Setting aside the celebrity and the brand that is “Richard Branson,” I am inspired by his bold, simple approach to business. While appearing impulsive, he is actually quite well-researched. When that research calls for a decision, however, the indomitable entrepreneurial spirit takes center stage. I like his 3 core tenants:

“Screw it, Let’s do it.”
While that make reek of reckless bravado, Branson accepts the risk: “Sometimes you’ll fall flat on your face, sometimes you won’t.” Entrepreneurs don’t succeed by playing it safe – they play it smart. Playing smart is not the same as playing safe – you can play smart and still fail. But, you won’t get anywhere until you make a firm decision. There is a time to pass and a time to say “screw it, let’s do it!”

The key to business is to be entrepreneurial.”
This one is not as obvious as it looks. I touched on this earlier this year in another post (see it here). Remaining in an entrepreneurial mode is not as easy as it looks. Growth leads to a need for organization and it is quite easy for founder CEOs to be sucked into the vortex of bureaucracy where their time is consumed by administrivia and the impact of their value creation efforts begins to wane. It takes energy and focus to remain entrepreneurial.

“It’s not about making money, it’s about changing the community you’re living in.”
Simple yet profound. As anyone who has flown on Virgin or used Virgin Mobile Mobile phone service, Branson drives beautiful products based on simplicity to make our lives better. My own credo, as you read in my bio, is to leave people and companies better than I found them. There is no ceiling and no expiration date on that vision. Think about that.

What are your 3 tenants?

• May-16-2014
• CEO,startups