Christmas trees and budgerigars are just two of the many ventures that Sir Richard Branson tried before co-founding the Virgin brand we all know today. Virgin began in 1970, when Branson co-founded it as a mail-order record business. It became a label two years later, and a chance signing on an unknown artist, Mike Oldfield, took the business into seven-figure sales figures almost overnight.

Over the past 50 years, Virgin has diversified almost beyond recognition. Bringing in partners such as Delta, Bain Capital and Qatar Airways as backers, Branson has turned Virgin Group into a dominant parent entity. It holds majority and minority equity stakes in a core set of businesses that span travel (Virgin Atlantic), leisure (Virgin Active) and even space (Virgin Galactic), while extending the Virgin name to around 40 businesses worldwide through brand-licensing deals.

Branson lives primarily on Necker Island, his 74-acre private island in (where else?) the British Virgin Islands. Day-to-day, Virgin Group is now run by CEO Josh Bayliss, while Branson's daughter Holly serves as Chief Purpose and Vision Officer and chairs Virgin Unite, the family's philanthropic foundation. Branson himself has settled into a founder role at the organisation.

Like many diversified businesses, Virgin today runs with wobbly, not straight-line growth. While Virgin Media O2 focuses on building out long-term infrastructure, Virgin Atlantic has swung from profits in 2024 to a loss one year later. Branson, though, has arguably outgrown the company. Knighted in 2000 for services to entrepreneurship, he remains the face of business for a generation of UK entrepreneurs – and proof of just how powerful a strong brand identity can be.