Richard Branson: How A Dyslexic Drop-out Build A Billion Dollar Empire!

TL;DR

Richard Branson attributes his entrepreneurial success to a combination of his mother’s influence, his dyslexic thinking, and a willingness to ignore conventional business advice (e.g., focus) in favour of diversification, delegation, and instinct.

Key insights

• Branson’s dyslexia was not a disadvantage; it forced him to concentrate on areas he enjoyed, delegate weaknesses, and constantly prove something to himself – he calls it “dyslexic thinking” and is pro
• His mother Eve was an early entrepreneur (making table mats, working from a phone box) and instilled principles of courtesy, never speaking ill of others (punished by standing before a mirror), and re
• Branson rebelled against formal education because he couldn’t see the relevance of subjects like algebra, French, and Latin; leaving school at 15 to start a magazine became his real education.