Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way

"Here is the story from the very beginning from the" according to MICHAEL MANNING. Here is the story from the very beginning from the British entrepreneur himself of how he dropped out of school at 16 -- with his parent's permission and through trial and error began a very small business without any strategic plan or direction. Through hard work, early missteps, and even. "Not really a page turner" according to Poetic Loner. Richard Branson and his writer have written a book acurate on facts but something that doesnt really keep you grasping for the next page. He's brilliant and Nixonesque in keeping records of times, people, things that have been said, mostly for the purpose of ideas. It starts off after stud. "Modern Day Swashbucklerof the Business World" according to J. Link. A great read. I enjoyed learning the genesis of the early recording industry and particularly Branson's struggle to establish Virgin Atlantic Airlines. Evokes the memory of Juan Trippe and Pan American Airlines. I had been looking for a good bio on Branson; this seemed to be the most compl

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. 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. 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. 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 globeSigning the Sex Pistols, Janet Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Boy George, and Phil CollinsFighting back when British Airways took on Virgin Atlantic and successfully suing this pillar of the British business establishmentSwimming two mile

The fact is, Branson’s widely reported stunts seem almost staid compared to the unconventional way he manages his burgeoning empire.”-- Forbes ASAP . 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. Branson is expected to do the unexpected, even the bizarre -- anything to publicize his latest venture. He also makes a billion dollars before breakfast—and still knows how to have fun."-- Ivana Trum

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.From the Hardcover edition.. Richard Branson, the founder and chairman of the Virgin Group