My all-time favourite entrepreneur
Written by Ms.Hermien Klopper
Teacher of Business
Translated by Zhou Yuting
& Liao Zhiying
PAL 1
Richard Charles Nicholas Branson was born on the 18th of July 1950, the oldest of three children. He has two younger sisters.
理查德查理斯布朗森生于1950年6月18日，是家中长子，他还有两个妹妹。
Branson has dyslexia and had poor academic performance. He dropped out of school at the age of sixteen and on his last day at school, his headmaster, Robert Drayson, told him he would either end up in prison or become a millionaire. At the time, neither the principal nor Branson knew that both would happen.
布朗森学习有诵读困难症且学习表现欠佳，于是在他十六岁时辍学。校长罗伯特·德雷森在那一天对他说“你若不是成为一个百万富翁就是进监狱”。可在那时，谁也不知道未来是怎样，无论是校长还是布朗森。
In 1971, Branson was convicted and briefly jailed for tax evasion, having fraudulently obtained export documents for records to be sold on the domestic market to avoid paying purchasing tax. And today, Richard Branson - with a net worth of $3.8 billion - ranks eighth among the wealthiest British billionaires.
1971年，布朗森因偷税被判刑。但是现在，理查德·布朗森因拥有价值38亿英镑，囊括八个行业的事业网成功跻身英国最富有的亿万富翁。
He expressed his desire to become an entrepreneur at a young age. His first business venture, at the age of 16, was a magazine called Student.
他从小就渴望成为企业家。他在16岁时创办了人生中第一本杂志——student。
In 1970, he set up a mail-order record business. He opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records—later known as Virgin Megastores—in 1972. Branson's Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s, as he started Virgin Atlantic airline and expanded the Virgin Records music label.
1970年，他建立了小型邮购公司。1972年他建立了连锁零售店，被世人知晓时，已经转变成了维珍大卖场。1980年他成立了维珍航空公司，开始扩张维珍唱片，他的企业就此开始快速增长。
In 2004, he founded spaceflight corporation Virgin Galactic, based at Mojave Air and Space Port, noted for the SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane designed for space tourism.
2004年，布朗森在莫哈韦航空和航空港的基础上建立了维珍大西洋航空公司，他以专为太空旅游设计的“太空船二号”轨道太空飞机而闻名。
But it’s not just his ability to create entrepreneurial success that sets him apart. Branson seems to be constantly happy, enjoying his life and doing the things he loves with the people he really cares about – his friends and family.
布朗森的商业才能创造的成功并没有让他远离生活和朋友，他看起来一直都很开心，做自己真正热爱的事，陪伴自己关心的家人、朋友，享受他的人生。
According to him there are 8 keys to happiness and success.
他获得成功和幸福的8个关键
1. Don’t measure your success by the amount of money you make.
不要用金钱来衡量你的成功
Richard Branson believes that if you are having fun and focusing on making the world a better place, the money will come. He wrote on his LinkedIn page: “It’s a common misconception that money is every entrepreneur’s metric for success. It’s not, and nor should it be. I’ve never gone into business to make money.”
理查德布朗森相信如果你专注于如何让世界变得更美好并能从中得到快乐，金钱自会随之而来。他在LinkedIn（领英）上写过一句话：“一个常见的误区，人们认为金钱是衡量每个企业家成功的标准。但并不是，或者不应该是。我从来没有为了钱而去经营我的事业”。
2. Unplug and focus on face-to-face conversation.
抛下电子设备，注重面对面地交流
“We can all be more present in our own lives. I really believe that being in the moment is the key to happiness and success -- and being constantly glued to your phone can have a big impact on your relationships,” Branson writes.
“我们可以更多地投入到自己的实际生活中。我始终相信活在当下才是通往幸福和成功的关键，而和手机形影不离只会对你的朋友圈造成巨大的影响”。
3. Have fun in everything you do.
尽享其乐
If you aren’t having fun, you’re doing it wrong. In everything you do, you should find ways to enjoy and appreciate your life, according to Branson.
布朗森认为应该享受自己所做的每一件事，从中获得快乐。
图为布朗森因与QPR老板托尼·费尔南德打赌失败后将自己打扮成服务员，配上一条红裙子和口红：
4. Find a hobby that gets you outside.
培养一个户外爱好
Hiking, biking and windsurfing are some of his hobbies. He says that being outside can help one deal with anxiety and stress and also serve as a way to become re-energised. "It's a great way to boost your mood and feel more in control."
布朗森喜爱的运动诸如爬山，骑行，帆板运动。他说在户外可以帮助他舒缓焦虑情绪，也是他重新激励自己的一种方式。“这样的方式能很好地调节你的情绪，让它们更加可控。”
5. Dream big.
让梦想再大一些
One of his well-known quotes are: “If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.”
如果你没有被自己的梦想吓到，那它就还不够大。
6. Learn as you go.
即行即学
According to Branson, if you see a great opportunity, go for it, even if it’s not in an area you are familiar with or specialise in. “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”
布朗森认为，如果你发现一个好的机会，抓住它，即使它并不在你擅长或熟悉的领域。“如果某人给你提供了一个极好的机会然而你不确定是否能完成它，别犹豫，先抓住机会，然后再去学习如何做。”
7. Be fearless in trying new things.
别畏惧尝新
He encourages everyone to push themselves outside of their comfort zone. According to him it is the only way you’ll truly see how far you can go. “I can honestly say that nothing good in my life has ever happened from the safety of my comfort zone.”
布朗森鼓励每个人都走出自己的舒适圈。他认为这是你看清自己能够走多远的唯一的方法。“坦白来讲，迄今为止在我的舒适圈内没有发生过任何一件好事。“
8. Make happiness a habit.
让快乐成为习惯
Branson wrote the following on his blog: “I know I’m fortunate to live an extraordinary life, and that most people would assume my business success, and the wealth that comes with it, have brought me happiness. But they haven’t; in fact, it’s the reverse. I am successful, wealthy and connected because I am happy.”
布朗森在他的博客中写道：”我知道我很幸运地拥有一段非凡的人生。很多人会认为是我的企业的成功和财富给我带来了快乐，其实事实恰恰相反，我很成功很富有皆与我很快乐有关。
I want to conclude with his quote on luck.
References:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/331932
https://guardianlv.com/2014/05/richard-branson-from-tax-fraud-to-billionaire/
https://metro.co.uk/2013/05/12/sir-richard-branson-dresses-up-as-air-hostess-after-losing-bet-to-qpr-owner-tony-fernandes-3755859/
Ms.Hermien Klopper
