Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Malta Business Review<br />
Entrepreneurship<br />
Why I love entrepreneurship<br />
By Sir Richard Branson<br />
Image from Virgin StartUp<br />
The greatest thing about entrepreneurship<br />
is that it’s open to everyone. It doesn’t<br />
matter where you went to school or<br />
who your parents are, it all boils down to<br />
having a good idea and being resourceful<br />
enough to turn it into a reality.<br />
I was thrilled to receive the letter below<br />
from Mohsin Muhammed – one of the<br />
first people in Scotland to receive a loan<br />
through Virgin StartUp. When Mo moved<br />
to the UK at age nine, has was unable to<br />
speak English. Nine years later he was<br />
diagnosed with dyslexia. But he didn’t let<br />
that stop him from pursuing his dreams<br />
to start a business, and what’s more,<br />
become a doctor.<br />
A Dyslexic Teenager’s Dream<br />
Imagine you moved to Scotland from a<br />
deprived country when you are 9 years old,<br />
you do not know any English apart from:<br />
A is for Apple and B is Banana… Well,<br />
that was me in late 2004.<br />
Fast forward to June 2013, I<br />
found out that I am dyslexic.<br />
When I heard this “bad<br />
news”, I thought, this<br />
was the end of my<br />
world. I can never<br />
conquer the highest<br />
mountains. I can<br />
never become a<br />
doctor. I can never<br />
make money in<br />
life. I can never live<br />
a life that I want to<br />
live! These were<br />
just a few negative<br />
thoughts that<br />
went through my<br />
head back then.<br />
But things started<br />
to change when I<br />
was introduced to<br />
dyslexic celebrities who<br />
have changed the world.<br />
One of the celebrities that<br />
stood out to me was Sir Richard<br />
Branson. Why? I studied Business<br />
Management in high school and I<br />
struggled to understand the difference<br />
between Gross Profit and Net Profit; so who<br />
helped me understand the difference? It<br />
was Sir Richard Branson, another dyslexic.<br />
He too struggled to understand this ‘simple<br />
concept’ until someone told him in a<br />
meeting. ‘Gross Profit is all the fish in the sea<br />
and Net Profit is all the fish that you catch in<br />
the net and take home with you.’ -something<br />
along these lines. It worked for me!<br />
I could dream again! Since then, I have learnt<br />
a lot from Sir Richard Branson by reading his<br />
books. My favourite book is ‘Screw it, Let’s<br />
do it.’ Sir Richard Branson is my favourite<br />
teacher. The only teacher that taught me<br />
anything is possible and that business is not<br />
rocket science. With him acting as a mentor<br />
through books, I managed to achieve a lot<br />
for a dyslexic - please read the following: I<br />
have managed to get into medical school<br />
against all the odds - I received 7 refusals<br />
before starting at University of Glasgow. I will<br />
be starting my 3rd year of MBChB this year,<br />
September 2016. Apart from medicine, I have<br />
a huge interest in business. I want to change<br />
lives! I want to deliver happiness! How am I<br />
planning on doing this? Well at the moment<br />
through Happiness Delivered Ltd. This year,<br />
this company is launching LoveSweets.com.<br />
LoveSweets is an online sweet subscription<br />
service company. The only way this company<br />
is able to launch is because of Virgin StartUp.<br />
Sir Richard Branson and everything that he<br />
has setup came to help me once again in my<br />
life.<br />
He’s helped me get into medical school. He’s<br />
helped me start a business. Even if it was<br />
indirectly. The very most that I would like to<br />
request is 2 minutes to pass on my sincere<br />
gratitude to him. I have bought a ticket to an<br />
event where I can be given the opportunity<br />
to meet him. Which event? Virgin Disruptors<br />
2016 on the 3rd October 2016. I have paid<br />
for this using my money that I had saved up<br />
for my trip to France. In addition, I will have<br />
to miss 6 very important lectures to be there.<br />
I can always catch-up on my lectures and can<br />
always make more money to fund a trip to<br />
France but I may never get the opportunity<br />
to meet my mentor in person ever again.<br />
So what am I requesting for? My Virgin<br />
StartUp Mentor Mr David Christie has<br />
helped me a lot in starting this business and<br />
now I am requesting him to help me find<br />
someone who can arrange even 30 seconds<br />
so that I can meet Sir Richard Branson on the<br />
3rd October 2016 at the event. I will try my<br />
best to catch his attention on the day but<br />
if that does not work, I must at least try to<br />
arrange a Plan B for such a great opportunity.<br />
And I could not think of anything better than<br />
asking for help from Mr David Christie. To<br />
whoever is reading this, I hope you see how<br />
much meeting Sir Richard Branson to thank<br />
him would mean to me. <strong>MBR</strong><br />
Image from Virgin StartUp<br />
Creditline: Virgin Group Digital, All rights reserved.<br />
22
Change language