Great Britain is a country full of bright business ideas, and the people behind these ideas are great entrepreneurs.
Through hard work, risk and dedication, they've become some of the most successful people in the world and I’m off to meet a few of them.
Oxford is home to one of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, Sir Richard Branson. He’s one of the best-known faces of business in Britain and Britain's fourth richest citizen. Wonder where I am on that list...
Richard Branson's success started when he opened his first record shop in Oxford Street, London, in 1971, and he never looked back. His success rocketed from launching his own record label, Virgin Records, to creating the hugely successful Virgin Atlantic Airways, and he's now worth an estimated 4.2 billion dollars. I've been lucky enough to be invited to Richard Branson's home and I'm really excited about it. I'm hoping to find out the secret of his success.
Richard: Sir Richard, you are one of the world's greatest entrepreneurs, not just in Britain. How have you achieved this?
Sir Richard: Well, by having a blast, having a lot of fun, trying to create ventures that really make a difference to other people's lives, not being afraid to give it a go, sometimes falling flat on my face, sometimes succeeding.
Richard: So in your eyes, what makes a good entrepreneur?
Sir Richard: An entrepreneur is somebody who sees a gap in the market and feels that people are not being treated well, and gets in there and fills that gap. An entrepreneur is somebody who, you know, believes in what they're doing 100%, who acts with integrity, who realises their reputation is all they've got in life and sets about to create a great brand.
Richard’s entrepreneurial spirit has led to Virgin’s success and he's not alone. Britain is a great place to do business.
Richard: Any advice for me?
Sir Richard: Don't try to do everything yourself. You know, try to find people who are better than you. Learn the art of delegation early on. Make sure that all the people who are working for you have fun in what they're doing because 90% of your life seems to be spent at work, so make sure it's enjoyable, and screw it, just do it. Just get on with it.
Comments
for me it was difficult
I think the entrepreneur must be persistent in his job, and knows the weak and strong sides of the business. I will want to start my own business in short time. yes, we could admire business people, much of them get money in honest a fair way.
In my opinion, what makes an entrepreneur is the idea which is different from others. Furthermore, some personal traits such as enthusiastic, consistent
and courageous.
I think they should be reliant, never surrender, even though when they falling flat on the face. I had once my own business, it was related with e-commerce. I believe that sucessfull entrepreneurs are a role model of how to carry our professional lives, we should always try our best and believe in ourselves.
Hello everyone..
☆ What qualities make entrepreneurs successful?
- The most important thing is the creative capacity to recognize opportunities, like Sir Richard says "to see a gap in the market and then fill that gap". Entrepreneurs are enthusiastic, optimistic, and future-oriented. They believe they'll be successful and willing to risk their resources in pursuit of profit. They have energy levels and are sometimes inpatient. They are always thinking about their business and how to increase their market share.
☆ Have you ever had or wanted your own business?
- Establishing a business requires the capital to be invested in it and also to run business in proper way needs a sound knowledge and understanding and is a very big deal in itself. If I have had these creteria then I'll go for it.
☆ Do you think we should admire business people?
- Yes of course, I admire successful business people. Aren't they the example of what success is?
We may jealous of them but only jealous of their reach, power and their success in positive thinking.
I reckon being able to forecast the need in the market leads entrepreneurs success.If they can bring up something that people are in the need of it and put it on the market in a way that gets people's attention, they are bound to be an successful entrepreneur.I've always wanted to run my own business, though.When I've finish my studies, I am going to try to find a ways of starting up my own business.I don't think that we should only admire business people but also successful people in their expertise so that we can have the right model for our targets or aspirations.
Hello LearnEnglish Team,
What's the exact meaning of the "screw it" in this video?
Thanks a zillion for your great efforts.
Hello Ebi Soleymani,
'Screw it' here is a mild expletive, meaning something like 'don't thing about it' or 'don't hesitate'. It's used for effect because it rhymes with 'do it'.
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Peter, Is the phrase of screw it something formal or informal?
Can we use it in a formal seeting ?
Thanks in advance for your reply!
Hello Genc,
No, it is not formal. It is very informal and some would say it is slang. In some contexts it would be highly inappropriate as it is a (very gentle) profanity. In informal speech between friends it is fine, in the right context.
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
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