He has trouble with authority, so the brand he came up with demands that he mock it.
One thing that continually amazes me about the great managers is how much who they are ends up being expressed throughout the company.
In the case of Richard Branson and Virgin, the very name sends a message of what the company is about. Branson has always had trouble with authority in his life, and the result was when he considered a business, he wanted a name that was sure to push against and mock that very authority.
When Virgin became know in America years ago, I remember how many people made the company name a household word through its attacks on the Virgin name itself. When you're building a somewhat contrary business, from the very beginning it has to branded in that way. The name of the company has done the job for Branson.
What makes this work again - and is a theme which we hit hard on at managersrealm - is that with Branson this is genuinely a part of who he is. So to go this route wasn't a stretch or something manufactured to make it seem like something it wasn't. It was what Branson really was and he found something to express it exactly how he wanted. Those who feel the same way gravitate strongly toward Branson and the Virgin Brand, usually no matter what sector it ends up representing.
We're back to talking about the power of being genuine again. All the great managers and business leaders have this as part of their makeup. Branson was genuine from the start in even naming the company to be the anti-authority business he wanted it to represent.
Other Richard Branson Resources:
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
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