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Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way (Paperback)
by Richard Branson
| Category:
Biography, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Business |
| Market price: ¥ 178.00
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¥ 148.00
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 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Entertaining and inspirational, this book is the ultimate mentor for those with self-employment dreams. |
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Author: Richard Branson
Publisher: Three Rivers
Pub. in: October, 1999
ISBN: 0812932293
Pages: 416
Measurements: 8.0 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00054
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- Awards & Credential -
A Wall Street Journal bestseller |
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- MSL Picks -
Losing My Virginity is the unusual, frequently outrageous autobiography of one of the great business geniuses of our time. When Richard Branson started his first business, he and his friends decided that "since we're complete virgins at business, let's call it just that: Virgin." Since then, Branson has written his own "rules" for success, creating a group of companies with a global presence, but no central headquarters, no management hierarchy, and minimal bureaucracy.
Many of Richard Branson's companies - airlines, retailing, and cola are good examples - were started in the face of entrenched competition. The experts said, "Don't do it." But Branson found golden opportunities in markets in which customers have been ripped off or underserved, where confusion reigns, and the competition is complacent.
And in this stressed-out, overworked age, Richard Branson gives us a new model: a dynamic, hardworking, successful entrepreneur who lives life to the fullest. Family, friends, fun, and adventure are equally important as business in Branson's life. Losing My Virginity is a portrait of a productive, sane, balanced life, filled with rich and colorful stories:
Crash-landing his hot-air balloon in the Algerian desert, yet remaining determined to have another go at being the first to circle the globe
Signing the Sex Pistols, Janet Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Boy George, and Phil Collins
Fighting back when British Airways took on Virgin Atlantic and successfully suing this pillar of the British business establishment
Swimming two miles to safety during a violent storm off the coast of Mexico
Selling Virgin Records to save Virgin Atlantic
Staging a rescue flight into Baghdad before the start of the Gulf War . . .
And much more. Losing My Virginity is the ultimate tale of personal and business survival from a man who combines the business prowess of Bill Gates and the promotional instincts of P. T. Barnum.
Branson is NOT your typical international business tycoon. For one thing, he dropped out of school at 16 in Britain. He was a near-sighted dyslexic who was told by teachers he would amount to nothing. Young Richard was terrified of reading out loud and supposedly had to sit in the corner with a dunce cap. In a world that admires people for the masque they wear - Ivy League credential, private club memberships, burgundy office furniture, house size, neighborhood whereabouts, and all sorts of external "proof" of worthiness ... Branson broke all the rules (not in a maliscious way), had fun, made a fortune out of adventure, and avoided suits, chauffers, and still was knighted by the Queen. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets an O.B.E. (Order of the British Empire) one day. In a nutshell, if you aspire to fly with your own entrepreneurial dreams and stay true to yourself ... Branson's book (there is an updated to 2003 edition out now) provide an informal mentorship in the art of believing in oneself.
How often do bitter teachers crush the hopes of students because of their own insecurity? How often do people get promoted on the fact that they went to Wharton or Harvard and have an exclusive golf memberships? How many people go broke trying to look like a success and negate their true selves? Close to 90% of the population trying to go up the corporate ladder. Branson, like Charles Schwab, was featured in the May 2002 Fortune cover story "The Dyslexic CEO". His story is a testament to the power of will and street smarts that may not be taught in the bluest of blue bood MBA programs. If the saying is correct - "few great men could pass personnel" - then there is hope for countless others in the world. Who would have thought that 16-year-old dropout Richard, who would never have been hired as he was by any Fortune 500 company, or at least identified as a "top talent" by the men in pinstripe suits, would rival Donald Trump. Trump, with his Wharton MBA, private school upbringing, and slick New York posh address, was the one "most likely to be voted most likely to succeed."
Branson, being British, also triumphed over a class structure and nation at the turmoil of socialist error. Thatcher's reign as Prime Minister may have helped young Richard, but I suspect economic Thaterism was an adjunct to his ruthless rebellious desire to amass an empire of his own that won in the end.
Losing my Virginity is witty, funny, honest, and intriguing. Richard Branson admits his errors, allows himself to be human, and seems to maintain his boyish charm. If you respect people who are self-made, not handed a thing, Branson is a great story especially when you'd like some real-life inspiration. Most of all ... Branson personifies why not to let your transcripts dictate your confidence, and why never to think that teachers or some educational authority is some oracle into what you can accomplish.
Rumor has it that Trump and Branson have some disagreement on business style. Whether it's true or not, consider this: would you rather spend your life being purely materially driven with money as your God OR would you like to go to your grave knowing that you have nothing left because you truly are "thoroughly used up when you die." Your talents released to their ultimate positive manifestation in the world while you had an absolute smashing time doing so? If it's the latter ... buy Branson's book.
"When kids grow up, Kinko's founder Paul Orfalea was told by his mom, "the A students work for the B students. The C students run the business. And the D students dedicate the buildings." Betsy Morris' article in Fortune May 2002 cover story. (From quoting Random House Online and M. Estante, USA)
Target readers:
Entrepreneurs, managers, executives, professionals, college students, and MBAs
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Richard Branson, the founder and chairman of the Virgin Group of Companies, was born in 1950 and started his first business, a magazine called Student, when he was sixteen. Virgin began in 1970 as a mail-order record company and has since expanded into over a hundred businesses in areas as diverse as travel, entertainment, retailing, media, financial services, and publishing. He lives in London and Oxfordshire with his wife, Joan, and their children, Holly and Sam.
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From the Publisher:
The autobiography of the Virgin tycoon.
"Having come close to dying over the Atlas Mountains, I thought that I should write this book now, in case my guardian angel ever deserts me. I also realized that my children, Holly and Sam, who are still young, would not really know what I had done and why I had done it. So this autobiography is for Holly and Sam, the best thing I've created in the last eighteen years (though I can't take all the credit). But most especially for their mother, my wife Joan, who's seen me through most of the highs and lows.
"I have also written this book to show how we made Virgin what it is today. Rather like our balloon flights, these years have been all about survival. If you read carefully between the lines you will, I hope, understand our vision and where we are going. Some people say that this vision breaks all the rules and is wildly kaleidoscopic; others say that Virgin is set to become one of the leading brand names of the next century; others analyze it down to the last degree and write academic papers on it. As for me and the wonderful team around me, we just pick up the phone and get on with it - and have one hell of an adventure in the process."
In his autobiography, Sir Richard Branson – who is probably the most flamboyant character of all top business entrepreneurs – relates how he built up his business empire. Sprinkled between stories of the birth of Virgin Music, Virgin Books, Virgin Megastores, Virgin Cola, Virgin Express and a multitude of other business institutions, Branson – an avid adventurer, also regales readers with accounts of his numerous adventures at sea and above the clouds, in his constant quest to nail a world record.
Like a Karl May book, Richard Branson's autobiography begins in the desert and describes one of his many daring and much publicized journeys, this time by hot air balloon. Branson is, of course, just as well known for his exploits as his business empire. And also similar to a Karl May tome, this autobiography makes for a thrilling read, even if it lapses into nice chitchat here and there. Page after page is devoted to reminiscences from the life of the flamboyant entrepreneur; hard facts about floatations, company acquisitions and failed business ventures, interspersed with balloon crashes, Atlantic crossings in speedboats, island purchases, and, of course, the low down on the rock industry. "The rock industry is a prime example of capitalism in its most severe form," Branson was forced to concede soon after he established himself in the business.
The self-made man kicked off his career when he was a teenager by publishing a student newspaper. As a dyslexic, he was at loggerheads with the written form so he had to convince others of his managerial qualities over the phone. The student paper was followed by a record mail order company, his first record shop, a recording studio, his own label, a publisher, and an airline company. There is hardly one business sector that he is has not got involved in - an entrepreneur through and through. His business philosophy is also impressive: "If your sole motive is to make money, you shouldn't bother in the first place. You have to have a feel for the business personally. It has to be enjoyable and spurn you to creative heights." Branson is also a natural when it comes to dealing with the media, who – like this book – help to promote his reputation as a business buccaneer.
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6:20 a.m. - By the time Rory and I met in the hotel dining room, it was deserted. The journalists who had been following the preparations for the launch over the previous twenty-four hours had already left for the launch site.
Rory and I met and hugged each other. We both cried. As well as becoming a close friend as our third pilot on the balloon flight, Rory had been joining forces with me recently on a number of business deals. Just before we had come to Morocco, he had bought a share in our new record label, V2, and had invested in Virgin clothes and Virgin Vie, our new cosmetics company.
"I can't believe I'm letting you down," Rory said. "I'm never ill-never, ever."
"Don't worry," I assured him. "It happens. We've got Alex, who weighs half your weight. We'll fly far further with him on board."
"Seriously, if you don't come back," Rory said, "I'll carry on where you left off."
"Well, thanks," I said, laughing nervously.
Alex Ritchie was already out at the launch site, supervising the mad dash to get the capsule ready with Per Lindstrand, the veteran hot-air balloonist who had introduced me to the sport. Alex was the brilliant engineer who had designed the capsule and the pressurizing system. Until then, no one had succeeded in building a system that could sustain balloon flights at jet-stream levels. Although he had built both our Atlantic and Pacific capsules, I didn't know him, and it was too late to find out much about him now. Despite having no flight training, Alex had bravely made the decision to come with us. If all went well with the flight, we'd have about three weeks to get to know one another-about as intimately as any of us would want.
Unlike our crossings of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans by hot-air balloon, on this trip we would not heat air until we needed to; the balloon had an inner core of helium, which would take us up. Per's plan was to heat the air around that core during the night; this in turn would heat the helium, which would otherwise contract and grow heavy and sink.
Joan, Holly, and I held hands and the three of us embraced. It was time to go.
11:19 a.m. …We flew serenely for the rest of the day. The views over the Atlas Mountains were exhilarating, their jagged peaks capped with snow, gleaming up at us in the glorious sunshine. The capsule was cramped, full of supplies to last us eighteen days. However, locking off the connectors was not the only thing we'd forgotten to do. We'd also neglected to pack any lavatory paper, so we had to wait to receive faxes before we could go down the tiny spiral staircase to the loo. And my Moroccan stomach was in need of a lot of faxes. Per maintained his glowering silence, but Alex and I were just grateful that we knew then rather than finding out later the hard way.
As we approached the Algerian border we had a second shock when the Algerians informed us that we were heading straight for Béchar, their top military base, and told us that we could not fly over it. "You are not, repeat not, authorized to enter this area," said the telex. We had no choice.
I spent about two hours on the satellite phone to Mike Kendrick, our flight controller, and tried various British ministers. Eventually André Azoulay, the Moroccan minister who had ironed out all our problems for the launch in Morocco, came to the rescue again. His explanation to the Algerians that we could not change our direction and that we did not have powerful cameras on board was accepted, and they relented. As the good news came through, I scribbled down all the notes and turned over another page in my logbook. There was a handwritten note from Sam, in thick black ink and Sellotaped to the page: "To Dad, I hope you have a great time. Safe journey. Lots and lots of love, your son Sam." I recalled that he'd slipped into the capsule without me last night, and now I knew why…
As I looked at the capsule standing in the red sand, and relived the harrowing drop toward the Atlas Mountains, I renewed my vow that I would never attempt this again. Likewise, in perfect contradiction to this, at the back of my mind I also knew that as soon as I was home and talked to the other balloonists who were trying to fly around the world, then I would agree to have one last go. It's an irresistible challenge, and it's now buried too deeply inside me for me to give up.
The two questions I am most often asked are, Why do you risk your neck ballooning? and Where is the Virgin Group going? In some ways the sight of the ballooning capsule standing in the middle of the Algerian desert, with its cluster of Virgin names plastered over it, summed up these prime questions.
I knew that I would attempt another balloon flight because it's one of the few great challenges left. And as soon as I've banished the terrors of each actual flight, I once again feel confident that we can learn from our mistakes and achieve the next one safely.
The wider question of where the Virgin Group will end up is impossible to answer. Rather than be too academic about it all, which is not how I think, I have written this book to demonstrate how we made Virgin what it is today. If you read carefully between the lines, you will, I hope, understand what our vision for the Virgin Group is and you will see where I am going. Some people say that my vision for Virgin breaks all the rules and is too wildly kaleidoscopic; others say that Virgin is set to become one of the leading brand names of the next century; others analyze it down to the last degree and then write academic papers on it. As for me, I just pick up the phone and get on with it. Both the series of balloon flights and the numerous Virgin companies I have established form a seamless series of challenges that I can date from my childhood.
The Virgin Cola launch in New York in May of 1998 exemplifies the type of business challenge I love. The cola market is dominated by one huge, established competitor - Coke. It's the ultimate brand and one of the world's most profitable and biggest companies. Coke has one weak competitor around the globe, Pepsi, and I like to think that Virgin will be able to use the experience we've built up during the first half of my life to give Coke its first proper competition. Coke's size doesn't intimidate me - the dinosaurs didn't last forever either. If any brand can give Coke a serious run, it's Virgin.
To show Coke that Virgin meant business, I commandeered a tank and drove it into Times Square, the crossroads of America. With the help of some clever pyrotechnicians, we rigged the Coke sign in Times Square with fireworks, and I aimed the tank's gun squarely at the sign and it went up in a burst of false flames. It was all great fun, something I want to see in every Virgin business, but it had its serious side as well. We've made a major financial and corporate commitment to the cola market, and at the very least over the next couple of years I want to see Virgin Cola edge ahead of Pepsi in America, just as we've done in the United Kingdom, where Virgin has 11.9 percent of the diet and regular cola market, ahead of Pepsi's 11.3 percent.
Our base of operations for the Coke "attack" was the Virgin Megastore in Times Square, a location, I was repeatedly advised several years ago, that should not be the one from which to launch our retail business in New York. Times Square was a squalid mess and not the right image for Virgin. But we obtained the space at very reasonable rates. Times Square is undergoing a renaissance. The Virgin Megastore not only survived, it is performing beautifully, and megastores have sprouted everywhere.
If there is a theme in this book, it is survival. Most people who start from scratch don't survive, and although I have, this is not a book of "lessons" about what I've learned. I don't want to pontificate about what you can learn from my life. Rather, I want to tell my story and use these experiences to convey my own thoughts and ideas about both business and life. While the many businesses I've started play an important role in this book, equally as important is my belief that every minute of every day should be lived as wholeheartedly as possible and that we should always look for the best in everyone and everything. Some will say, though, my greatest fault is that I can't say no. But it's led to an enjoyable, open life, and the best thing I wish readers is that they have fun reading this book.
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Ivana Trump (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
The man behind the Virgin Empire. What they're saying about Richard Branson:
Richard is good-looking and very smart, which is good to start with. He also makes a billion dollars before breakfast – and still knows how to have fun. |
CQ (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
Few people in contemporary business are as colorful, shrewd, and irreverent, and no one's nearly as much fun to be around… Branson embodies America's cherished mythology of the iconoclastic, swashbuckling entrepreneur. |
Newsweek (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
Branson wears his fame and money exceedingly well: no necktie, no chauffeur, no snooty clubs. Boiled down to its singular essence, Richard Branson just wants to have fun.
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Time (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-27 00:00>
Branson, a self-described "adventure capitalist", is a business-creation engine who was clearly born in the wrong place. He belongs in the US, the wellspring of genius, entrepreneurs, and shameless hucksters alike… He has amassed a billion-dollar fortune by doing things business strategists suggest he shouldn't… and then attacking heads-on. Those business instincts are matched by an ability to motivate people who work for him. And he wouldn't want to – Branson seems hell-bent on making sure that everybody, but everybody, is having as much fun as he is.
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