Sir Richard Branson
Richard Branson is the founder of Virgin Group and is an entrepreneur and investor. Starting his first business at the age of sixteen with the magazine Student, he was on the fast track to success in entrepreneurial business. He is most notably known for his success with his businesses developed from Virgin Group. He opened airlines, record stores, and even a record label. He was knighted in 2000 for his “services to entrepreneurship.”
Richards’s key strategy is to work towards business ideas that interest you. His interests are to rise above challenges that seem impossible to overcome. In business plans, he looks for this challenge, as well as determined minds that want to live life to the full and experience it. In his own autobiography, he states, “My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them.” (Losing my Virginity, 98)
I would use this key point to keep the confidence I have in my business plan. When asked about obstacles I may face with my business plan I will have strong solutions, and make it known that challenges can be overcome.
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban is an American businessman, entrepreneur, and television personality most notably from the television series Shark Tank. He was raised in Pennsylvania, and experienced his first business practice when he was twelve, and sold garbage bags to raise funds for a pair of shoes he wanted. From there in college, he had a lot of jobs from teaching dance, to promoting parties.
During his career with the TV show Shark Tank, he has invested in over 80 businesses, as well as given a lot of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.
The biggest take away I get from his role on Shark Tank, is to come prepared when meeting with investors. Often business owners come into meetings with the investors and do not have the correct answers to questions they have. The most important is to have the financials in place. You must know how much you are worth, how much you’ve made, and most importantly you should be pretty accurate with your numbers.
When I meet with investors, I would be sure to have all of my information present, so that the investors feel they can trust me and trust their decisions to invest.
Resources:
Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson (1998)
