As a child, Richard Bransonโs teacher told him he would either become a prisoner or a millionaire. Whether the teacher was being sarcastic or not, he saw into the future.
Today, Richard Branson net worth sits at $4.7 billion.
Richard Branson did not only become a millionaire; he became a billionaire. Today, the serial entrepreneur is the chairman and founder of the Virgin group.
In the space of 50 years, Richard Branson built this brand from scratch to a world-class group with over 40 subsidiaries. These companies are spread across 35 countries where they employ more than 60,000 workers.
The virgin brand has businesses in various sectors, including airlines, wireless communications, radio stations, hotels, health clubs, financial services businesses, etc.
Interestingly, Richard Branson built all these without a college degree and Dyslexia.
How did Richard Branson turn around all the woes and become so successful? Well, we are about to find out.
Letโs dive right in.
What Is Richard Bransonโs Net Worth & Salary in 2022?
As of March 2022, Richard Branson’s net worth is $4.7 billion. The billionaire entrepreneur makes most of his money from the revenue generated by the many brands under the Virgin Group, such as Virgin Galactic.
According to the Virgin Groupโs spokesman, the conglomerate generates over $20 billion annually of which he invests most of the profit back into the business.
Name | Richard Brandson |
Net Worth | $4.1 billion |
Age | 71 years old |
Date of Birth | July 18, 1950 |
Nationality | British |
Country | United Kingdom |
Height | 5 ft 10 in (179cm) |
Profession | Actor, Businessman, Entrepreneur, Film Producer, Investor, Television producer |
Marital Status | Married |
Spouse | Joan Templeman |
Children | Sam and Holly Branson |
Richard Branson Net Worth Over Time
Richard Branson net worth has experienced lots of ups and downs in growth, some due to economic recession and the latest was due to the pandemic.
The travel restriction dropped his revenue from some of his businesses like Virgin Atlantic.
Here is what the highs and lows look like:
Year | Richard Branson Net worth |
|---|---|
2012 | $ 4.2 billion |
2013 | $ 4.6 billion |
2014 | $ 5 billion |
2015 | $ 4.8 billion |
2016 | $ 4.9 billion |
2017 | $ 5 billion |
2018 | $ 5 billion |
2019 | $ 4.1 billion |
2020 | $ 3.4 billion |
2021 | $ 4.8 billion |
2022 | $ 4.7 billion |
Who Is Richard Branson? Life Story and Wiki
Sir Richard Branson is the 589th wealthiest person in the world. He is a billionaire, and he heads the Virgin group, which he built from scratch.
Richard Branson is best described as a man of many professions. He is a successful businessman, author, TV producer, public speaker, and sportsman, among other things.
Throughout his life, Richard Branson has built a thriving career in almost all his professions. He is a New York Times bestseller and a Guinness World Record Holder.
Besides all of these, he is a father and a husband.
Richard Branson in Numbers
The following are numbers that describe the billionaire, Sir Richard Branson:
- At the time of writing this, Sir Richard Branson has over 19.7 million followers on LinkedIn.
- Richard Branson has about 123 thousand subscribers on his Youtube channel
- Currently, his videos have generated over 17 million views on YouTube
- On his Twitter account, Sir Richard has about 12.6 million followers.
- Sir Richard Branson has 4.5 million followers on his Facebook page
- On Instagram, he has over 4.6 million followers
Richard Bransonโs Early Life
On July 18, 1950, Richard Branson was born in Blackheath city in London. His late father, Edward James Branson, was a Barrister, while his late mother, Evette Branson, was a ballet dancer and an air hostess.
Branson grew up in South England as the first child of three children. He has two sisters, Lindy Brandson and Vanessa Brandson.
Richard Branson Education
Richard Branson started his education at the Scaitcliffe School, a prep school in Surrey. However, he was diagnosed with Dyslexia at an early stage of his life. This reduced his performance in school.
After his primary education, Branson proceeded to Cliff View House School in Sussex, where he was for a short time. His parents withdrew him from the school at age 13 and transferred him to Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, England.
Branson attended Stowe School until he was 16. At 16, he decided to leave school to face his business career.
The Beginning Of His Business Career
Richard Branson started his first business in 1966 at 16. At the time, he ran a publication company along with Nick Powell.
The first issue of Student was published in January 1968, and Branson’s net worth was estimated to be ยฃ50,000 a year later. The venture’s office was located in the crypt of St. John’s Church, off Bayswater Road in London.
Branson used the magazine to promote popular albums, which boosted his record sales. For the magazine, he interviewed several prominent figures from the late 1960s, including Mick Jagger and R. D. Laing.
Though it was not initially as successful as Branson had hoped, the magazine eventually became an essential component of the mail-order record business he started from the same church he used for Student.
The magazine’s first edition produced 50,000 copies, which the team shared for free. However, in the subsequent releases, Branson made $8,000 from advertising. With this, he could settle the cost of the first version.
Branson was living in a London commune by 1969, surrounded by the British music and drug scene.
During this time, Branson had the idea to launch Virgin Records as a mail-order record company. He planned to use the proceeds to fund his magazine efforts.
The company did well enough for Branson to expand his business venture. He opened a record store on Oxford Street in London from the proceeds.
The new store also turned out successful and led to his recording studio in Oxfordshire, England, in 1972.
Personal Life
In 1972, Branson married Kristen Tomassi. However, they divorced in 1979. After that, Branson met his second wife, Joan Templeman, in 1976.
The Duo had a daughter named Holly in 1981 and a son named Sam in 1985. In 1989, Branson and his new wife got married on Necker Island.
Branson is an experienced kitesurfer and holds two world records in the sport. His first world record in the sport was in 2012.
He broke the record as the oldest person to kitesurf across the English Channel at age 61.
Two years later, Branson broke world records again for riding a kitesurf board with the highest number of people. Branson did his surfboard kitting alongside three women.
Asides from kitesurfing, Branson also loves bicycling. His love for bicycling led to an accident in the British Virgin Islands in August 2016. He tore ligaments, cracked his cheek, and was flown to Miami for treatment.
In 2011, the house was struck by lightning during Hurricane Irene and caught fire. In 2017, Branson’s Necker Island home was hit again by Hurricane Irma and left uninhabitable.
The Branson Family
Richard Branson is the father of two children, Holly and Sam Branson. Initially, Richard and Joan had three children. However, they lost their first girl Sarah three days after being born.
Holly, Branson’s eldest child, graduated from the University College London with Medical and Physiology degrees. After her graduation, Holly worked as a junior doctor at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital before joining Virgin.
Holly is the founder and trustee of Big Change and the Chair of Virgin Unite, the Virgin Group’s foundation.
She is also a Virgin Money Giving patron and the Co-Chair of We Day UK.
Aside from work, she is a mother of three, an author, and an adventurer.
Sam, like his father, is the founder of Sundog Pictures. He established the company in 2012 to create informative content and introduce new audiences to important topics.
Sam uses his company to tell the story of Virgin as a force for good in the world.
Besides his work, Sam is actively into philanthropy. He is the co-founder of companies like Big Change, The Virgin Strive Challenge and many more. Sam is also a proud father of two children.
Highlights
The following are some of the biggest highlights in Richard Bransonโs career:
- In 1966, Branson dropped out of school to start his ‘Student’ magazine in 1966
- 1970, Richard Branson founded the Virgin group in 1970
- In 1973, Richard Branson founded Virgin Records
- He founded Virgin Games in 1983;
- Branson founded Virgin Atlantic Airways in 1984.
- Prince Charles of Wales knighted him in 2000
How Did Richard Branson Make His Money & Wealth?
After running his magazine for a while, Branson went into mail-order business. Branson was able to start a record shop some years later from the proceeds of this business.
That record shop that started in the early 1970s birthed the Virgin brand today. It is from this Virgin brand and its over 40 companies that Branson makes all of his money.
According to the spokesperson of the virgin brand, the companies under the brand make about $20 billion in revenue annually.
The following are some notable companies under the Virgin brand
Virgin Records
After the success of his record store in the 1970s, Branson launched a record label. He named the record label Virgin Records. Richard Branson chose the name Virgin because he and his employees were new in the industry.
Branson started the record label in a country estate with a studio he leased to musicians. After a few years, Branson started signing musicians under his label.
Branson’s approach to signing musicians was somewhat unconventional. His record label signed musicians that other record labels rejected.
This included big names like Mike Oldfield, The Sex Pistols, The Rolling Stones, UB40, XTC, etc.
Virgin Records swiftly became the world’s largest independent record label due to the success of these musicians.
The record label became an international brand in 1980 and sold for almost $1 billion in 1992.
Virgin Books
Richard Branson started his Book publishing business under the Virgin brand in the late 1970s.
He started the company by buying WH Allen and other companies at the time. Later on, in 1991, Branson renamed the company Virgin Publishing Ltd.
The company was successful in the 1980s and 1990s as it released popular novels. In the early 2000s, the company started producing non-fiction books. This was also successful as many of their books are international bestsellers.
Some notable books published by the company include
- My Virginity, Richard Branson’s autobiography (1998)
- Business Stripped Bare by Richard Branson (2008)
- The Economic Naturalist by Robert H Frank
Virgin Films
In 1980, the virgin group diversified into film production under Virgin Films.
The company, however, ended in 1986.
Below are some of the movies produced and distributed by the company during its years of operation:
- The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle (1980)
- A Shocking Accident (1982
- Nineteen-Eighty-Four (1984)
Virgin Atlantic Airlines
In 1983, Branson had already built an Empire for himself that had over 50 companies. These companies were spread across several industries, including publishing, filmmaking and many more.
From all these companies, Branson was making a combined yearly revenue of about $17 million.
One day, Branson traveled to Puerto Rico with his wife. Unfortunately, his flight got canceled on his way back.
Frustrated with the situation, he found a chartered plane to transport himself and other passengers for $39 each.
Branson made a $69 profit from the trip at the end of the day. Also, he got the idea to start his airline company from that experience. And so, the concept of Virgin Atlantic airlines was born in 1984.
Branson believed he could offer an airline that would rival the British airways at the time. He argued that the major airlines in Britain were not customer friendly.
So, he built an airline that could offer affordable and better customer service to travelers. This proved successful. Today, the company has other subsidiaries like Virgin America, Virgin Express, and Virgin Nigeria.
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group. It was a joint venture between Virgin Group and Stagecoach that operated from 1997 to December 2019.
The franchise covered long-distance passenger services within London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales, and Scotland. Virgin group lost the franchise in 2019.
Virgin Cola
Virgin Cola was one of Branson’s companies introduced in 1994. The company produced beverages that gained popularity in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s.
The company made lots of sales between 1994 and the early 2000s. However, the company had to stop production in 2009.
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Group launched Virgin Mobile as a joint venture with Sprint in 2001.
To date, Virgin-brand wireless communications services are available in various countries.
Virgin Galactic: Space Tourism & Space Company
Branson announced the formation of Virgin Galactic, a space exploration company, in September 2004.
Its mission is to transport paying passengers into suborbital space. Virgin Galactic (wholly owned by Virgin Group) intends to offer public flights with tickets starting at US$200,000.
Virgin Care: Healthcare
Virgin Care was a British private community health and social services provider in England contracted by the National Health Service and local authorities.
It became a part of the Virgin Group in 2010 after it purchased a majority stake in the company. In 2012, the company started operating as a separate entity under the Virgin Care brand. However, Virgin brand sold the company in 2020.
Virgin Hotels
Virgin hotels brand is one of Sir Richard Bransonโs latest companies. Although launched in 2010, the first branch of the hotels opened in Chicago in 2015. Four years later, the group had another branch in San Fransisco.
Richard Branson Companies List
The following is a comprehensive list of companies under Sir Richard Bransonโs Virgin Group:
- Virgin Active Australia
- Virgin Active Italy
- Virgin Active Singapore
- Virgin Active South Africa
- Virgin Active Thailand
- Virgin Active UK
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia
- Virgin Balloon Flights
- Virgin Bet
- Virgin Books
- Virgin Casino
- Virgin Connect
- Virgin Experience Days
- Virgin Galactic
- Virgin Games
- Virgin Holidays
- Virgin Hotels
- Virgin Hyperloop
- Virgin Limited Edition
- Virgin Media Business
- Virgin Media Ireland
- Virgin Media O2
- Virgin Megastore
- Virgin Mobile Chile
- Virgin Mobile Colombia
- Virgin Mobile Poland
- Virgin Mobile Saudi Arabia
- Virgin Mobile UAE
- Virgin Money
- Virgin Money Australia
- Virgin Music
- Virgin Orbit
- Virgin Plus
- Virgin Pulse
- Virgin Pure
- Virgin Radio International
- Virgin Records
- Virgin Red
- Virgin StartUp
- Virgin telco
- Virgin Unite
- Virgin Voyages
- Virgin Wines Australia
- Virgin Wines UK
- Virgin Wines USA
Richard Branson Books: The Bestselling Author
Besides being a successful entrepreneur, Richard Branson is also a renowned author. Some of his books have topped the best-selling list in New York Times. The following are some of his best books.
Losing My Virginity: The Autobiography
Losing my virginity: The Autobiography was Branson’s first brainchild as an author. He published the book in 1998 as his autobiography.
In the 23 chapters of the book, Branson describes the first 43 years of his life. It starts with a balloon trip over the Altas mountains in Morocco and ends in January 1993.
Branson describes some of his life ordeals in the book, such as his court case with British Airways. He also explained how he launched Virgin Cola, Virgin Direct and other business ventures before 1993.
Losing My Virginity was a New York Times bestseller. The book has sold over 2 million copies since it was published in 1998.
Screw It, Letโs Do It: Lessons in Life and Business
Published in 2006, this book is a candid look at Richard’s life lessons that will motivate you to make a difference in your own life.
One of Richard’s favourite phrases is “Screw It, Let’s Do It.” In this book, he reveals the lessons that have helped him through his business and personal life. Some of those lessons include
- Believing anything can be done.
- Even if others disagree with you, try and try again until you achieve your goal;
- You must love what you do.
Screw Business As Usual
In 2011, Richard published his book Screw Business as Usual. In the book, he reveals his future vision. He talks about flipping capitalism and shifting from profit-making to caring for people and the environment.
According to him, writing the book showed him that he had been preparing for the most significant challenge and opportunity.
He believes it is time for everyone to see things differently and approach lifeโs challenges from a different perspective. And he does well to explain everything in this book.
Like A Virgin: Secrets They Won’t Teach You at Business School
This book was published in 2012. In the book, Richard shares his business wisdom and experience and some hard-hitting opinions on the global financial crisis.
This is business school done in the Branson style.
The book is ideal for anyone seeking advice on starting a business, advancing a career, or honing leadership skills.
The book combines his best advice on all things business. It also gives responses to some of the most popular questions he has been asked by people worldwide.
Finally, it contains reflections on the ups and downs of running successful businesses.
The Virgin Way: How to Listen, Learn, Laugh and Lead
In his book published in 2014, Richard considers the qualities he believes are necessary for success in today’s world.
After 50 years of success in business, Richard shares and distils his leadership and success secrets in The Virgin Way: How to Listen, Learn, Laugh, and Lead.
He describes his business dealings alongside observations of many others who have inspired him, including politicians, business leaders, explorers, scientists, and philanthropists.
The book is for leaders who wish to become authentic leaders and not just people managers.
Finding My Virginity: The New Autobiography
Finding My Virginity is a sequel to Richard’s autobiography, Losing My Virginity.
The book published in 2018 is a fascinating and intimate look at the world’s most famous entrepreneur life over the last 20 years.
Richard reveals how he launched 12 different billion-dollar businesses and hundreds more companies across dozens of sectors in the book.
He tells the true stories behind the professional, personal, and political headlines for the first time in his own words.
This includes the accident at the commercial spaceline Virgin Galactic.
He also talks about how he survived one of the most challenging crises he has ever faced; building a life on Necker Island.
Richard then explains his close relationship with Barack Obama and his run-ins with Donald Trump.
Richard’s most recent autobiography reveals the ups and downs of Virgin as a brand. He tells the story of its unprecedented rise from family business to a global brand over the last two decades.
Richard Branson Speaking
Asides from writing, Richard Branson is also into public speaking. People can book him and his daughter, Holly, to speak at their events for a fee.
However, whatever he charges for public speaking goes to charitable courses through Virgin Unite.
How Richard Branson Spends His Money?
From afar, one would imagine Richard Branson as a flamboyant billionaire. However, Branson spends his money wisely buying things that can make him more money.
Real Estate
In an interview with The Guardian, Branson once said he would be embarrassed to own a luxurious item that wasn’t making him money.
So it shouldnโt be surprising that one of the ways Branson spends his money is by acquiring real estate properties.
For instance, Branson bought Necker Island, where he had his home in 1976 for $180,000. Today, anyone can rent the island for $65,000 per day. The island was worth over $60 million in 2006.
Yacht and Private Jets
Branson paid around $6 million for a 32-meter catamaran named Necker Belle in 2009. Branson chartered it for $60,000 per week at Necker Island and recently sold it for $3 million.
He also owns a private jet, a falcon 50 EX, which he bought for $21 million.
Charity
One way Richard Branson spends his money is by donating to charitable courses.
According to him, all proceeds from his speaking gigs go to philanthropic courses. And besides that, he makes other donations to non-governmental organizations for the good of society.
For instance, Branson pledged to commit $3 billion to support the fight against global warming.
5 Keys to Success from Richard Branson
The following are some key success lessons from Richard Branson:
1. When people say negative things about you, prove them wrong.
When you are successful, there will always be people who have a problem with you.
In some cases, it could be because they are jealous. Or some of them have nothing better to do. They could also be competitors who are afraid you will soon overtake them.
Here is what Branson has to say; “I think the best thing to do is just prove them wrong in every single way.”
2. Successful people are risk-takers
One of the best quotes of Richard Branson is: โThe brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all.โ
This tells you something, if you want to be successful, you must take risks sometimes. The business world has several risks, and those who are successful take the risk.
Branson showed the world its importance when he risked it all to start Virgin Atlantic. Even when everyone thought he was crazy, he did the unimaginable.
You might make a living by playing things safe, but you must take risks to be successful like Branson.
3. Do not be ashamed of your failures
As a successful entrepreneur, Branson has a few failed enterprises. He does not shy away from sharing these experiences with people.
His philosophy about success is that we learn more from failures than when we succeed. Branson believes that you can only succeed when you understand where and how you failed.
So, if you want to succeed, see failure differently. Like Branson, see your failure as an opportunity to get better.
4. To succeed in business, you need the right people
Richard Branson owes his success to his employees in the Virgin Group. He firmly believes that the actual engine of any business is its employees.
Branson sees businesses as nothing more than a collection of people. He believes that people are the most valuable asset of any business.
So, if you must succeed in business or anywhere else, you must value people.
5. Obtain a Second and Third Opinion
Your judgment frequently obscures the absolute truth. Your eyes and ears may be perceiving the reality. The best thing to do with any new idea is to get as many people to look at it and express their thoughts.
Branson explains that if you want to succeed, you must learn to be an excellent listener.
After all, business success is dependent not only on your happiness but also on the happiness of others. Looking for other people’s perspectives “can save you a lot of time and money.”
3 Life Lessons from Richard Branson
The following are some general lessons you can learn from Bransonโs story:
1. Never Give Up
One might not imagine young Branson would become a Billionaire by human standards. Even his teacher said he would end up in prison.
Even though he had Dyslexia, he didn’t stop dreaming. He pushed on even without a degree. And today, he is one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Whatever you are going through, please do not give up. You can make still make it.
2. Start early
At age 16, one would have said young Branson was too young to start a business. But no, he was determined to make it from a very early stage of his life.
Young Branson knew where he was going, and he pushed through till he got there. He continued to pick the opportunities that came his way and made good use of them.
3. Indulge in your passion
One thing that kept Branson all his life is he enjoyed doing everything. As a result, he always had the energy to do more.
Similarly, you should do things that make you happy. That does not mean leaving your job for something else. It means finding happiness just where you are and embracing it.
Richard Bransonโs Business Advice to Entrepreneurs
In an interview with CNBC in 2018, Richard Branson shared three of his best pieces of advice to entrepreneurs.
The three pieces of advice are as follows:
- Start small
- Say yes to opportunities
- Follow your passion
Richard Branson Motivational Video
Here is a motivational video from Sir Richard Branson to cheer you up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJzdt4bvLlg
Famous Richard Branson Quotes
Here are some famous Richard Branson quotes to inspire and motivate you:
โAs soon as something stops being fun, I think itโs time to move on. Life is too short to be unhappy. Waking up stressed and miserable is not a good way to live.โ โRichard Branson
“Business isn’t about ties, suits and briefcases. It is about adventure.”โRichard Branson
โBusiness opportunities are like buses; thereโs always another one coming.โ โRichard Branson
โIf somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes โ then learn how to do it later!โ โRichard Branson.
โRespect is how to treat everyone, not just those you want to impress.โ โRichard Branson.
โClients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.โ โRichard Branson.
โCourage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.โ โRichard Branson.
โDo not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.โ โRichard Branson.
โMost “necessary evils” are far more evil than necessary.โโRichard Branson.
โTo be successful, you have to be out there; you have to hit the ground running” โRichard Branson.
Random Facts About Richard Branson
Here are some random facts about Richard Branson you may find interesting:
- Sir Richard Branson does not keep expensive artworks.
- He prefers to wear a white shirt and jeans to most events
- Branson rarely pays when he uses restaurants because people always pay on his behalf
- Sir Richard Branson hates gambling.
- Branson starts his day by 5 am every day.
- Sir Richard Branson hates to wear ties.
Sir Richard Branson Awards and Achievements
Below are some notable achievements of Sir Richard Branson
- In 1992, Branson received the American Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award.
- Branson received an honorary Doctor of Technology degree from Loughborough University in 1993.
- On March 30, 2000, he was knighted by Charles, Prince of Wales, at an investiture at Buckingham Palace.
- In 2000, Branson received the Tony Jannus Award for his contributions to commercial aviation.
- Branson was inducted into the San Diego Air & Space Museum’s International Air & Space Hall in the year 2000.
- On December 7, 2007, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon bestowed the โUnited Nations Correspondents Association Citizen of the Worldโ Award on Branson to recognize his contributions to environmental and humanitarian causes.
- On February 11, 2012, Branson received the President’s Merit Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for his contributions to the music industry.
- On June 2, 2013, Branson was awarded an honorary Doctor Honoris Causa degree by Kaunas Technology University in Kaunas, Lithuania.
- On May 15, 2014, Branson received the Business for Peace Foundation’s 2014 Business for Peace Award in Oslo, Norway.
- On September 21, 2014, The Sunday Times named Branson the most admired business person of the last five decades.
- In October 2015, at the United Nations Development Programme’s Pursuit of Peace Awards Dinner, Branson received the International Crisis Group Chairman’s Award.
Richard Branson Philanthropy
Richard Branson does well in terms of philanthropy. He has a dedicated subsidiary of the virgin group called Virgin Unite that handles his charities. He established the company in 2004 to manage his charitable courses.
Under Virgin Unite, Branson has made donations to Africa for education.
Richard Branson Net Worth – FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about Richard Branson’s net worth, his life, and his businesses.
Sir Richard Branson Net Worth & Wiki Summary
Now that you have read Richard Bransonโs motivational story, what are your thoughts?
Did you read anything that struck your mind? If yes, let me hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Also, if there are any successful persons you would like me to write about, kindly let me know below in the comments.
