The Virgin Group has launched (or merged with) hundreds of companies over the years, and our team has become fairly practiced at the process of folding new companies into our brand. This used to be a concern mostly for established companies, but with the growth in information technologies especially over the past decade, I've been increasingly getting questions on this topic from new entrepreneurs, as startups explore combining their products and services with those of established companies, or even other startups.
Recently I traveled to the northeast of Britain to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Virgin Money’s entering the banking sector there. It was amazing to see how much had changed over the course of 12 months. When we bought Northern Rock and began the process of rebranding the bank, this industry in Britain was on its knees in the aftermath of the financial crisis -- consumers had little confidence in our most storied institutions. It was beginning to have an effect on the employees, who had been doing their best in very difficult conditions.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Richard Branson on Thriving After Mergers and Acquisitions | Entrepreneur.com
