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Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way Paperback – June 7, 2011
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In little more than twenty-five years, Richard Branson spawned nearly a hundred successful ventures. From the airline business (Virgin Atlantic Airways), to music (Virgin Records and V2), to cola (Virgin Cola), and others ranging from financial services to bridal wear, Branson has a track record second to none. Many of his companies 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.
In this stressed-out, overworked age, Richard Branson gives us a new model: a dynamic, hardworking, successful entrepreneur who lives life to the fullest. 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. Family, friends, fun, and adventure are equally important as business in his life. Losing My Virginity is a portrait of a productive, sane, balanced life, filled with rich and colorful stories, including:
- 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
- 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.
- Print length624 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherCrown Currency
- Publication dateJune 7, 2011
- Dimensions5.25 x 1.3 x 8 inches
- ISBN-109780307720740
- ISBN-13978-0307720740
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Editorial Reviews
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-- Ivana Trump
“Few people in contemporary business are as colorful, shrewd, and irreverent, and probably no one’s nearly as much fun to be around. . . . Branson embodies America’s cherished mythology of the iconoclastic, swashbuckling entrepreneur."
-- GQ
“Branson wears his fame and money exceedingly well: no necktie, no chauffeur, no snooty clubs. . . . What continues to set Branson apart is the unique -- and, to some, baffling -- nature of his ambition. . . . He isn’t interested in power in the usual sense of influencing other people. . . . Boiled down to its singular essence, Richard Branson just wants to have fun.”
-- Newsweek
“Branson, a self-described ‘adventure capitalist,’ is a business-creation engine who was clearly born in the wrong place. . . . Those business instincts are matched by an ability to motivate people who work for him. And who wouldn’t want to -- Branson seems hell-bent on making sure that everybody, but everybody, is having as much fun as he is.”
-- Time
“Richard Branson . . . is dressed to the nines: in a $10,000 white silk bridal gown with a traditional veil and train and acres of lace. . . . Branson is expected to do the unexpected, even the bizarre -- anything to publicize his latest venture. . . . The fact is, Branson’s widely reported stunts seem almost staid compared to the unconventional way he manages his burgeoning empire.”
-- Forbes ASAP
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
January 1997
Tuesday, 7 January 1997, Morocco
5:30 a.m. — I woke before Joan and sat up in bed. From across Marrakech I heard the wavering cry of the muezzins calling people to prayer over the loudspeakers. I still hadn't written to Holly and Sam, so I tore a page out of my notebook and wrote them a letter in case I didn't return.
Dear Holly and Sam,
Life can seem rather unreal at times. Alive and well and loving one day. No longer there the next. As you both know I always had an urge to live life to its full. That meant I was lucky enough to live the life of many people during my 46 years. I loved every minute of it and I especially loved every second of my time with both of you and Mum.
I know that many people thought us foolish for embarking on this latest adventure. I was convinced they were wrong. I felt that everything we had learned from our Atlantic and Pacific adventures would mean that we'd have a safe flight. I thought that the risks were acceptable. Obviously I've been proved wrong.
However, I regret nothing about my life except not being with Joan to finally help you grow up. By the ages of 12 and 15 your characters have already developed. We're both so proud of you. Joan and I couldn't have had two more delightful kids. You are both kind, considerate, full of life (even witty!). What more could we both want.
Be strong. I know it won't be easy. But we've had a wonderful life together and you'll never forget all the good times we've had.
Live life to its full yourselves. Enjoy every minute of it. Love and look after Mum as if she's both of us.
I love you,
Dad
* * *
I folded the letter into a small square and put it in my pocket. Fully clothed and ready, I lay down beside Joan and hugged her. While I felt wide awake and nervous, she felt warm and sleepy in my arms. Holly and Sam came into our room and cuddled into bed between us. Then Sam slipped off with his cousins to go to the launch site and see the balloon in which I hoped shortly to fly around the world. Joan and Holly stayed with me while I got dressed and spoke to Martin, the meteorologist. The flight, he said, was definitely on; we had the best weather conditions we'd had for five years. I then called Tim Evans, our doctor. He had just been with Rory McCarthy, our third pilot, and had bad news: Rory couldn't fly. He had mild pneumonia, and if he was in a capsule for three weeks, it could get much worse. I immediately called up Rory and commiserated with him.
"See you in the dining room," I said. "Let's have breakfast."
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.
8:30 a.m. — We all saw it at the same time. As we drove along the dirt road out to the Moroccan air base, it looked as if a new mosque had sprouted overnight. Above the bending, dusty palm trees, a stunning white orb rose like a mother-of-pearl dome. It was the balloon. Men on horseback galloped along the side of the road, guns slung over their shoulders, heading for the air base. Everyone was drawn to this huge, gleaming white balloon hanging in the air, tall and slender
9:15 a.m. — The balloon was cordoned off, and around the perimeter railing was an amazing collection of people. The entire complement of the air base stood off to one side in serried ranks, dressed in smart navy-blue uniforms; in front of them was the traditional Moroccan collection of dancing women, wearing white shawls, hollering, wailing, and whooping. Then a group of horsemen dressed in Berber costume and brandishing antique muskets galloped into view and lined up in front of the balloon. For an awful moment, I thought they would fire a celebratory salvo and puncture the balloon. Per, Alex, and I gathered in the capsule and completed a final check of all the systems. The sun was rising rapidly, and the helium was beginning to expand.
10:15 a.m. — We had done all the checks and were ready to go. I hugged Joan and Holly and Sam one last time. I was amazed at Joan's strength. Holly had been by my side for the last four days, and she too appeared to be totally in control of the situation. I thought that Sam was as well, but then he burst into tears and pulled me toward him, refusing to let go. I almost started crying too. I will never forget the anguished strength of his hug. Then he kissed me and let go and hugged Joan. I ran across to kiss Mum and Dad good-bye. Mum pressed a letter into my hand. "Open it after six days," she said. I silently hoped that we would last that long.
10:50 a.m. — There was nothing left to do except to climb up the steel steps into the capsule. For a second I hesitated and wondered when and where I would put my feet back on solid ground-or water. There was no time to think ahead. I stepped in through the hatch. Per was by the main controls; I sat by the camera equipment; and Alex sat in the seat by the trapdoor.
11:19 a.m. — 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5—Per counted down and I concentrated on working the cameras. My hand kept darting down to check my parachute buckle. I tried not to think about the huge balloon above us, and the six vast fuel tanks strapped around our capsule—4, 3, 2, 1 . . . and Per threw the lever that fired the bolts that severed the anchor cables, and we lifted silently and swiftly into the sky. There was no roar of the burners; our ascent was like that of an enormous party helium balloon. We just rose up, up, and away, and then as we caught the morning breeze we headed over Marrakech.
The emergency door was still open as we soared up, and we waved at the by then little people below. Every detail of Marrakech—its square pink walls, the large town square, the green courtyards and fountains hidden behind high walls—was laid out beneath us. By 10,000 feet it became cold and the air grew thin. We shut the trapdoor. From then on we were on our own. We were pressurized, and the pressure would mount.
Our first fax came through the machine just after midday.
"Oh God!" Per handed it over. "Look at this."
"Please be aware that the connectors on the fuel tanks are locked on."
This was our first mistake. The connectors should have been locked off so that if we got into trouble and started falling, then we could jettison a one-ton fuel tank by way of ballast.
"If that's our only mistake, we're not doing badly," I said, trying to cheer Per up.
"We need to get down to five thousand feet, and then I'll climb out and unlock them," Alex said. "It's not a problem."
Product details
- ASIN : 0307720748
- Publisher : Crown Currency; Updated edition (June 7, 2011)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 624 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780307720740
- ISBN-13 : 978-0307720740
- Item Weight : 1.04 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.25 x 1.3 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #121,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #412 in Biographies of Business & Industrial Professionals
- #837 in Entrepreneurship (Books)
- #3,793 in Memoirs (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is best known as the founder of Virgin Group, which comprises more than 400 companies.
Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneur at a young age. At the age of sixteen his first business venture was a magazine called Student. In 1970, he set up a mail-order record business. In 1972, he opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records, later known as Virgin Megastores. Branson's Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s, as he set up Virgin Atlantic and expanded the Virgin Records music label.
In March 2000, Branson was knighted at Buckingham Palace for ""services to entrepreneurship"". In July 2015, Forbes listed Branson's estimated net worth at US $5.2 billion.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Chatham House [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
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Customers find the book enjoyable, engaging, and quick to read. They say it inspires them, with valuable lessons to be learned. Readers describe the autobiography as fascinating, interesting, and honest. They also mention there are plenty of fun anecdotes. They praise the writing style as well-written, easy to read, and personal. Additionally, customers describe the author as brilliant, thoughtful, and genuinely good.
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Customers find the book enjoyable, engaging, and extraordinary. They say the content is good and the prose is conversational, making it a quick read. Readers also mention the material is highly engaging and fun.
"...I find this book to be extraordinary. The way how he built the Virgin empire is impressive...." Read more
"This is one of the most entertaining books I’ve read...." Read more
"...The book is quite engaging for the first two thirds, as he describes his life and early struggle to start making money...." Read more
"...It's written in conversational prose, making for a quick read...." Read more
Customers find the book inspiring, insightful, and full of gems. They say it's a fantastic book to boost the entrepreneurial soul in everyone. Readers also mention that the amazing life and unparalleled vision for the future are incredible.
"...He is a truly gifted man, not afraid of a good challenge, and he does business in an ethical way - something so many other businesses have forgotten...." Read more
"...Whatever the case may be, this book is an inspiring book/story of one of the greatest (if not the greatest) modern-day entrepreneurs ever to live on..." Read more
"...His writing is engrossing, very informative and inspiring...." Read more
"...Virgin is such an impressive company/brand, a great lesson in diversifying and creating positive social and economic change along the way...." Read more
Customers find the autobiography fascinating, interesting, and incredible. They say it tells the events from an honest, tongue-in-cheek perspective. Readers also mention the storytelling is on point. In addition, they say the book covers a lot of ground and shares very specific thoughts and moments.
"...He is very honest and upfront with quite a few things. I find this book to be extraordinary. The way how he built the Virgin empire is impressive...." Read more
"...He tells his story without bragging...." Read more
"...it does not seem like a business book of any kind and it’s one of the best stories." Read more
"This is a fairly absorbing memoir by one of Englands most liked public figures, a golden-haired, blue-eyed boy who achieved huge financial success,..." Read more
Customers find the book entertaining, interesting, and inspirational. They also say it's a great mix of adventure and funny.
"This is not a masterpiece of literature or anything but a mildly interesting story about a guy still living and still doing...." Read more
"...Oh, and the name-dropping throughout the book is fun. Is there anyone this man doesn't know or isn't friends with?" Read more
"...the initial, questionable chapter/introduction, this book became very interesting and, I must admit again, I did not want to stop reading..." Read more
"...The book is witty, funny, and inspirational. I couldn't put the book down!..." Read more
Customers find the writing style of the book extremely well-written, easy to read, and personal. They also appreciate the clear, comfortable font. Readers mention the author is amazing and best heard in his own words.
"...Richard Branson's style of writing makes it easy to read this book. He is very honest and upfront with quite a few things...." Read more
"...It's written in conversational prose, making for a quick read. No big words here, just some British jargon that only well-rounded Americans will..." Read more
"...etc. To put it simply, but complexly, this book reads like a Hollywood movie/script and reminded me of the movies "Catch me if you can" and "The..." Read more
"...His writing is engrossing, very informative and inspiring...." Read more
Customers find the personality brilliant, genuinely good, and thoughtful. They also describe the author as a great businessman with a kind heart.
"...He is a truly gifted man, not afraid of a good challenge, and he does business in an ethical way - something so many other businesses have forgotten...." Read more
"...is the ability to take pain, he is one of the most excellent and extraordinary individuals...." Read more
"While interested in entrepreneurs who are selfless, smart but humble, and always seeming to see into the future, Richard Branson's name kept being..." Read more
"...Brilliant man, lackluster book." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the length of the book. Some mention it's very long, while others say it's a bit long on his adventures.
"...It is rather long, on my kindle I read the entire book in about 20 hours I would say...." Read more
"Wow, talking about a thorough autobiography! This is a big long book of nearly 600 pages!..." Read more
"...However, I must admit that some parts are unnecessary long and dense...." Read more
"Pretty fast read. A little long on his adventures and TMI on his personal conquests, but I guess it's in here to show he lived by his own rules...." Read more
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Now I usually read only business books of some sort, I am clearly part of his target audience, but I even my wife now shows interest in reading this book.
What I like about the book? Richard Branson's style of writing makes it easy to read this book. He is very honest and upfront with quite a few things. I find this book to be extraordinary. The way how he built the Virgin empire is impressive. This is not some CEO who got rich on cashing stock options. RB is a hard worker who likes to have fun and along the way he built a 'few' businesses (a few hundred that is). This autobiography is almost more like a novel, but then it is not. It is motivating and inspiring. It provides lots of business related tips and tricks, and then not. It is refreshing to read for sure.
What I do not like about this book? Why did it take me so freaking long to pick up his books and start reading them. There should be an advisory of some sort on the book: Read immediately after purchasing or life will end as we know it. I do not have to say anything negative about as I really like it.
In one of his other books Richard Branson says he expects to work another 30 years or so. I hope he does and that he continues to share his stories and adventures with us. He is a truly gifted man, not afraid of a good challenge, and he does business in an ethical way - something so many other businesses have forgotten. If I could meet with one great person of our time - Richard Branson would definitely be on my lists.
Part of the appeal of this autobiography is that many of us remember the events he describes and due to Bransons high profile in the mass media, it is almost as though we embarked on his adventures with him. Anyone who lived in the UK in the late 80’s will remember his balloon flights, his clash with BA over their “dirty tricks” campaign, and his regular TV appearances. He was not only a darling of the popular media, but to quite some degree, producing and steering popular culture from behind the scenes- discovering and promoting many of the biggest names in pop music.
Being essentially a nouveau riche interloper, he also represented the mindset of the average Briton in the 80’s and 90’s: secular, humanist, materialistic yet idealistic, with a rather rosy and naïve schoolboy-ish view of the world outside Englands borders. He is fashionably hip, not only a joint-smoking product of the 60’s but of a liberal upbringing. Politically he is very left-wing, e.g., speaks of islamic countries in glowing terms, sucks up to foreign dictators (Gaddafi), identifies with the Blair government. He name-drops left, right and center, with a wealth of anecdotes of the rich and famous, from his friend Diana Princess of Wales to his early days rubbing shoulders with the Stones and Mike Oldfield. While he projects a very English type of humility, there is also something slightly cringe-worthy and arrogant in the way he brags about his sexual exploits, deceives the police, steals other peoples girlfriends, or has affairs. But once again, all this very normal of common and widespread English culture of the day.











