Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

Seeing What Others Don't See

We're continuing on with the theme with Richard Branson of "big matters" and seeing things where others have a "glazed-over eye look over."

One person recently reported when Branson was in the Mojave Aiport saying this:

"Last summer, a tiny winged wonder called SpaceShipOne spiked 62 miles into the desert sky on its way to nailing the $10 million X Prize for the first sustainable civilian suborbital flight. The world's stuffed-shirt airline chiefs took one look and went back to worrying about fuel prices. Branson took one look at the gleaming white carbon-fiber spaceship and said, Beam me up. The upshot is Virgin Galactic, the world's first off-the-planet private airline."

There are two things we must think of when we talk about the value of entering into new business projects. One is the actual business itself and whether it is potentially profitable. The other is the marketing value that announcing you're entering into the space offers.

Now Branson, in spite of his outward antics, has a keen business mind and does look over a business and its potential in the projects he looks at getting into. On the other hand, he is also able to measure the publicity and marketing value that is associated with it that most others don't have a clue on how to do.

Virgin Galactic is just one of those ventures. Why? Reporters and writers love to find this type of stuff to write and report on as people have strong interest in these types of stories. He already knows before the business gets off the ground that he's won, no matter what else comes out of the deal.

Look at the branding and connection of the Virgin name with the Virgin Galactic enterprise, you can almost see William Shatner as Captain Kirk on the maiden voyage.

This is one of those strengths of Branson that is very difficult for the majority of people and businesses to compete with. The secret to me is that he knows how to put together the practical with a big vision that brings together something that is a combination of the two at once.

The result is that there is all sorts of interest stirred up by what he does, and almost always guarantees a strong thrust forward that gives the business an excellent chance at success. He gets the secondary value of tremendous press coverage that continually covers and enhances the Virgin brand. He does this over and over again with every new venture.

What he sees that others don't, is the dual power of every venture he gets into. Many businesses miss out on this because they focus on only one side of the value of what is happening. That's what Branson sees the great majority of others don't.

Other Richard Branson Resources:

Branson on Branson

The Gonzo Way of Branding

Richard Branson's Virgin Success

Thoroughly postmodern billionaire
 
Richard Branson's latest adventure will take Virgin into space

Richard Branson - Life - Philanthropy - Money

Richard Branson, Business Personality

Personal quotes

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