В этой беседе на частном острове Некер Олег Тиньков и Олег Анисимов расспрашивают легендарного сэра Ричарда Брэнсона о его пути в бизнесе. Основатель Virgin делится секретами своего неиссякаемого оптимизма, объясняет философию бренда как образа жизни и рассказывает о подготовке к первым коммерческим полетам в космос. В интервью затрагиваются темы работы Virgin в России, партнерства с проектом Формулы 1 Marussia и методов управления сотнями компаний без потери качества и мотивации сотрудников.
Олег Тиньков: Ladies and gentlemen, we now we switch to English. First of all, sorry, English is our second language as you know, so I am very glad. If you do not understand some of the questions, you can ask them. And again, we are at beautiful Necker Island here with Richard Branson who is the greatest, one of the greatest entrepreneurs ever. And we have got millions of requests from all of you asking me to interview Richard for this program, and finally we are with here and we already are a bit nervous, but I hope everything will be okay. And my first question would be, Richard, how is being entrepreneur, how is to be being entrepreneur?
Ричард Брэнсон: How do they feel about that? Well, you know, I have been very lucky, I have been an entrepreneur since I was 15 years old. And I love creating things. You know, I love making a difference to people’s lives. I love shaking up the big corporations. And I have had an absolute blast doing it ever since I was 15 years old. So I think being an entrepreneur is very important for society. I mean society needs thousands of entrepreneurs because that is where the jobs get created. And that is where things get improved for people throughout society.
Олег Тиньков: Yeah, cool. And then I have another personal question to you because it is very interesting for me and I would like to have the same, how you afford always to be so in positive mood, what is the secret to be positive and be so smile is, how can we achieve that?
Олег Анисимов: Well, first of all obviously because I am here one week with Richard and I can confirm Richard has been smiling throughout the day, throughout the night. And I just do not know where he get so much energy and so much optimism about the life.
Подписывайтесь на мой телеграм-канал Финсайд и потом не говорите, что вас не предупреждали: https://t.me/finside. Темы канала: экономика, инвестиции, финтех, банки. Автор: Олег Анисимов Также читайте книгу о том, как я погорел на стартапе.
Ричард Брэнсон: I do think, you know, that whatever job you are doing in life, if you are a switchboard operator, if you are cleaning the floors of a building, whatever it is, if you are positive about the job you are doing, you are going to be a much happier person. And the people around you going to be a lot happier and it is likely that you will not forever be a cleaning lady because you are smiling, because you are happy, people will promote you and you will go on and do great things in life. So I think a positive attitude is essential in life for whatever your position. Obviously, I have a lot to smile about, I have a happy family, I have got great kids, I have got great companies, great people who work for our companies. We are proud of what we have created, so plenty to smile about, but I hope that even if I was back in the struggling days, I would be positive.
Олег Тиньков: Talking about your companies, how many companies right now under the Virgin brand?
Ричард Брэнсон: Well, we have about 350 Virgin companies. We are an unusual brand, most brands specialize in one area, Virgin is more a way of life brand. So we will look after you when you are born, we will look after you when you are a teenager, your music. As you get a bit older, we look after your health in our health clubs, you can travel on our planes, go on our trains. And we have not quite got to funeral parlors yet, but anyway, if I see something is not being done well, I love to dive in and I love to give it a go and love a new challenge. So Virgin has become a way of life brand.
Олег Тиньков: And what would be your favorite business then out of 350 or used to be?
Ричард Брэнсон: Look, I suspect the most exciting business that we have is our space project. We are trying to be the first company to build a reusable spaceship and offer people trips into space, and I think we are nearly there now, we maybe 11 months away from flying. We have a lot of Russians who have signed to go into space with us, but people from all over the world. And I think it is the beginning of a whole new era. I mean commercial spaceship travel can open up travel to the ordinary person. And I think one day it can lead on to hotels in space and it can lead on to us having populations on other planets, a very exciting future I think.
Олег Тиньков: And who will be the first, how do you call him, cosmonaut or astronaut?
Ричард Брэнсон: Well, I mean, yeah, how you define the person that flies, astronauts. I mean, yeah, and if they are Russian, they can be cosmonauts, whatever. No, I mean I am going up with my children Holly and Sam and hopefully with my parents, even Ted. So we will go up in the first spaceship, but we have nearly 500 people signed up and the initial base is in New Mexico. And maybe one day we will set up a base in Russia, who is to know.
Олег Тиньков: Yeah, and just quickly because the mostly Russian audience is going to see this program, and what do you think the major difference between Russian Cosmos program, this Russian Space Program right now and your Virgin Galactic stuff, what would be the major difference?
Ричард Брэнсон: Well, I think the biggest difference is that the Russian technology and the American Technology is sort of 60 years old technology. It is very reliable now, but it is very old technology. So by commercial companies coming in we will have brand new technology. And we can put people into space for a fraction of the price that it would cost in Russia. So now it costs I think 50 or 60 million dollars to go up in a Russian spaceship. On a Virgin Galactic spaceship it is 200,000 dollars, so the price is a lot less.
Олег Анисимов: Richard, you are very popular in Russia now due to your books and very many people want to know, why did and do Virgin do not go to Russia to make a big business?
Ричард Брэнсон: It is a good question and I suspect we should be in Russia by now. You know, good friends, Oleg and others, have told me that we should be bringing the Virgin brand to Russia. And if we see an obvious opening where we think the Virgin brand will do well in Russia, we will. But we need good partners and maybe from this TV show we will get some good partners, who is to know, maybe Oleg will be such a partner.
Олег Тиньков: That would be wonderful, Virgin Money. By the way, I do not know, there was some story about you, your very first experience with Soviet Union was with Virgin Atlantic, right? And I remember it did not go so well, what was the story there, you do not remember?
Ричард Брэнсон: No, we were flying to Japan and we had a stopover in Moscow. And we stopped on the way because Russia wanted to get some money for overflying Russia so they made a stop. But that was good, we picked up some passengers, but it was not really a proper business, so it is not direct.
Олег Тиньков: Okay, yeah. And what what do you think you have missed yet in your life or what do you think you did wrong, what you feel sorry about in your life? Because our people they always like to challenge me to ask the entrepreneurs the tricky question when they try to make a confession and like they are not going to repeat the same kind of mistake. So what were your mistakes basically, the question is?
Ричард Брэнсон: Well, I mean, if you are an entrepreneur and you have not made mistakes, you are not an entrepreneur. So a definition of an entrepreneur is to try things, sometimes to fall flat in the face, sometimes to succeed. And we have tried many many things. I mean we may have 350 companies, but I suspect we have tried 6 or 700 things. And some things have not worked out. You know, we tried to take on Coca-Cola and for about a year it looked like we were succeeding and then they brought in the tanks and all their armies and they basically squashed us.
Олег Тиньков: But you started with the tank first, you came on the tank and what is this square?
Ричард Брэнсон: We started the war and they just had more artillery than us. And the reason we did not succeed on that one was because our product was about the same as Coke, there was not anything exceptionally different. Whereas say when we took on British Airways with Virgin Atlantic, our product is much much better than theirs and therefore although they sent the tanks in, people did not desert us because they knew they got a better quality. So I think the rule is make sure that you are much better than your competitors and if you are much better even although you may be smaller you should be able to succeed.
Олег Тиньков: Many questions we have got because I asked on my Twitter that I am going to interview you, and I think half of the question were about your Formula One project, is the business with Russians like Virgin Marussia? By the way, we call it Marusia in Russia because it is a female name, Marusia. Overseas I guess it is Marussia, right? So let’s talk about Virgin Marussia and how did you involve into the Formula One from the very beginning and how it is evolved into this Virgin Marussia and what do you feel about this partnership with this Russian guys and stuff?
Ричард Брэнсон: No, well obviously look Russia is becoming interested in Formula 1 in a big way because you are going to have a circuit and that is going to bring Formula 1 to Russia in a big way. And you already have one pilot now in Renault, I think Vitaly Petrov. So we sponsored a team that was had financial problems, Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, and they won the Formula 1 and that was we were very lucky. And then we decided the following year to start a new team which is from scratch and Marussia has come in as a partner with us. And then going to be a good partner. I mean they produce beautiful cars in Russia, they are building what could be a formidable car company in Russia. So they have a lot of expertise on the engineering side and that will help Marussia Virgin Racing a lot. So it is great to have a Russian partner.
Олег Тиньков: Yeah, so and it is another exposure of the Virgin brand into the Russian Market already?
Ричард Брэнсон: That will certainly help. We can help Marussia overseas and Marussia can help Virgin in Russia. And over the years we have done a lot of things to promote the Virgin brand. I mean whether it is trying to be the first to run the world in a balloon or beating transatlantic sailing records. I mean so these kind of sporting events I think do help put the brand on the map.
Олег Анисимов: What do you think about the future of Russian economy?
Ричард Брэнсон: I think the future the Russian economy can be extremely good as long as the Russian people and companies can be absolutely sure that the rule of law is a proper rule of law. And that governments run the country in an honest straightforward way. If that is the case then I think Russia has a fantastic future. And one just has to sort of push the leaders into behaving ethically straightforwardly.
Олег Тиньков: And how how we can push the leaders?
Ричард Брэнсон: Well, I think that the internet is a very very strong medium. Obviously the Press is a strong medium but sometimes terrible things happen to journalists who speak out or investigative journalists in Russia. But anyway I think through the internet, through the Press, through Business Leaders, they have got to say we need a country where the rule of law is paramount, where people can trust the rule of law and then I think Russia can flourish.
Олег Анисимов: Richard, when they think was easier or in a way funnier to do the business: ’70s, ’80s, ’90s or now, if you can compare those times?
Ричард Брэнсон: I think there is nothing that beats building a company from scratch. The early days of starting a company is obviously very exciting, it is like giving birth to a child. Having said that, it is very tough, you are fighting to survive and it may not be as enjoyable as one might imagine looking back on it. But I fortunately found every decade enjoyable because I am always reinventing ourselves. We are always learning new things all the time, we are always doing new things all the time. And right now instead of starting companies to make money, we are starting companies to tackle some of the world’s seemingly intractable problems and getting a lot of satisfaction from that.
Олег Тиньков: Talking about internet, do you think there are still opportunities online on the internet or you think with this Facebook and Google and Twitter it is over now?
Ричард Брэнсон: I still think there are enormous opportunities on the internet and I think countries like Russia and Great Britain have been very slow in setting up teams of people to come up with ideas to launch internet businesses and even to take on the giants in the world. So it is the easiest way for people to set up businesses and people should keep trying and some will be very successful.
Олег Анисимов: Richard, please tell us what are the three greatest mistakes which you made in your business life?
Подписывайтесь на мой телеграм-канал Финсайд и потом не говорите, что вас не предупреждали: https://t.me/finside. Темы канала: экономика, инвестиции, финтех, банки. Автор: Олег Анисимов Также читайте книгу о том, как я погорел на стартапе.
Ричард Брэнсон: I honestly just do not think about mistakes, but let me see if I can try. If I make a mistake I put it behind me and I just move forward. There have been musical bands that I have missed trying to sign like Dire Straits. There have been companies that have fallen flat in their face like Virgin Cola. But that is just part of being an entrepreneur, you are going to have these things happening all the time. So I do not really see them as mistakes, they are just some things are not going to go right, some things are going to go right.
Олег Тиньков: And your fans asking to return Virgin Cola to the shops in Russia.
Ричард Брэнсон: Good, well we will keep trying there.
Олег Анисимов: One more question, people asking you: is it better to start with a little thing or to start with a big thing?
Ричард Брэнсон: I think it is better to start with a small thing and build because you can learn from your mistakes that way. And if it does not work out, it is not going to be an absolute catastrophe. So generally speaking I would say start small and build from there. And actually if the company gets too big, don’t let it get too big, cut it in two and set up two companies. Small is beautiful in business and try not to create one massive Empire, keep lots of small units.
Олег Тиньков: The question from me is, do you agree this with the estimation of your fortune of Forbes magazine?
Ричард Брэнсон: I do not know what Forbes says but I think that when people talk about somebody has a certain amount of wealth, it can be quite misleading because wealth if you use it properly is there to create jobs, to tackle problems in the world. And I honestly do not think of the personal wealth I have. As far as I am concerned I am lucky to have it and I will put it to good use in doing good things in the world with it. Fortunately we have created some wealth and that enables me to do new projects.
Олег Анисимов: Richard, how people can find the woman of their life?
Ричард Брэнсон: Well, if you are a man, it is what makes the world go around and it is the most important decision of your life to find that special lady. Somebody who can be a great friend and greatest mother of your children. I was lucky to find a great lady Joan and she has been a fantastic mother and we are still great friends after 32 years.
Олег Тиньков: One more question, what is the great how do you motivate your employees, what are the great know-hows of Richard Branson?
Ричард Брэнсон: Look, the key to motivating people is to look for the best in people, to lavish praise on people, not to criticize people. And to treat people like you would a flower. So a flower needs watering and then it will flourish. People need praise, they will flourish. And I think that if you run a company where you have a highly motivated group of people who believe in what they are doing, who are appreciated, then it can be very successful.
Олег Тиньков: Richard, thank you very much and thank you for your time. Guys, we have got to finish because we have now to swim before the lunch with Richard around the island, it is quite a swim, so we have to be ready.
Ричард Брэнсон: Thank you very much, thank you for your time.
Interview with Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin, to Oleg Tinkov and Oleg Anisimov In English with Russian subtitles.
Ричард Брэнсон, Олег Тиньков, Олег Анисимов Business Secrets: Richard Branson
