I was re-reading Richard Branson’s incredible book “Losing My Virginity” the other day. Talk about entrepreneurial spirit! That guy is really inspiring.

One story that I particularly love is the story of how he essentially began Virgin Airways. Apparently he and his future wife were in the Virgin Islands for a vacation. When they arrived at the airport at the end of their stay, they discovered their flight to Puerto Rico had been cancelled and an airport full of stranded passengers. I’m sure we can all imagine the scene….people frantically trying to arrange for alternate flights, angry to find there aren’t any available….trying to figure out how to get where they need to go or arrange for a hotel room…..

But that’s not what Mr. Branson did. Instead, he made a few calls, chartered a plane for $2,000 and then sold the seats for $39 each. The flight sold out and they all got to Puerto Rico.

That’s entrepreneurial spirit! Rather than looking at why something can’t work, or focusing on the problem, he found a solution. Granted it wasn’t a conventional solution and it required a bit of a risk on his part (what if nobody bought any tickets?), but it was still a solution! Sometimes the conventional solutions don’t work, sometimes it takes a risk (albeit a calculated risk) but there’s always a solution. We just have to tap into our own entrepreneurial spirit and create it!

Care to Comment?