25 years on, and Virgin Atlantic still flying high...

While trawling the Web earlier, I came across a blog post by Richard Branson on his official blog page (http://entrepreneur.virgin.com) mentioning how they have recently celebrated 25 years since the first Virgin Atlantic flight. I am a MASSIVE Branson and Virgin fan - I've read all his books on multiple occasions and follow his businesses as closely as I can - and thought I'd share what I remember about how Virgin Atlantic Airlines came to be...

While on his way on holiday, or en route to a business meeting (the exact details are sketchy in my mind), Richard was due to catch a flight on one of the existing airlines at the time. At very short notice, the flight was cancelled, and he, together with most of the other passengers, were basically stranded as there was not much space on any other airline. People were just milling around in the airport, waiting for news or an update, but Richard decided to do something about it. After realising that there was not much that the airline staff could do (or were willing to do) he walked around the airport, and found where the charter services operated from. He asked how much it would cost to charter a plane to their intended destination, and got a price out of them. He then borrowed a writing board, and went back to where the stranded passengers were waiting around. He set up the board, wrote the cost at the top of the page, and then divided it by the number of people on board, to come up with a cost per person. Pretty much everyone bought into the idea, and they went ahead and chartered a plane. Obviously, everyone was extremely thankful for his efforts, but what must have been a real spur to his entreprenerial spirit was when one of the passengers (an elderly woman, if I remember correctly) went up to him after they'd touched down, and said something along the lines of: "The flight was fine, dear, thank you. Put in some in-flight service, though, and you could even make a business out of this." The cogs in his head must have started turning then and there, and so it all began...

Not only is the story a heart-warming one, but it also summarises a number of the traits that have made Richard Branson (and other great entrepreneurs) so successful:

- Firstly, the do not simply accept what they are told - they question and enquire to find answers. He could have sat there and waited for the airline to make a plan, but he decided to make some enquiries as to alternatives.
- Secondly, they are proactive and realise that action is what counts. He proactively went out and found out what it would take to accomplish his goal; he didn't mention the idea and then sit around.
- Thirdly, they communicate their ideas simply and clearly. He went to where the passengers were, explained what he wanted to do, and displayed it on a board for all to see.
- Fourthly, the know when they are onto a good thing. He didn't just take the compliment as a thank-you for what he'd done - he realised that there was potential for people to use a service like that, who'd be prepared to pay for it.
- Fifthly, they aren't afraid to take risks (after doing some homework). It's not mentioned in the story above, but he had no idea of how to run or start an airline when he decided to give it a go. He believed in himself, though, and was prepared to take a risk and put in the often super-human time and effort required to get it going.

The difference between the entrepreneurs out there, and those not that way inclined, is that the latter group would have simply seen the story as a heart-warming tale with a happy ending. The entrepreneurs among you would have recognised some of the traits mentioned, before I even spelled them out... Which type are you?