The essence of the book in a nutshell:

In the words of Lao Tzu: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Key points

This is my brief summary of the book "Screw It, Let's Do It!" by Richard Branson. My notes are informal and often contain quotes from the book, as well as my own thoughts. This summary includes the main lessons and important excerpts from the book.

• A person should never give up, no matter how difficult the task.
  • Life without challenges is very boring, especially for Branson

• Environment and family influence the formation of a person's personality and their future life
  • Richard's mother taught him to be enterprising. She wanted him to stand confidently on his own feet and make his own decisions.
  • His grandmother was also an example. She led a very active life. She set records and shortly before her death (she died at 99), went on a round-the-world cruise.
  • His grandfather was a High Court judge and a Member of the Privy Council.
  • He writes that his family discussed business over dinner, and this helped him understand the value of money at a very early stage in life.
  • The family supported Branson in all his endeavors.

• Honor and dignity
  • For Branson, good reputation is everything he works for.
  • Once in his youth, he was imprisoned for tax evasion. His mother helped him by mortgaging her own house to help pay the levied amounts.
  • This touched Branson deeply, and he vowed to earn money only by working hard and doing what is permitted by law.

• Calculated risk-taking
  • If you haven't tried anything risky and always choose the safer life, how will you know what it's like to win?

• Don't focus exclusively on money
  • When you do what you love, money will automatically come.
  • If something stops bringing joy, you need to try to solve the problem. But if there is no solution, then you must move on.
  • Branson cares more about his independence and freedom than profit.

• Additional insights
  • Branson actively used financial leverage and worked with banks.
  • Keeps an idea diary and constantly makes notes in it.

"I believe the secret lies not only in not being afraid of failures but also in using them as tools for motivation and learning... There's nothing wrong with making mistakes if you don't make the same ones over and over again."

What I took away from this book

The hardest part of any endeavor is its beginning.

Doubts lead nowhere, so you should discard them and just start doing the task step by step.

I also realized that life is as interesting as you make it. Some of Branson's stories are just fascinating, he shows in practice that boundaries exist only in our heads.