---
title: How Richard Branson Made His First Million
description: 'Richard Branson journey to a million started from an unlikely source: The Exorcist.'
authors:
  - name: lauragoldstein2014
    url: https://money.com/author/lauragoldstein2014/
    at_money_since: 2014
    articles: 5
    covers:
      - Personal Finance
      - Retirement
    former_staff: true
published: '2014-07-31T15:59:43.000Z'
modified: '2014-07-31T15:59:43.000Z'
section: Business
tags:
  - Billionaire
  - Phil Collins
  - Richard Branson
  - road to wealth
  - Sex Pistols
  - spaceship
  - The Exorcist
  - Tubular Bells
  - Virgin
  - Virgin America
  - Virgin Atlantic
  - Virgin Galactic
  - Virgin Mobile
  - Virgin Records
canonical: https://money.com/collection-post/richard-branson-first-million/
type: Article
source: structured-blocks
---

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![Virgin chairman Richard Branson](https://img.money.com/2014/07/richard-branson-in-flight.png?crop=119px%2C12px%2C1027px%2C577px&quality=85)
*Virgin chairman Richard Branson*

Billionaire Richard Branson has demonstrated that you can make a lot of money—and have fun doing it. Branson is founder and chairman of Virgin Group, which has a hand in airlines, telecommunications, financial services, health clubs, travel agencies, wine stores, and even space travel.

Branson, who grew up in the U.K., was an entrepreneur from a young age. He published a magazine, ran a counseling service, operated a mail-order record company, and then opened up some music stores.

He's worth an estimated $5 billion now, but his very first million had an odd connection to the 1970s horror movie *The Exorcist*. Here's the connection, explained.

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