision making in business. Even though it was hard for Branson to sell Virgin Records in order to save Virgin Airlines, when the decision had to be made, Branson exercised courage and decided to sell his flagship venture. From Branson’s biography, I have also learnt the importance of corporate social responsibility in business. Branson has been involved in numerous corporate responsibility initiatives.
His Virgin Earth Challenge shows that he is a corporate citizen and the need for businesses to engage in projects that benefit the community. For a long time, I have admired Sir Richard Branson for his business exploits, his desire for success and his incessant pursuit for his goals. Even when he looks distracted, he is steadfast in the pursuit for what he desires. For instance, he did not give up when his attempt to acquired Northern rock in 2008 failed. He incessantly followed this venture up and finally acquired it in 2011. His character in this instance demonstrates the need for persistence in business.
Career Plan
In planning my career path I have set goals that are time bound. The evaluation of the goals will be performed against these time limits. At the moment, I still need to complete school. The following are the goals that defined by career plan over the next ten years.
- Acquire a bachelor’s degree in business administration in two years (You can change the timeline here)
- Acquire a junior position in a business organization within one year after graduation.
- Rise into a senior position in a business organization in three to five year after employment.
- Head a business unit or venture in five to seven years after my first job.
Strength and Weaknesses
The achievement of these goals within the time allocated is dependent on how I can harness my strengths and minimize the impact of my weaknesses. I am a self-driven person. This allows me to pursue my goals without the need for outside supervision. This reflects on my personal initiative as a person. I reckon that this is important in the achievement of my goals because hard work is required to head a business unit. I also have strong analytical skills gained over my work at school and part-time jobs over the holidays. These analytical skills are necessary in a constantly changing business environment, and as such, will come in handy in my various positions as outlined in my goals. I also have good interpersonal skills that are necessary for growing networks that are important in the business arena.
The impact of my weaknesses cannot be disregarded. Although I will be seeking to mitigate their effect on the achievement of my goals, it is important to highlight them. It is important to improve my work and life balance. Even pursuing my career goals, it is important to grow wholesomely in all aspects of life. I have the tendency to get engrossed in my work and neglecting other aspects of my life. I am modeling myself through the inspiration of my idol Sir Richard Branson. Even in the hustle and bustle of his illustrious career, he still found to cross the Atlantic Ocean riding on a hot air balloon. He is also involved in charity activities, aspects that allow him to not only grow, but also mature.
Conclusion
As highlighted earlier, successful business personalities have a lot of influence on students and aspiring professionals. Sir Richard Branson is one such business personality who has had a lot of influence on me, both as a student and an aspiring business personality. Through his biography, I have learnt several lessons that I intend to apply in developing my career. While I aspire to harness my strengths in order to achieve the goals within the allocated time, I also recognize that I have weaknesses that might serve as impediments. Through the inspiration drawn from Sir Richard Branson, I intend to minimize the effects of my weaknesses in the eventual outcomes.
Works cited
Biography channel. Richard Branson Biography. Web 26 Nov. 2014.
Branson, Richard. Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way. New York: Crown Business, 2011. Print.
