This simple mindset helps me, Virgin Group succeed [Video]

Richard Branson doesn’t think of himself as a businessman — and he believes that helped him build Virgin Group into what it is today.

That’s the reason he’s taken some of the biggest risks that paved the way for the business to grow into a sprawling venture capital and holding company with dozens of companies across industries like telecommunications, travel, hospitality and spaceflight, Branson says.

“I don’t ever think of myself as a businessperson, or even really an entrepreneur,” Branson tells CNBC Make It. “I just see myself as somebody that loves to create things that I can be proud of.”

A sole focus on making money likely would have prevented him from jumping into new industries with risky ventures throughout his career, he says — like launching airline Virgin Atlantic in 1984 when his past experience was in the music business, or starting Virgin Galactic and traveling to space on one …