Latest news with #RichardBranson
Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Richard Branson: ‘I was so loved-up, I got off a taxiing plane'
Sir Richard Branson, 74, founded Virgin in 1970 as a mail-order record retailer; today it comprises over 40 companies worldwide in more than 35 countries including, of course, an airline, a cruise line, hotels, gyms, telecommunications, a non-profit and more. He was awarded a knighthood in 1999. He lives in the British Virgin Islands with his wife, Joan — they will be celebrating 50 years together early next year and have two children, Holly and Sam. When I was first dating my now wife, I had to say goodbye to her at Mahon airport in Menorca. We were newly loved-up — I was in my twenties — and I gave her a big hug before getting on the plane. But as it was taxiing out towards the runway I jumped up and told them to stop the plane; I had to get out. The stewardess told me firmly to sit down. And then I said quite loudly, 'I'm in love, I've got to see my lady. I've made a big mistake getting on this plane.' Then everybody on the plane started chanting very loudly: 'Let him out, let him out, let him out!' So the cabin crew went to the cockpit, came back out, stopped the plane, brought the door down and let me out. Everyone cheered and clapped really loudly. It's something you could never do today. My girlfriend from that moment is still with me nearly 50 years later. We're very lucky. Over the decades she's obviously got used to me doing foolish and mad things … and hopefully romantic things too. As a really young child, my family would go on holiday to Devon. My grandparents lived near Salcombe, by a beautiful little bay called Bantham. My dad and I would go bass fishing in a ropey little boat; I was very excited about the first fish I caught, but instead of my rod bending downwards towards the sea, it bent over my shoulder. It turned out it was a seagull that had taken the bait and gone for a fly about. • 22 of the best luxury hotels in Devon My daughter has just bought a little cottage in Bantham, completely coincidentally — we never took her to Bantham as a child. And so we were all down there recently and it was lovely; it's still one of the most beautiful coves in England. No sand eel fishing this time, though, because I was playing with the grandkids. As we got a little bit older, my family went to Mallorca and I fell in love with the quieter side of the island. In particular I loved walking in the Tramuntana mountains, towards the north of the island. Now I own a mountain hotel called Son Bunyola nearby, which has three miles of beautiful, private coastline — the location was inspired by childhood memories. • This Mallorca hotel took 20 years to open — is it worth it? I try to forget any mishaps that happen while travelling, but 40 years ago, on my first flight on Virgin to New York, I forgot to bring my passport. And the mayor was on the other side of immigration waiting to greet us. We had to do quite a lot of blabbering to get me through. But somehow because it was the first ever flight they relented and let us in. Earlier this year I stayed in Ian Fleming's bed at GoldenEye, a collection of villas on Jamaica's north coast. It's very, very nice. I'd been there before, because the owner of the hotel, Chris Blackwell, is an old friend. He used to run Island Records, a rival company to us; he discovered Bob Marley. Obviously when I was asked to appear in a James Bond film — the 2006 Casino Royale — I definitely made sure that I was around for the day. Over the years I've done cameo roles in quite a lot of different things. For a while, when I went to America people would see me in the street and say 'that's that guy from Friends'. • 21 of the best luxury villas in Jamaica My favourite restaurant is on Bondi Beach in Australia. It's called Icebergs, with views overlooking the ocean. The food and the atmosphere and the wine is exquisite. I highly recommend it; I've been going there for many years. Last month I visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan to commemorate the anniversary of the atomic bombs that were dropped on the cities. I went with a wonderful group of people called The Elders, an international organisation that Nelson Mandela set up. We work on global issues, and atomic proliferation is one of the issues we work on. Japan is a country that I've had a lot of dealings with over the years. I love the food. Well, actually, I remember the first time I went there as a teenager sitting looking at this raw food, watching all these eyes on me, and I just couldn't eat raw fish. Funny how your taste buds change — now I just love Hotels London-Shoreditch ( the first for the brand in the capital, is open now
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE A day with billionaire Richard Branson as he sips a piña colada before noon and parties at a private beach club
It seems that Sir Richard Branson 's day-to-day life isn't always what one would expect, especially since he's a billionaire who runs one of the biggest companies, the Virgin Group. The 74-year-old's business empire includes 40 companies in over 35 countries, which employs over 60,000 people. From airlines and space travel to hotels, cruises and telecommunications, overseeing the venture capital conglomerate of the Virgin Group seems like an extremely busy task. But for the British entrepreneur, he makes it look easy. Especially while sipping on a piña colada as he carries on his duties for the day. got an exclusive look at what his day in the Bahamas was like as he joined Virgin Voyages cruise goers on May 8 as part of the Celebration Voyage, which set sail from Miami four days prior. After landing in Bimini in the Bahamas via a seaplane from Miami, Richard boarded Virgin's Valiant Lady cruise ship for an intimate meet and greet with media and influencers. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Normally, when he's not jet-setting, he kicks off his mornings with a workout, whether it be a game of tennis at 6am or - if he's on one of his cruises, for example - he'll run around the jogging track, which provides a 360-degree panoramic view of the sea. But, on this particular day, he met with a group of journalists at 10 am at Richard's Rooftop on Deck 16 - an exclusive rooftop bar and lounge area for the cruise's 'RockStars' - with a piña colada in his hand (his tall glass even had an 'R' for Richard embellished on it). The casual meet and greet included an impromptu chess game (his favorite game) against a journalist as others looked on, taking photos of videos. During the nearly hour-long session, Richard spoke about the exciting news of Virgin Voyages' newest Lady Ship setting sail from New York harbor this September, which will be the fourth ship to launch as part of the brand's fleet. The businessman reflected on the four-year journey of Virgin Voyages and how it had a rocky start, but finally launched at the end of 2021. 'When we started Virgin Voyages a few years ago, we arrived in England and the Spice Girls were coming to celebrate with us, and they didn't turn up. They rang me up and said, "There's something called Covid out there, on cruise ships." 'And I told them... "what a load of buttocks." Anyways, they turned out right and I was wrong. So, we had a suspicious start to a cruise line.' He continued, 'It is brilliant to have a fourth cruise ship arriving and doing some West Coast of America, Alaska, Canada, Panama Canal. It's very exciting,' referring to the destinations that are part of Brilliant Lady's itineraries once it launches. Richard took a seaplane from Miami to spend a day in the Bahamas with sailors on Virgin's Celebration Voyage, which set sail from Miami on May 4 Virgin recently announced that Spice Girl Melanie C will be joining after all. She's set to headline the Celebration Voyage departing from Lisbon, Portugal, this July. Following the morning meet and greet, and some more photo opportunities with fans on the cruise, Richard, accompanied by his team who made sure to take content of him all day for the brand's social channels, disembarked from the massive ship and, with help from a golf cart, made his way to the beach. But it's not just any beach. Virgin Voyages' has its own private adult-only Beach Club that overlooks the ocean and has its own set of beach chairs. Plus, two swimming pools, multiple bars and food stations throughout (which are free for cruise goers). Talk about paradise. Richard, being the billionaire that he is, had his own private area (even more private than the exclusive Rockstars area) where he could cool down and relax inside an Airstream camping trailer... or hang out with superstars like Nicky Jam. The Latin award-winning singer was spotted with Branson before both stars surprised people in the lagoon-style pool as a DJ took over around 1.00pm. Joined by Virgin's CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu, Nicky, 44, hyped up the crowd ahead of his nighttime performance on the cruise as it was announced that there was an exclusive voyage just for Nicky Jam sailing from San Juan this December. Following this, Richard surprised the crowd by spraying a bottle of champagne over the people partying in the pool. Then, he proceeded to have some sparkling wine for himself before he made another surprise. Motioning for the crowd to make way, the Virgin Group founder shocked everyone by jumping into the pool - via a cannon ball - splashing those around him. Coincidentally, the music playing in the background was Spice Up Your Life by one of his favorite female pop groups, The Spice Girls. The afternoon poolside fun came to an end for Richard as he changed into some dry clothes and wrapped up his festivities for the day. After some more casual meet and greets with sailors who were enjoying the private beach club, Mr. Branson took the seaplane back to Miami around 7pm. For more entertainment, Nicky Jam performed poolside on the cruise starting at 9pm where he brought a ton of energy as he performed his Reggae chart-topping hits to sailors aboard Valiant Lady. Meanwhile, Richard was seemingly recharging for another jam packed day of events for the following day. He previously noted that he needs 'six hours sleep to do it all again,' but 'a little differently' the next day. In an exclusive interview with which took place at the end of April, he spoke about growing his empire and the prospect of reopening Virgin Megastores since people are buying vinyl records again. 'We used to have a great Megastore in New York. And we may even go as far as reopening some Megastores in other places,' he spilled, 'because I think people are loving discovering vinyl again, and Virgin could also sell them some holidays, Virgin balloon trips, and a few other things in these Megastores. 'They're still going in the Middle East, so maybe we can get them going again in the UK.' He added, 'We'll most likely give it a shot.' Richard's revelation came during the unveiling of Virgin Hotel London-Shoreditch's brand-new listening bar Hidden Grooves. After seeing it come to life, he said that he's decided 'on the spur of the moment' to open a Hidden Grooves at Virgin Hotels' New York City location, which opened early 2023. Richard, whose homebase and where he spends a lot of his downtime is the private paradise Necker Island, confessed to that his 'mind is always racing' when it comes to building his conglomerate. 'If I feel that something's not been done well, I'll just jump in and do it. And obviously, I'm lucky, because I own the company, I can just say, "Screw it, let's do it," and get it done,' he said. 'And I try to enable everybody who works for Virgin to be able to do that, but, in the end, the buck stops with me, so I can just make decisions and get on with it.' Richard has plenty of business plans over the next few years, including more Virgin Atlantic flights, Virgin Voyages cruises to the Red Sea, the launch of high-speed trains to rival Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel, and 'building a number of spaceships' with Virgin Galactic that 'should be ready to fly' by the end of next year, he says.
The Courier
5 days ago
- Business
- The Courier
Fife property guru's unlikely friendship with billionaire Richard Branson
A Fife property guru has struck up an unlikely relationship with billionaire Richard Branson. Jim Parker owns the estate and lettings agency Fife Properties and has his own portfolio of rental properties. For the past two years he and his wife Elaine have holidayed on Necker Island, the private Caribbean island where Branson lives. 'We first went out in November 2023 and again in November 2024,' he says over a morning coffee in a Leven cafe. 'And we're planning to go again this November.' Theoretically anyone can book a holiday on Necker Island but Jim says in practice it's not that simple. 'At certain times of the year you can book accommodation there,' he continues. 'But it's quite difficult. You message and then it takes ages for them to come back to you. 'I'm certain that behind the scenes they're doing a lot of vetting and looking into your background. If they don't like what they see I'm pretty sure you get told there's no availability. 'Plus staying there costs from $6,000 a night, which not everyone can afford.' Jim, 58, was born in Newport but grew up in Leven and still lives in the Fife town. He trained as an accountant and worked in finance for manufacturing firms all over Fife until he was in his late 30s. Ambitious from the outset, he wanted more wealth than his line of work could offer him. 'I thought accountancy would make me rich but then I looked at my boss and his salary was £60,000,' Jim says. 'That was the best I could aspire to.' Jim bought his first buy-to-let flat in the mid-1990s. 'It wasn't even called buy-to-let back then,' he says. 'There was no term for it. All I knew was I could buy a flat for £15,500 and rent it out for £260 a month, which felt like a good return to me. 'I started buying as many as I could. I'd come home from work, get my overalls on, and go work on properties. I'd work until late in the night, sleep on the floor of the property until 5am, then go home for an hour, shower, and go to work. I was working burnout numbers of hours but it paid off for me in the long term.' Today Jim has dozens of rental properties in Fife. He also owns Fife Properties, an estate and lettings agency which has offices all over the Kingdom, and he presents the Wealth Creation Show on YouTube. He had been fascinated by Richard Branson since he was a teenager and jumped at the possibility of spending time with the billionaire Virgin founder. Getting there involves flying from Heathrow to Miami, a flight to neighbouring Beef Island, and then a boat to Necker Island. 'It's a bit of a lottery whether you'll see Richard because he has business interests all over the world and he travels a lot,' Jim continues. 'But we've been for the Thanksgiving week each year and he always seems to be around then.' According to Jim, Branson is generous with his time. 'A lot of people are there to stay up late and party but I go there for one reason – to learn. 'He has one of the best business brains in the world and it's a fantastic opportunity to learn what made him so successful. 'Richard does 6.30am bike rides round the island. I make sure I'm on every one of them. Sometimes it's just me and him because everyone else is sleeping off the night before. 'He's going to be 75 soon but he's incredibly fit. We do two 650m climbs to the highest point and a 10-mile loop around the island. I've never beaten him, but I'm training hard and maybe this will be the year.' Necker Island draws wealthy and powerful people from all over the world. Barack Obama and Bono have been guests there, as have Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana, and Oprah Winfrey. Another successful Fife fellow is also a frequent visitor, Jim says. 'Sean Donaldson is a celebrity hairdresser from Fife. He studied under Vidal Sassoon and is pals with Ewan McGregor – they were at Fife College together. He's often on Necker Island to do the hair of guests there.' Such is Branson's star quality, billionaires whose wealth far exceeds his still go to him for advice. 'The co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin, was there when we were there. His net worth makes Richard Branson look like a minnow, yet Richard is who he goes to for advice and guidance. A lot of the world's wealthiest people go to Richard to learn from him. 'The first year we stayed in the Great House. It has bifold doors that open to give an incredible vista across the sea. You can see the private island owned by Google's other co-founder Larry Page. 'One morning I was doing a live broadcast of the Wealth Creation Show and I accidentally wandered into Richard's house.' Jim himself didn't miss any opportunity to learn from the British entrepreneur. 'The whole time I was there I was learning from him – and from all the other amazingly successful people there. 'Richard can be the life and soul of the party. He's incredibly charismatic. But he's disciplined as well. He goes to bed at 9pm because he's up at 5am. He has a tennis lesson, then his bike ride. At 9am he'll join his guests for breakfast. Then it might be another tennis lesson or some chess, and then business stuff. He packs an enormous amount into every day.' What were the lessons Jim learned from his time with Branson? 'One is don't take things too seriously. Something that you're worried about now won't seem important in five years' time. 'Another is get good people around you. Richard has almost a superpower for knowing how to get the right people to work for him. ''Work on the business not in the business' is another important one. When I was starting out I was hands on with everything. Now I try not to be.' 'And the other thing is to enjoy downtime. When I was out there I had my out of office on. A hedge fund manager saw that and asked me how on earth I could have my out of office on. He said he was never switched off. This is a guy who manages hundreds of billions of dollars but he can't switch off for a week. The one thing money can't buy you is time. 'Finally, and most importantly, is health. Richard is meticulous about looking after his health. I want to live until I'm 120 if I can. I eat a plant based diet. I've started training for triathlons again. I built a home gym and I work out seven days a week. I want to be doing an ironman when I'm 100.' Jim and his wife are already looking forward to their next visit. 'We're gong out again in November. It's an annual thing for us now. I'd love to stay even longer if we can – maybe I'll ask Richard if I can shadow him for a month or two.'
Forbes
22-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Special Education To $600M Exit: How RXBAR's Dyslexic Founder Outsmarted The Protein Industry
In 2013, while food corporations were pouring millions into marketing campaigns, Peter Rahal was in his parents' basement with just $10,000, three ingredients, and an insight that would disrupt a billion-dollar industry. Just four years later, he sold RXBAR to Kellogg's for $600 million. What few knew was that Rahal had spent his early school years in special education classes, struggling with a system that—back in the '90s—wasn't prepared to support and understand dyslexic children. 'It was sort of like, He's not putting in effort,' Rahal shared of his teachers during our conversation on The Failure Factor podcast. 'I was in a class with like, actually disabled people. And so I was labeled 'disabled.' The whole system was not designed for my brain or my sort of neuro[divergence]," That misinterpretation had deep emotional consequences for Rahal, but instead of leaning into the limiting label, he lit a fire: 'F the system. I'll show the system's wrong'. And prove the system wrong he did. His heroic journey from educational outcast to entrepreneurial icon left Rahal among a category of notable dyslexic entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, and Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran (all of whom have publicly discussed their dyslexia). This isn't coincidental—up to 35% of entrepreneurs identify as dyslexic, compared to just 10% of the general population. That early educational experience formed the bedrock of what would later become Rahal's entrepreneurial edge. Instead of trying to conform to a system that marginalized him, he developed a deep skepticism of established norms. "I think some of my contrarian nature is rooted in that I just question and am skeptical of things. That was the way to protect myself," he explained. This psychological adaptation echoes why many dyslexics gravitate toward entrepreneurship. Dyslexic individuals often struggle in traditional employment environments, where they may face discrimination or restrictive structures. Starting their own businesses allows them to create environments tailored to their strengths, control their work processes, and bypass gatekeepers who might underestimate their abilities. The RXBAR origin story illustrates how Rahal's heightened pattern recognition capabilities—a strength often associated with dyslexia—enabled him to identify an overlooked market opportunity: "I remember a very specific moment. I'd go to my CrossFit gym, and there was a box of Clif Bars. Some sales rep had dropped them off, and it just sat there. Like it was almost like it was poison," he recalled. 'Everyone had this aversion towards it, and no one touched it.' The standard protein bars of the time were antithetical to paleo principles—packed with processed ingredients, artificial sweeteners, soy proteins, and chemical preservatives. Rahal recognized that this growing community had nutritional needs that weren't being met by mainstream options. This wasn't just a niche observation—at the time, CrossFit was growing rapidly, creating an exponentially expanding market of nutrition-conscious consumers that traditional protein bar makers were completely overlooking. With just $10,000 split between himself and childhood friend Jared Smith, they began crafting paleo-friendly protein bars in Rahal's parents' basement. Rather than following the conventional playbook of seeking venture capital and spending heavily on marketing, they bootstrapped their way to success by doubling down on product quality over promotion. When I asked him when they ultimately decided to put money toward marketing, Rahal response shocked me: 'We never did," he said, maintaining the company did not allocate significant marketing budget until after its acquisition. In a world where mediocre products are launched with multi-million-dollar campaigns, Rahal's approach conveys the most basic—yet often forgotten—entrepreneurial principles: Make something people need, make it well, and put it in a place they can find it. Success will follow. RX Bar Current Packaging RX Bar Perhaps Rahal's most recognizable strategic move came through RXBAR's minimalist packaging redesign. Whereas competitors relied on flashy packaging and brand positioning, RXBAR stripped everything away to list their clean ingredients on the front in bold type, followed by 'No B.S.' Rahal's transparency-focused strategy wasn't entirely without precedent. Companies like Patagonia had pioneered radical transparency in the apparel industry while Tony's Chocolonely built their chocolate brand around exposing and addressing slave labor in cocoa production. But RXBAR's execution in the protein bar space represented something revolutionary in packaged food. While other brands spent millions trying to convince consumers their products were healthy, RXBAR simply showed them the truth. This strategy proved devastatingly effective to competitors, with the company growing from $2 million in sales in 2014 to $160 million in 2017 and capturing 14% of all online health bar sales, making it the second-largest brand in the category only to Quest Nutrition. Rahal's pursuit of perfection became legendary in the protein bar industry. He insisted on exhaustive testing and refinement until every detail met his exacting standards. This uncompromising commitment extended to every aspect of the business. Early in RXBAR's history, Rahal famously fired his own mother when she couldn't align label stickers properly on the packaging. "Bless her heart, she's an amazing woman, but our customers don't want to buy a product with a label that's not centered," he told CNBC Make It in a 2018 interview. This seemingly harsh decision represented his refusal to compromise on quality, even when it was uncomfortable. "I don't really celebrate," he admitted when I asked about acknowledging successes. "I just keep charging forward." But was this perfectionism purely productive, or did it serve another purpose? When I gently probed whether there might be something protective in his inability to celebrate, he acknowledged: 'When things are going well, I get paranoid, you know…Celebrating doesn't do anything to move you forward.' Sound familiar? It's a common pattern among high-achievers who've been made to feel "Not good enough" early in life: success never feels secure enough to relax into. And for someone driven by proving doubters wrong, a $600 million exit wasn't an ending—it was validation to go bigger. Thus, after selling RXBAR to Kellogg's for $600 million, Rahal didn't cash out and retire. Today, with David Protein, he's taking on the entire category again—this time with a scientific approach designed to create the most efficient protein bar possible. "The market's at twenty grams of protein. We're at twenty-eight. The market's at 200 calories. We're at 150 calories. Those are meaningful differentiations," he explained with characteristic directness. This approach illustrates Rahal's consistent strategy: identify the key metrics consumers care about, then objectively outperform on those metrics without the marketing fluff. "I think my work ethic is more from just trying to prove that I'm not disabled, really," Rahal explains with rare and refreshing candor. This determination to show what he was capable of—despite being labeled and underestimated—became the engine behind his success. The boy once relegated to special education demonstrated that his different way of seeing patterns and questioning established systems was precisely what allowed him to revolutionize an industry that desperately needed fresh thinking. Sometimes the very traits that initially make success seem unlikely become the precursors to the advantages that make it inevitable. That's worth celebrating, even if he won't. Megan Bruneau, M.A. Psych is a therapist, executive coach, and the founder of Off The Field Executive & Personal Coaching. She hosts The Failure Factor podcast featuring conversations with entrepreneurs about the setbacks that led to their success. Listen to her episode with The RXBAR cofounder Peter Rahal on Apple and Spotify.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EB5 Capital Investor Obtains First Permanent Green Card Approval in Nashville Virgin Hotel (JF23) Project
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EB5 Capital is pleased to announce the first I-829 petition approval for an investor in its Nashville Virgin Hotel (JF23) project. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issues approval of the removal of conditions of residency for EB-5 investors who have completed their conditional residency period and have demonstrated that their investment has resulted in the creation of at least ten full-time jobs. I-829 approvals permit EB-5 investors to be lawful permanent residents of the United States. The approved petition was filed in April 2023 and was pending for 24.6 months. 'Securing an I-829 approval is a major milestone in the EB-5 immigration process,' said Nhat Huynh, Vice President of Investor Relations at EB5 Capital. 'We look forward to more investors getting approved soon.' Nashville Virgin Hotel (JF23) is a 260-room luxury hotel situated in Nashville, Tennessee's famed Music Row District. The hotel is operated by Virgin Hotels, the lifestyle hotel brand by Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson. The project was completed in 2020 and generated over 1,500 jobs for the local economy. To date, EB5 Capital has raised investor funds across over 45 EB-5 projects throughout the United States. JF23 is EB5 Capital's 20th project which has reached the permanent green card stage for investors going through the EB-5 immigration process. Now that the first petition has been approved, additional I-829 petition adjudications for this project are expected in the coming Capital provides qualified foreign investors with opportunities to invest in job-creating commercial real estate projects under the United States Immigrant Investor Program (EB-5 Visa Program). Headquartered in Washington, D.C., EB5 Capital's distinguished track record and leadership in the industry has attracted investors from over 75 countries. As one of the oldest and most active Regional Center operators in the country, the firm has raised over $1.4 billion of foreign capital across approximately 45 EB-5 projects. 100% of our investors' funds are protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insurance prior to their deployment into our projects. Please visit for more information. Contact: Katherine WillisDirector, Marketing & Communicationsmedia@
