Customer Reviews

Big Shots: Business the Richard Branson Way

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I believe that Richard Branson is a unique character and that information about his life and business philosophies would make an interesting read. Thus I chose to read this book.

However I was somewhat disappointed. Although I did learn a few things and there were some interesting passages, a great deal of the book consisted of quotes obtained from OTHER biographers and journalists attempting to document Branson's life.

Each chapter concluded with a summary (read: repetition) of the information in that chapter, and dozens of other sections/quotes/anecdotes were obviously repeated in various chapters. Perhaps because of this, it only took me an hour to read the entire book (admittedly I am a reasonably fast reader).

One thing that I can say in its favor is that the book was structured well; there were 10 main sections, each devoted to a different "Branson philosophy" (for example, "pick on someone bigger than you").

In short, although I did get some interest out of this book I am looking for another Branson biography to read because this one fell short of expectations.

Richard Brandson is the entrepreneur I admire the most. I had read three books of his own (Losing my virginity; Screw it, let's do it; Business stripped bare) before and I had no hesitation to pick this up as soon as I saw it. However, I am quite disappointed for three major reasons. First, the 10 secrets are not solid nor insightful at all. Second, I cant feel the passion of the author to write a good book at all. Rather, it's an economic compilation of material publicly available. Third, the writing and organisation skills shown by the author is not up to the standard of his qualification as a journalist and lecturer.

In short, if you can afford at most 30 minutes to know Branson and his way of doing business, this is fine. The many quotes from Branson and the summary in the end of each secret/chapter had saved the book and made me rate it a three star. For serious readers and those who really want to learn from Branson, please pick those I mentioned above.

p.s. Below please find some of my favorite passages for your reference.

Whenever I experience any kind of setbacks, I always pick myself up and try again. My mother always taught me never to look back in regret, and to move on to the next thing. The amount of time people waste on failures, rather than putting that energy into another project, always amaze me. A setback is never a bad experience, just a learning curve. RB pgxv

Branson deliberately targets markets where the customer has been consistently ripped-off or under-served, and the competition is complacent. He delights in casting Virgin as the cheeky underdog, faster on its feet and nipping at the heels of big business. pg5

If you go for big, fat, lazy brand leaders, it's often easy to offer better value for money. RB pg25

Make business a crusade. Branson has a remarkable ability to clothe almost everything he does in a crusading cloak. This lends the Virgin brand moral authority. pg33

Where other tycoons appear pompous and self important, Branson radiates schoolboy enthusiam. pg96

Dont lead sheep, herd cats. Virgin staff are not mere hired hands. They are not managerial pawns in some gigantic chess game. They are entrepreneurs in their own right. pg109

And in the centre of all the mayhem, there is always Richard Branson: usually working the telephone, charming, teasing cajoling, shouting, or in some other way trying to get someone to do something to the benefit of Virgin. pg117

Every time a business gets too big, we start a new one. Keeping things small means keeping things - personal. RB pg135

The Virgin Group is effective because it maximizes the entrepreneurial spirit of it staff whilst minimizing the bureaucracy of its systems. pg145

Never lose the common touch. Listen to people..Dont let success go to your head - a sense of humor helps, so does being thrown into swimming pools by your staff on a regular basis...Use your customers as consultants - they know their requirements better than the McKinseys and Bains of this world. Branson knows that the little things matter. Treat everyone as an equal. Branson is more likely to be rude to the CEO of a multinational than a check-in clerk. Be what people want you to be, and dont let them down. pg156-7

I suggested that we choose Virgin as a company to research as an MBA Project. Our group used this book as research material. We found it wonderful, and uplifting, exactly what what was necessary for this project. I would highly recommend it to others as well as the book "Losing My Virginity". Virgin is a company that should be studied by US business'executives, its shows you can create an empire - differently!

This is an easy read, taking little more than a couple of hours. It carries the subtitle '10 Secrets of the World's Greatest Brand-Builder'.which offers the promise of answers to those who seek them, and might be why it's taken me so long to get around to reading it.

The book begins with a potted history of Richard's life, from schoolboy entrepreneur to rich CEO. The `secrets' of this journey are outlined in ten chapters which each refer back to examples from Branson's career.

They each make interesting reading and offer insights and ideas to explore. In a nutshell the secrets are

- Pick on someone bigger than you

- Avoid sticking with convention

- Negotiate everything

- Make work fun

- Protect your brand

- Exploit publicity

- Don't lead sheep, herd cats

- Move quickly

- Think big, but keep it simple

- Keep the common touch

Though promising secrets no doubt helps sell the book, perhaps the real secret is left to the `Last Words' where it is stated that Richard Branson's motto should be ars est celare artem - `The art lies in concealing the art'.

Here the book succinctly highlights the problem of almost all best practice adoption. You can copy what he does, but that's not where the real secret is. The real secret is to understand who he is being.

Rudyard Kipling nicely captured this,

"They copied all they could follow but they couldn't copy my mind

so I left them sweating and stealing a year and a half behind."

An interesting outline of Branson's journey, and if you're not looking for answers, the potential source of some interesting lines of thought

Like him or loathe him, there's no denying Richard Branson knows how to make a statement.

I only bought this book as some light reading for a long flight. But I was surprisingly impressed with it.

It certainly isn't the first book about - or by - Branson, and it perhaps doesn't provide as much depth as some of the others. But it does enough to live up to its sub-title "10 Secrets of the World's Greatest Brand Builder". The principles Dearloves shares - including "Make work fun", "Do right by your brand" and "Faster than a speeding bullet" - are good advice for most business owners.

I particularly liked the section "Don't Lead Sheep, Herd Cats", which is about hiring people with initiative and ambition and then getting out of their way.

This book is a handy compilation of observations, hypotheses and speculations on the subject of Richard Branson. Author Des Dearlove freely and frankly admits his debt to several other writers who have probed the Branson story in depth and breadth. There is little if anything original to be found, aside perhaps from the author's style of presentation, which tries hard to be light and deft. Although the book carries you along, its biggest punch resides in the author's list of "10 secrets" of Branson's success. Readers who would like to know in the most general terms what Branson has done and how he has done it, and who are willing to swallow a few clichés in lieu of explanations, will seize upon this book.we think you will enjoy it and, after all, enjoying your work is one of Branson's great secrets.

And that's pretty much all this book does. And truly I'd be okay with that if it were at all well written or offered ANY real insight into his method. Y'know how reality shows always spend like one-third of their air time repeating stuff they already told you? This book is like that.

The King of Virgin is clearly a marketing genius. Surely there's another book that does him justice.

I have read almost all of Richard Branson's books. He is an amazing inspiration to me. I think his death defying feats are something to commend. I don't have the guts to take a hot air balloon ride around the world or even consider the things he has done.

His book was inspiring and motivational.

A must read for the serious entrepreneur.

Branson's "live life to the full" is the way I like to live my life too!

All the very best,

Sarah Radford

President Chic Gems, etc.

Des has done a good job into explaining how Richard Branson does business.

A fun read full of practical ideas!