Thanks to this method, in 2008, Branson owned or held interest in more than 200 companies. When trouble struck in the 1990s and Branson was forced to sell Virgin Records, he dealt with the disappointment by starting what he called “branded venture capital.” Under this strategy, Branson licenses the Virgin name – he manages a new business and supplies the name, usually in exchange for a controlling interest, while other partners supply the cash. A 2008 article states that Branson’s “empire” encompassed more than 50 companies by 1983. In 1984 he became the majority backer of an airline that he renamed Virgin Atlantic Airways. This was the beginning of the Virgin name.

But should it? (I’ll note here that most of the timeline is unsourced, and most statements are “Virgin did x, y, z,” and not Branson.) The Virgin Conglomerate – 400 companies? Okay, so what about those 400 companies? Branson founded Virgin Mail Order Records in 1970 and then Virgin Records in 1973. Wikipedia also provides a timeline of Branson’s business ventures, which would seem to imply a direct role from him for each venture. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields.” That’s a little more like the definition I typically see in speaking profiles. So what is the truth? Who is Richard Branson? According to Britannica, Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born July 18, 1950) is a “British entrepreneur and adventurer, head of Virgin Group Ltd., known for his publicity stunts and also for setting records in powerboat racing and hot-air ballooning.” Another encyclopedia that we know and love, Wikipedia, describes him as “an English business magnate, investor, author and former philanthropist. Some sources imply a very active, personal role, and others are more vague. It also made me wonder what role Branson played in the founding of those 400 companies. Each speaker’s biography shares his or her most impressive actions to date, like this excerpt describing Richard Branson, “Founder of the Virgin Group, a conglomerate of more than 400 companies and one of the most dynamic global brands.” A statement like that is designed to draw interest, and it did draw mine. Every month or so, I get an invite to an entrepreneur webinar with an impressive grouping of speakers.

Like a Virgin by Richard Branson