Richard Branson

Review of "Losing my Virginity" by Richard Branson

Book title: Losing My Virginity

Author: Richard Branson

Place of publication: Rainville Road, London, England

Publisher: Virgin Books; Rev Ed edition

Year of publication: June 27th 2002.

Number of pages: 672

ISBN-10: 0753506483

ISBN-13: 978-0753506486

Synopsis:

Richard Branson takes the reader on the adventure; which is his life. The author openly discusses his family, friends, sexual escapades, life threatening attempts to fly around the world in a hot air balloon; he also covers his many business endeavors ranging from Virgin Records to Virgin Galactic. Richard Branson offers us an insight into his own unique business philosophy which most of the time contradicts the stuffy nature of traditional business academia.

Background of the Author:

Richard Branson was born in 1950 and educated at Stowe School. In 1966 he borrowed just Ј4 off his encouraging mother to start up what was to be his first business venture 'student magazine'. In 1992 Richard reluctantly sold the Virgin Music group to Thorn EMI in a record $1 billion dollar deal. This huge cash flow allowed Branson to embark on many new business ventures such as Virgin Mobile, Virgin Galactic, Virgin Money, Virgin Hotels, and expand old ongoing ventures such as Virgin Atlantic. The Virgin group employs over 50,000 employee's world wide and is a widely recognized and respected brand all over the world.

In 1999 the Queen awarded Richard Branson with a knighthood for his 'services to entrepreneurship'. Married twice and proud father to a musician son and pediatric doctor daughter, Branson alternates his time between his homes in London and Oxfordshire. Special occasions and holidays are spent among family and friends on his private Island 'Necker' nestled in the heart of the Caribbean. From his humble beginnings in Tynards farm house in Stowe, he has become one of the most wealthy, charismatic and influential business men of his time. We commend you Sir Richard!

Purpose of the book:

Branson wrote this book to demonstrate how he made Virgin the company and brand it is today. He strives to encourage people to think outside the box, take risks and go with your instincts. For many entrepreneurs young and old Branson autobiography is testament to the fact that once a person is determined and adaptable; success in business is not solely reliant on large financial backing and an academic background.

Branson recognizes that his vision has been criticized

for breaking all the 'rules' and it is too kaleidoscopic, however many people respect and revere the Virgin Brand and how it came about. Branson wishes to offer the reader an informal non academic read about his life and business vision, in the hope to inspire other entrepreneurs to take a risk and challenge themselves whether it is in a business or personal context.

Content of the book:

When I first sat down to read Branson's autobiography I felt daunted by the number of pages (672) that lay before me. The fact that I had a preconceived notion of Richard being an arrogant, publicity hungry mogul of an overused brand, only added to my reluctance to commence reading his autobiography. Branson's autobiography opens with an account of one of his many attempts to fly around the world in a hot air balloon. This attempt results in Branson narrowly avoiding death, Indiana Jones like, with more than a helping hand from lady luck. This seemingly inherent life long alliance with lady luck, together with a relentless determination to succeed and visions to soar higher than the competition have lead to Branson's ultimate success.

The autobiography takes us through Branson's life up to the year 2005. Branson gives an honest account of his first venture into the world of business in the form of 'Student magazine'; although the magazine failed it taught Branson some valuable lessons. His next endeavor was a mail order record company, however due to a harsh business environment (postal workers going on strike) Branson learned to adapt quickly as the market dictates in order to remain in business. Thus Virgin music store was created. Branson allows you to watch him mature as a business man and lean from his mistakes. He embraces business in an informal, fun and adventurous manner, to Branson "work is fun".

Branson speaks with a certain truth about all matters of his life, be it the death of his first child, a failed marriage, conflicts with business partners and his own inadequacies as a father. He appeals to all readers on an emotional and human level. We can empathize with Branson and he can empathize with us. He speaks of the informal management style of 'student' magazine, where he conducted business from his bed, to his trying to suppress his desire for another woman while he was still married to his fears of settling down and growing up.

Branson has a love affair with life, he is constantly challenging himself, be it ballooning around the globe, venturing into space or battling it out in the courts with a national institution (British Airways). Although he may be a billionaire he still identifies with the less fortunate, he fights to bring a higher standard of service at a cheaper price to customers because he resents large or monopolistic organizations unfairly ripping off the customer. Branson speaks with passion about music and adventure and now in the 21st century the aspect of