Richard Branson: Losing My Virginity
Losing My Virginity
Branson is one of a kind. His philosophy is to live life to its fullest, have as much fun as you can, and do something that you’re passionate about in life. He literally became a billionaire by having fun and “doing business his way.”
One of my most memorable parts of this book was a section where Branson was sitting with 2 of his best friends and business partners at lunch. Branson was pitching them the idea of starting an airline and they both vehemently disagreed with Branson.
But Branson knew – deep down in his gut – that starting an airline was the right thing to do, even if it didn’t make the most “business” sense at the time. He knew that he had to follow his intuition and he decided to go ahead with establishing Virgin Atlantic which turned out to be a huge success; becoming the crux of the entire Virgin Group.
This autobiography is filled with all sorts of adventures and lessons learned from Branson’s adventurous life. It very well may be one of the most inspiring books that you’ll ever read.
My only problem with the book is that the readers gets stuck in the air (literally) with about 100 pages of following Branson as he goes on his many hot air balloon journeys across the world. In my opinion, it gets a bit dry and redundant, but when the book progresses out of the “hot air balloon” chapters, the momentum picks back up and you’re back on track to following Branson amazing life as an entrepreneur.
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Have you ever read this book? What was your favorite part?
Awesome book! I’m glad you mentioned it. There are so many parts in this book that stick out to me:
(1) Branson and Kristen barely surviving the storm while on vacation after essentially bribing the fishermen to take into the sea eventhough it was dangerous (demonstrates the abuse of money)
(2)Branson reading in a paper ten years later why Dire Straits (the joint in the Greek restaurant story) didn’t sign on with Virgin
(3) Dave Bedford accidentally sending Branson a bashing letter
(4) All of the trials and tribulations with Mike Oldfield
(5) How he never really did drugs while everyone around him did (especially during Student days), because he knew it would hinder his productivity
(6) the heart beat story of John Lennon and Yoko’s baby
(7) “Congratulations, Branson. I predict that you will either go to prison or become a millionaire” - Headmaster
(8) “Mr. Branson, would your prefer an American wife or a Japanese wife? American wives very difficult - lots of litigation and alimony. Japanese wives very good and quiet”
And you must not forget Branson’s random tangents like him going to college to study history, or when he wife swapped by accident, the vibrator in a box story, and lets not forget his photo story when he thought the tourists wanted a photo of him, when actually they just wanted him to they a photo of them.
I know many of these stories may seem like they have nothing to do with business, but I think it is these random events and observations in Branson’s life that make him so special.
Liana