Sir Richard Branson On Entrepeneurship

What does it take to start so many companies?

Inquisitiveness, I suppose. As I traveled in life, I felt I could improve on the way things were being done by people. One of my favorite phrases is "screw it, let's do it." We just love going in and trying to shake up industries and doing it better than it's been done before.

What's the difference between creating something from scratch and buying an asset?

Well, 99% of everything that Virgin's done we built from scratch. In the case of Virgin Money, we already had a great financial services company and felt we could buy the license to get into banking, buying a bankrupt British bank at a time when banks had a dreadful reputation. It's gone fantastically well. But the pleasure I get is from starting things, literally from scratch.

Are entrepreneurs or governments better in making effective change in the world?

If we could get every businessperson to use some entrepreneurial skills to adopt a major problem in their particular industry or their nation, we could get on top of most of the problems of the world.

What's the one risk that Richard Branson will not take?

I have put my life at risk on many, many different occasions and have been fortunate to survive. But I take calculated risks in trying to go to the bottom of the ocean in a little submarine or going to space or whatever. Hopefully, I can die in my bed an old man one day.