Treat failure as a lesson on how not to approach achieving a goal, and then use that learning to improve your chances of success when you try again. Failure is only the end if you decide to stop.
Richard BransonRead
So I became a publisher by mistake - well, not quite by mistake, because I wanted to be an editor but I had to make sure the magazine would survive. The point is this: Most businesses fail, so if you're going to succeed, it has to be about more than making money.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Success in business requires a focus beyond just profit; it should also encompass purpose and sustainability.
In this quote, Richard Branson reflects on his unexpected journey into publishing, which was driven by a desire to ensure the survival of his magazine rather than merely making profits. He emphasizes that true success in business is not solely about financial gain, but also about creating value and having a purpose, as many businesses fail without a deeper mission.
Themes
SuccessBusinessPurposeSustainabilityProfit
In practice
Example use cases
In a business seminar discussing the importance of purpose-driven work, this quote can inspire entrepreneurs.
More from Richard Branson
All quotes →It's a common misconception that money is every entrepreneur's metric for success. It's not, and nor should it be.
Richard BransonRead
Some 80% of your life is spent working. You want to have fun at home; why shouldn't you have fun at work?
Richard BransonRead
Values cannot be speedily forgotten if it is inconvenient or commercially expedient. Values have to have meaning and longevity; otherwise they are valueless. You cannot embrace innovation up to a point or only sometimes. Branding demands commitment; commitment to continual re-invention; striking cords with people to stir their emotions; and commitment to imagination. It is easy to be cynical about such things, much harder to be successful.
Richard BransonRead
Please don’t get hung up on this question of whether you need to have experience in an industry before you launch your startup.
Richard BransonRead
What's the most critical factor in any business decision you'll ever have to make? Basically, it boils down to this question: If this all crashes, will it bring the whole house tumbling down like a pack of cards? One business matra remains embedded in my brain - protect the downside.
Richard BransonRead
Similar quotes
I never waited 27 years, because 27 years ago I was just born. My parents never told me, 'If you don't win Roland Garros we take you to the orphanage.
Roger FedererRead
Take advantage of each small success. In this way you close the gap between what you want from life and what it is giving you.
Deepak ChopraRead
The winners at the Olympics step up, bursting with pride, because everything that they have worked for and all their dedication is rewarded in a climax that I, and most golfers, will never experience.
Arnold PalmerRead
One of the most important principles of success is developing the habit of going the extra mile.
Napoleon HillRead
It's important to build a personal brand because it's the only thing you're going to have. Your reputation online, and in the new business world is pretty much the game, so you've got to be a good person. You can't hide anything, and more importantly, you've got to be out there at some level.
Gary VaynerchukRead
Wealth is in applications of mind to nature; and the art of getting rich consists not in industry, much less in saving, but in a better order, in timeliness, in being at the right spot.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead