【商業智慧】維珍集團創辦人Richard Branson：財富不是衡量成功的最佳標準 Founder of Virgin Group, Richard Branson: Money isn’t a good way to measure success

維珍集團（Virgin Group）創辦人Richard Branson，近日在接受CNBC Make It採訪時表示，對於他來說，財富不是衡量成功的最佳標準。Branson認為，單純以賺錢為生活目標是一件「非常可悲」的事。

Branson提到，有時他被介紹為「億萬富翁Richard Branson」，這讓他感到「相當侮辱」。他更希望人們因他是一位創業家而記住他，而非僅僅是因為他的財富。他指出，在美國，「億萬富翁」可能是成功的象徵，但這並不符合他的價值觀。他認為，真正的評判標準應該是個人的聲譽及其創造的價值。

維珍集團橫跨航空、電信和太空旅遊等多元產業。雖然據《福布斯》估計，Richard Branson的淨資產達25億美元，但他強調創建維珍集團的初衷從非是為了賺錢。他辯稱，一個人的聲譽應當建立在他的團隊是否為所創造的成果感到自豪上。

Branson分享他判斷新事業成功的兩個問題：「如果我創建這事業，它能否比其他人做得更好？」「這事業能否為世界帶來真正的差異？」他認為，追求這些目標的創業者，其成功往往不單是財務上的，更重要的是在改善他人生活上所作的影響。

他的第一個成功事業，是一本名為「Student」的青年文化雜誌，旨在挑戰傳統出版物的陳腐，涵蓋流行音樂和反越戰等文化議題。Branson明確表示，營辦雜誌的動力並非金錢，而是一種使命感。

Branson的成功秘訣在於尋找那些讓自己感興奮和感興趣的機會。他相信，這方法能獲得更大幸福，也更有可能取得成功。Branson的人生觀念是，我們的生命只有一次，大部分時間都在工作，如果只是為了薪水而工作，那將是一件悲哀的事。

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, recently stated in an interview with CNBC Make It that wealth should not be the measure of success. Branson considers it "very sad" to focus solely on making money in life.

Branson mentioned that sometimes being introduced as "billionaire Richard Branson" makes him feel "quite insulting." He would rather be remembered as an entrepreneur, not just for his wealth. He noted that in the United States, being a "billionaire" might symbolize success, but it does not align with his values. He believes that true criteria should be an individual's reputation and the value they create.

Virgin Group spans diverse industries including aviation, telecommunications, and space travel. Despite Forbes estimating Richard Branson's net worth at $2.5 billion, he emphasizes that the creation of Virgin Group was never about making money. He argues that a person's reputation is built on whether their team is proud of what they have created.

Branson shares two questions he considers when evaluating new ventures: "If I create this, can it be better than what everybody else is doing?" and "Can it make a real difference in the world?" He believes that entrepreneurs who pursue these goals often succeed not just financially, but more importantly, in making a positive impact on others' lives.

His first successful business, a youth culture magazine called "Student," aimed to challenge the staleness of traditional publications, covering issues like popular music and the anti-Vietnam War. Branson clearly states that the motivation for running the magazine was not money, but a sense of mission.

Branson’s secret to success is to seek opportunities that excite and interest him. He believes this is the way to greater happiness and more likely to bring success. Branson's philosophy is that we only live once, spend most of our time working, and it would be sad if we are only working for a paycheck.