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I just finished re-reading Richard Branson’s “Let’s Not Screw It, Let’s Just Do It”. I am fascinated by Richard Branson and his approach to business. This book published in 2007 picks up where his first book left off.

One of the biggest shifts I noticed in the book is how Richard Branson is embracing the need to change the way businesses relate to the environment or “Gaia Capitalism” as he termed it.

His philosophy for this is simple:

• Leave the world a better place
• Pull your weight
• Take the long-term view
• Always consider the implications of your actions
• Big victories are made of many small ones
• Confront the big issues, they won’t go away
• Understand the situation then consider whether to fight and how
• Never lose sight of the end goal
• If something is wrong – fix it.

Some of his snippets of information are fascinating – such as Henry Ford and Rudolf Diesel never intended cars to use gasoline. In 1925 Henry Ford told the New York Times that ethyl alcohol was the fuel of the future. Also the first Model-T Ford was built to run on fuel made from hemp and hemp plastic panels. Diesel the inventor of the diesel engine designed it to run on vegetable and seed oils. He ran it on peanut oil for the 1900 World Fair. It makes you think about where we went wrong doesn’t it!

This philosophy resonates with every business, no matter how big or small they are. If you haven’t read his book, go out and buy it or borrow it from the library. It makes fascinating reading.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

Heart Harmony

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