[darinpantley]

No. 0: Communicate Clearly and Effectively

Branson omits the unspoken secret to business success: good communication skills. He succeeded in business because he learned the art of getting his points across clearly and efficiently. True, the advice in his article is rather general, but that's also its beauty. It's easier to agree with a simple point than it is to agree with a complex composition of points. The point being, it's usually best to get people to agree with you to accomplish anything.

Simple ideas are quickly understood most clearly. Reading through the article, I couldn't help but notice how efficiently Branson gets his points across. I suspect this same approach serves him well in business, convincing partners to sign deals, customers to buy products, and employees to continue doing a great job.