Richard Branson Wrote a Letter to His 25-Year-Old Self. Here's His Advice for Young Entrepreneurs.

Richard Branson is an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere.

Even if you're in a totally different line of work, like online affiliate marketing or small-scale niche ecommerce, his business savvy and charismatic persona make him a great role model.

Two years ago, in 2015, Branson celebrated his 65th birthday.

To celebrate, he created the #ChallengeRichard campaign for himself — 65 challenges to be completed throughout the coming year.

Four of these challenges involved writing a letter to various incarnations of his past self. He created one for his 10-year-old self, one for his 25-year-old self, one for his 50-year-old self, and one for his current (at the time) 65-year-old self.

So as a seasoned entrepreneur in his 60s, what advice would Branson offer to his former self in his 20s? A lot of us are close to that age, give or take, so that's definitely something worth checking out.

Recently, Forbes published excerpts from all four letters. Here are some of the highlights of what Branson would say to himself at age 25.

In My Letter To 25 Year-Old Me, Branson encouraged his younger self to stick with his new company, Virgin. He warned himself about the bumps ahead, but to focus on his goals – even in the face of adversity.

Branson also wrote about the importance of learning from mistakes, and transforming challenges into opportunities.

Here is some of his best advice:

“The road ahead is pock-marked with many bumps, chasms and forks. There will be times where you want to give up and throw everything in. Don’t. By turning challenges into opportunities, you will find success you never realised you were capable of achieving.”

“But you won’t always succeed. In fact, you will fail time and time again. That’s ok though, because failure is an inevitable part of every personal and entrepreneurial journey.”

“It’s important to pick yourself up, retrace your steps, look at what went wrong, and learn from your mistakes.“

“Continue to take chances. In the future how ‘lucky’ you are in business will be determined by how willing you are to take calculated risks.”

“Don’t let the naysayers deter you.“

“Don’t be afraid to delegate responsibility.“

“Your ability to take calculated risks and your incurable optimism will lead to great heights – both in business and in life.“