Richard Branson
Space to Sea
Billionaire Sir Richard Branson may already own an airline, a record label, a mobile phone company, several luxury restaurants and a Caribbean island and heading into space next year.
This is his latest venture an underwater plane.He plans to give people the opportunity too holiday underwater with this submersible called the Necker Nymph it can dive to depths of up to 130ft. Sir Richard hopes to one day explore depths of 35,000ft.
Passengers prepare for the “flight” by completing scuba diving training before boarding the Nymph. Considered part plane, part submarine, (actually known as an aero-submarine), Nymph glides seamlessly through the ocean and will whisk passengers into the world of shipwrecks, reefs and life underwater. Richard beware of these giants,they could have a sting in their tail for your Nymph. It looks a little fragile too me but I admire your adventurous spirit.
This all follows on from his announcement last year of the first space tourism flights which are set to launch in 2011. Passengers can enjoy a 2.5 hour flight at $200,000 each. Six voyagers and two pilots will venture into outer space, with the ability to see Earth from the stars and experience weightlessness.
Biography
Born - July 18, 1950 Britain
British entrepreneur who has an insatiable appetite for new businesses.
He received his education at Stowe School, where he established a national magazine entitled Student at the age of sixteen.
At twenty years old, he founded Virgin as a mail order record retailer and a short while later, he opened a record shop in Oxford Street, London. In 1972, a recording studio was built in Oxfordshire where the first Virgin artist, Mike Oldfield, recorded "Tubular Bells", later released in 1973.
Then at the age of 27, Richard signed The Sex Pistols to the Virgin Records label after the group was turned down by every label in Great Britain.Other artists he signed were "Genesis", "The Rolling Stones" and "Simple Minds"
Tubular Bells
Virgin Airlines is one of Richard Branson's main businesses. Formed in 1984, it is part owned by Singapore Airlines, and it is the second largest British long haul international airline, and has won many awards.
To keep his airline afloat, Branson sold the Virgin music label to EMI in 1992, a more conservative company which previously had rescinded a contract with the Sex Pistols. Branson apparently wept when the sale was completed since the record business had been the genesis of his Virgin Empire.
Since then he has built businesses around mobile phone and internet company, cola, books,wines,holidays,hot air ballooning which is one of his personal passions.
In 1987 Branson crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the "Virgin Atlantic Flyer", which was the first and largest hot air balloon to cross the ocean. Branson now plans to circle the world in his hot air balloon, and has made several unsuccessful attempts.
Richard Branson received a knighthood in 1999. He is married to Joan and has two children, Holly and Sam.
Branson is passionate about life and living every minute to its fullest.
Branson passage from his Blog
I don't think that many business people start their business with the idea that they can make a lot of money. Most people feel that they can create something that is going to make a difference to other people's lives – that is how they start their businesses. I started Student magazine as a teenager, nothing to do with being a businessman, I just wanted to run a magazine, have fun doing it and try to help campaign to stop the Vietnamese war.
Interview
Asked if he were to start again with no capital or connections – what business would you go into today to make your fortune?’
Branson: ‘That’s an easy one – it would definitely be some kind of web-based business. I started my career in the late 60s selling my student magazine on the streets, and then moved to selling records from a phone box. Today both industries are struggling because of the internet – but where there’s pain there’s a hell of a lot of opportunity for someone to shake things up.’
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