Work & Money

5 career lessons from a multimillionaire

By May-Britt Mobach | #!30Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:00:42 +0200+02:004230#30Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:00:42 +0200+02:00-8Europe/Amsterdam3030Europe/Amsterdam202630 18am30am-30Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:00:42 +0200+02:008Europe/Amsterdam3030Europe/Amsterdam2026302026Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:00:42 +0200008004amSaturday=9#!30Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:00:42 +0200+02:00Europe/Amsterdam4#04-18-2026#!30Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:00:42 +0200+02:004230#/30Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:00:42 +0200+02:00-8Europe/Amsterdam3030Europe/Amsterdam202630#!30Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:00:42 +0200+02:00Europe/Amsterdam4#

The name Richard Branson may not mean much to the younger crowd among you, but take my word for it, you can perk up your ears when he gives you some business tips. The best man (now well into his seventies) can swim in his billions and oddly enough, the headmaster of his boarding school predicted this already. At least, he said: You will end up in prison, or you will become a millionaire. It turned out to be the latter, although the millions have been replaced by billions.

Just because Richard Branson is a ‘special case’, I feel more drawn to him than the average banker billionaire. A creative, afflicted with dyslexia and ADHD who often sat spitting with homesickness on the toilet of his English boarding school as a child. When I read these kinds of things, despite the positive stories, I always struggle with that phenomenon of the British boarding school, but that's beside the point.

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Being defined by his wealth he finds terrible, so please don't call him a billionaire. “You wouldn't say that about Mick Jagger, would you? You define him by what he does, so it's nice if people also characterize me by my company Virgin.” Because for the young readers; even during his studies, he founded the record label Virgin, which expanded into hotels, an airline, a non-profit organization that gives a lot of money to causes that improve the world, and more of that.

Anyway, get to the point, May. The reason I'm writing about Richard Branson is his career tips that he shared this week on Instagram. Because in the 50+ years that he has been active in business, he has picked up a thing or two. So here we go:

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1. Just start

You don't need a perfect plan, most of what I did started with a simple idea and the desire to get started.

I can relate to that, if you keep polishing an idea, you push it in front of you, put bears in the way, and you might never start. I would also say: just start, you can always refine it during the process.

2. People come first

Your team, your customers, your partners. Take care of them and everything else will follow. Business is done, not through spreadsheets.

3. Don't be afraid of failure

Some of my (Richard's) biggest failures ultimately became my biggest successes. Others paved the way for other unexpected opportunities and they all kept me humble, which is vital for a leader.

4. Stay curious

The moment you think you've figured everything out and know it all, is the moment you stop growing. And what's the fun in that? If you stop having fun and enjoying yourself, then your team probably won't have fun either, and that's something you really don't want to lose.

I believe in this too. When you have fun, everyone is happy to go to office. I always liked it when it was Monday, then I could go again. I consider that one of the most important tasks for an entrepreneur; to ensure that your team starts the workday with joy.

5. Don't get too distracted by strategy

If you stay too much in the tunnel vision of your strategy, you might miss the opportunities that arise around you. And those are usually the most interesting opportunities.

And perhaps the most beautiful lesson I find is that money is not there to be distributed to your heirs later. Okay, a little, but you'd rather spend it on good works like Richard Branson. If you want to take someone as an example, let it be Richard Branson.

Source: Quote