Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin group, started his life as an entrepreneur at very early age of 16. He made his fortune very quickly and made his first million by the age of 25. But all this didn't came on a silver platter for him, he was born into a typical English middle-class family who had to be cost-conscious. His father was a struggling barrister and was not quite earning enough to match outgoings, so his mother was always finding things to make or sell to pay for holidays. They would turn off the light bulbs when the children went to bed and even today, ""struggling through dark corridors to find the loo"" is a vivid childhood memory for Richard. He drives a Range Rover, and even that is given to him each year as thanks for some nice things he said about the brand after surviving an accident in one. It's rather a irony that Branson is known for his lifestyle despite his frugal approach. He attributes it to fact that its because all his expenditures are actually investments and instead of costing him maintenance they rather earns for him. Virtually every property that he owns is available for lease or rent including his beloved Necker Island. Virgin chief is aiming to take his oft-seen face to space. Recently debuted the Virgin SpaceShipTwo, which he believes will revolutionize commercial space travel. After selling a 32% stake in the venture to Abu Dhabi fund Aabar Investments, Sir Branson plans to test prototype flights this year and launch tourists trips as early as 2012. Cost for a ticket would be $200,000.