A deliberately provocative title, in this case, probably not the subject you might have been expecting. Provocative title inspired by a great publicist and the subject of this blog. I have just finished a book by Virgin founder Richard Branson. He has been a hero of mine for years. I first became aware of Virgin through the record label and have followed the growth of the company through record shops, airlines, telecommunications, trains. Have followed his exploits, Atlantic boat time records, record-breaking balloon flights and now heading into space. All great enterprises and all worthy in their own right, but the thing that drew me to Richard Branson was the disability we share. We are both Dyslexic. Unless you suffer from dyslexia it is hard to comprehend how debilitating it can be. At school, I was branded as an achiever, put in low groups for both English and Maths. I read Richard’s first “losing my virginity”. I was both inspired and felt my horizons open on the strength of the book. The second Autobiography confirmed why I consider him such a Great British hero. Sorry if this seems a bit sycophantic but I continue to be inspired by him and his method of doing business, wanting collaborations with other businesses rather than conflict and his vision of the future
They do say never meet your heroes, as it is ultimately disappointing. I mentioned in a blog a while back about meeting your literary heroes and loved the replies. It made me think about Richard Branson and whether I would like to meet him. They do say you should never meet your heroes. My fear would be making myself look like a prat in front of someone I greatly admire. But who knows one day…