Richard Branson
When you hear the name Richard Branson, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Money? Power? Success? Philanthropy? Well, yes, all these may be true, but I had the great fortune of sitting down to chat with Sir Richard Branson this weekend, and getting to see a softer side. It was amazing to meet a great visionary who I actually wrote about in my book, 99 Things Women Wish They Knew Before Staring Their Own Business. In fact, I gave him a signed copy to take on the plane! 
Richard Branson started his entrepreneurial journey at the young age of 16. His magazine called Student eventually kicked off his next venture… a brand we all know well, the Virgin Empire. First came the chain of record stores, Virgin Records in 1972. Then Virgin Atlantic Airways in 1980, and then expanded into Virgin Records music label. In fact, the name “Virgin” was suggested by one of Branson’s early employees because they were all new at this business– virgins. I love it.
Richard Branson is the 5th richest person in the United Kingdom and 254th in the world according to Forbes‘ 2011 list of billionaires, with an estimated net worth of approximately £2.58 billion (US$4.2 billion) (Wikipedia). But enough about that…
