Richard Branson

Richard Branson was seven when he first went to boarding school. He later recalled being physically sick on the first night and struggling with the change. In class, things did not settle. Dyslexia was not understood at the time, and Branson says teachers called him lazy and stupid. He spent his energy on sport instead of study—until, at fourteen, he tore the ligaments in his knee and could no longer compete.

The injury took away the place where he had felt capable. After years of neglecting schoolwork, Branson knew that becoming a conventional academic would be an uphill struggle. At fifteen he began planning Student, a national magazine where young people could argue about education, war, music, and decisions adults were making for them. He had no money and still struggled to write.

His parents worried when he proposed leaving school, but they heard him out. Branson recalled their response: “They said if it works out, fine; if it doesn’t, you can always go back to school.” His father, Ted, walked around the garden with him, listened to the case, and gave his blessing. Ted had wanted to study archaeology but had been directed into law; he understood the cost of having someone else choose the path.

Eve Branson supplied more than permission. Richard had grown up watching his mother move from project to project. He later described both parents as surrounding their children with love and encouragement while teaching hard work and entrepreneurship. When Eve found an unclaimed necklace, sold it after the police released it to her, and handed Richard the £100, he said the money helped make Virgin possible. Her backing survived the first difficult decision.

Branson left school at sixteen and launched Student in 1968. The magazine forced him to find writers, sell advertising, make calls, and delegate work he could not do alone. A mail-order record business followed, then Virgin Records and companies in travel, telecommunications, and other industries. His family had advantages many teenagers do not: fee-paying schools, professional parents, and the cushion to contemplate a risky exit. Still, their response is more useful than a tale of simple encouragement. They asked for a plan, left a door open, and put real trust and resources behind work that school had not revealed.