“In a nutshell, I mean that by doing good – doing the right thing – businesses will prosper. Doing the right thing can be profitable, as will be made clear by some of the stories about people and organisations that are already doing it. It’s the core message of this book. I often say, ‘Have fun and the money will come.’ I still believe that, but now I am saying, ‘Do good, have fun and the money will come.’ ”
Richard Branson
“Screw Business as Usual reflects a vibrant and very marked sea change from the way business always used to be done, when financial profit was the only driving force. Today, people aren’t afraid to say, Screw business as usual! – and show they mean it.”
Richard Branson
“It’s no mere coincidence that so many people are talking about the same thing, and, more interestingly, driving the change. They are doing so because, in our newly interconnected world, no one can any longer ignore the issues we are facing.”
Richard Branson
“…luckily we now live in a new world where one of the great benefits of technology is that people are now directly connected to those suffering as a result of this unfairness and are no longer prepared to accept that it’s OK.”
Richard Branson
“The great thing is that, with technology, we’ve also become far more aware not just of what is happening in our own neighbourhood, but of what is happening on the other side of the world. This technology has also smashed through the top-down approach and shifted the power to the people.”
Richard Branson
“So far, business, or capitalism, for the most part, has been a means of making money for the directors of a company and its shareholders, rarely about doing good. The means by which that money has been made have not been as important as the end result – the damage that might be inflicted on humanity and the environment. We must work hard to change that.”
Richard Branson
“I’m talking about the power of the ordinary, everyday person to become entrepreneurs and change-makers to set up their own businesses, to seek their own fortune and be in control of their own lives, to say – screw business as usual, we can do it! We can turn things upside down and make a huge difference.”
Richard Branson
“In this book ‘doing good’ means not damaging the environment, not just not polluting but undoing the pollution of the last couple of centuries since the Industrial Revolution. Restoring harmony with nature. But it is not all about doing less harm; our task is also to improve the lives of people and the planet through business. It means helping those less fortunate to build a way of earning a living so that they can live the life of dignity they – that all human beings – deserve.”
Richard Branson
“It’s a basic, absolutely essential right of every human being to be given the means to earn a living, to keep one’s self and family in food and shelter with one’s medical needs being met. It means reinventing how we live in the world to create a far more balanced, healthy and peaceful place.”
Richard Branson
“I run Virgin Unite just as I would any other business, making sure that our investments have the best possible social and environmental return. I also feel strongly that it’s not all about money… it’s about people using their skills and figuring out ways to use the assets of their businesses to drive not only profits, but a better world. Writing a cheque might impact hundreds of people’s lives; mobilising your whole business to drive change can impact millions of lives, and give a whole new life purpose to all the people who work in your company.”
Richard Branson