The new year is a time for dreaming big, making resolutions, and then diving in headfirst. Or at least it is if you are Justin “Bugsy” Sailor.

Bugsy kicked off 2010 with an ambitious goal: to have a beer with Richard Branson by the end of the year. But if you know Bugsy (and if you don’t, you should), then you know that it’s not just talk. He is a guy of action with a history of making his bright ideas happen, from networking with the Lansing Breakfast Club to promoting the Upper Peninsula with Yooper Steez to visiting all 50 states in his Hometown Invasion Tour. Bugsy’s New Year’s resolution is fueled by that same entrepreneurial spirit, and he launched the Beer With Branson website on January 1.

The site, illustrated by the talented Angela Duncan, encourages supporters to submit questions Bugsy should ask Branson when they meet, give suggestions of where the duo should share their beer, and vote on what kind of beer they should drink.

But that’s not all. Bugsy is also using Twitter, Facebook, and fellow bloggers to spread the word. The social media push has already proven powerful — it took only five hours for him to connect with a Virgin employee in London.

There’s a lot to be learned from Beer With Branson about the power of community and networking to bring about real results. Social media has helped lessen the gap between the everyman and the celebrity, and many famous people are using sites like Twitter to connect with their fans and customers — including Richard Branson:

With more than 200 Virgin companies worldwide, my days and nights are filled with exciting service launches, product announcements, parties, events, and consumer opportunities. I’m regularly asked what a day in the life of Richard Branson looks like, and Twitter helps me answer that. It also enables communication no matter where I am. Source: Business Week

If Branson hasn’t heard about Bugsy yet, I’m sure it won’t be long before he does. You can lend a hand at beerwithbranson.com and help Bugsy make it happen, one connection at a time.