Recipes for Systemic Change - Helsinki Design Lab

D3.5 Celebrity DropoutsThe cultural discourse celebrates winners. Famous dropouts, to namecategory, are most often individuals who strike out on a different path. Theybecome fascinating subjects esteemed for their courage, determination, andwillingness to be unconventional. Many are in creative fields, such as artistsor musicians, or have unpredictable and demanding workloads, such asactors or athletes. Some are so driven by an entrepreneurial spirit they evenbecome global leaders in industry and business.Sir Richard Branson, British billionaire and founder of the Virgin Group,is a celebrated high school dropout who took a different path toward success.He launched his first venture, a student magazine at age sixteen,and has since gone on to create global empire with businesses in media,retail, financial services, mobile telecommunications, and the airlineindustry. Branson is celebrated for his flamboyance in marketing theVirgin brand, his willingness to take big financial risks, and his appetiteto compete against larger and more powerful business interests. Bransonis listed as the 261st richest person according to Forbes magazine's 2009list of billionaires, with an estimated net worth of approximately US$2.5billion.175