Virgin Territory: Richard Branson’s Business Beginnings | E for Export | 2
Business Movers
Wondery
4.8 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 24 April 2025
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Virgin gets into the music business, but 20-year-old founder Richard Branson is caught in an illegal scheme that threatens the future of his fledgling business empire.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Want to get more from business movers? |
| 0:02.2 | Subscribe to Wondry Plus for early access to new episodes, |
| 0:05.7 | ad-free listening, and exclusive content you can't find anywhere else. |
| 0:09.6 | Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. |
| 0:14.2 | Wonderly. |
| 0:14.8 | The Wondry. It's late May 1971 at a warehouse in London, England. |
| 0:33.7 | 20-year-old Richard Branson stands in a corner with his arms crossed, watching his officers from the United Kingdom's Customs Agency methodically search the warehouse. |
| 0:43.6 | Every vinyl record on the shelves is scrutinized, turned over, and checked. |
| 0:48.0 | Richard keeps his face neutral, but his pulse is hammering. |
| 0:51.8 | Excuse me, what exactly is it you're looking for? |
| 0:55.5 | Records marked for export, Mr. Branson. |
| 0:57.9 | We have reason to believe you've been selling them in the UK to avoid paying sales tax. |
| 1:02.0 | That's ridiculous. |
| 1:04.2 | Richard acts surprise, but in reality, he's been doing exactly what the customs official suspects him of. |
| 1:10.3 | Last night, though, Richard got a tip-off that his business was about to be raided, |
| 1:14.4 | and he cleared the shelves of contraband before the officers arrived. |
| 1:19.0 | The customs agent glances at his clipboard. |
| 1:21.9 | According to our records here, you've cleared customs at the Port of Dover at 3.51 p.m. yesterday, |
| 1:28.7 | with a van full of records. |
| 1:34.9 | Sounds right? When you were traveling on to Belgium? Yes. You made good time getting back so soon. |
| 1:40.0 | Well, I just drive there, unload the van, and head straight back. No time for sightseating, really. |
| 1:42.9 | He must have been driving through the night from the looks of you. |
... |
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