Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way
416
Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way
416eBook
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Overview
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.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780307481672 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Crown Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 09/01/2010 |
| Sold by: | Random House |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 416 |
| Sales rank: | 996,471 |
| File size: | 49 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
"Oh, screw it, let's do it."
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."
Table of Contents
Prologue January 1997 "Oh, screw it, let'sdo it."
Chapter 1: 1950-1963 "We were a family that would have killed for each other-and we still are."
Chapter 2: 1963-1967 "Congratulations, Branson. I predict that you will either go to prison or become a millionaire."
Chapter 3: 1967-1970 "I'm sorry to interrupt, Richard, but it's Mick Jagger for you and he says it's urgent."
Chapter 4: 1970-1971 "We sat down and had some lunch, and before we knew what we were doing we were lying on the bed making love."
Chapter 5: 1971 "You look great just as you are. I wouldn't bother with any more clothes."
Chapter 6: 1971-1972 "There was a thin dividing line between what wasn't, and Simon made Virgin the hippest place to be."
Chapter 7: 1972-1973 "It's called Tubular Bells. I've never heard anything like it in my life."
Chapter 8: 1974-1976 "It seemed that we were destined to be forever the second choice, and in music, like so many other things, the second choice means nothing."
Chapter 9: 1976 "Nobody could possibly doubt a priest, under oath, saying that `bollocks' really means `priest' or `rubbish' and not `balls.'"
Chapter 10: 1976-1978 "There was some consolation in that after we had signed the Sex Pistols, Virgin had become the smart record label for punk and new wave bands to sign with."
Chapter 11: 1979-1980 "I heard that if you expressed serious interest in buying an island, then the local estate agent would put you up for nothing in a grand villa and fly you all around the Virgin Islands by helicopter."
Chapter 12: 1980-1982 "It was impossible to define why Boy George was so popular parents wanted to mother him, girls wanted to be as beautiful, boys wanted their girlfriends to be as beautiful."
Chapter 13: 1983-1984 "New Yorkers craned their necks and wondered what the cryptic message WAIT FOR THE ENGLISH VIRGI meant."
Chapter 14: 1984 "We were now hurtling down the runway, and these two pilots were doing nothing about it... Then just as the plane's nose rose up...the West Indian reached behind his ear, pulled out a joint, and offered it to his copilot."
Chapter 15: 1984-1986 "Whatever I did in the next ten minutes would lead to my death or survival. I was on my own. We had broken the record, but I was almost certainly going to die."
Chapter 16: 1986 "If you think crossing the Atlantic by boat was impressive, think again. I am planning to build the world's largest hot-air balloon, and I'm planning to fly it in the jet stream at thirty thousand feet."
Chapter 17: 1987-1988 "Without British Caledonian offering competition, British Airways could now turn its attention to mopping up the last tiny British competitor -- us."
Chapter 18: 1988-1989 "Virgin has always enjoyed an excellent rapport with the Japanese. I put it down to the success of my first-ever trip to Tokyo....Nowadays I am booked into huge hotels that are very nice, but nothing compares with that first first business trip."
Chapter 19: 1989-1990 "Joan and I were finally getting married, and I didn't want the Cadbury Milk Tray to melt. I prepared to jump."
Chapter 20: August-October 1990 "Who the hell does Richard Branson think he is? Part of the bloody Foreign Office?"
Chapter 21: November 1990-January 1991 "We had to land soon after dawn. If we left it for another two or three hours, the sun would heat up the balloon's envelope, and we would continue to fly past Greenland deeper into the Arctic and out of reach of any rescue team."
Chapter 22: January-February 1991 "In the same way that British Airways was trying to steamroller Virgin Atlantic out of sight, it struck me that Lord King was pretending didn't exist."
Chapter 23: February-April 1991 "I decided to offer Janet Jackson the largest amount of money ever offered to any singer."
Chapter 24: April-July 1991 "What the hell. Janet Jackson's a terrific lady. Let's go ahead and do the deal. But I wouldn't do this for Madonna!"
Chapter 25: September-October 1991 "I've said it before, and unless you do it soon, I'll say it again: Sue the bastards!"
Chapter 26: October-November 1991 "Looking at it from my client's interest, the last thing they want is to be seen to have Richard Branson's blood on their hands."
Chapter 27: November 1991-March 1992 "Daddy, who are the Rolling Stones? Are they some kind of pop group?"
Chapter 28: March 1992-January 1993 "Freddie...I've decided to take your advice: I'm suing the bastards."
Epilogue
Interviews
On Thursday, October 22nd, barnesandnoble.com welcomed Richard Branson to discuss LOSING MY VIRGINITY.
Niki from Niki_palek@yahoo.com:
Richard Branson: The book does cover my childhood, and obviously I started in business as a child. I had a few failed business ventures as a kid, but I was fortunate in having a very happy, loving family upbringing in the countryside that gave me the security that it did.
Laurie from NJ: What's your favorite part of the business?
Richard Branson: I think that the business I am most proud of creating is the airline, in that it was a very difficult business to be created. Before it British Airways had seen that Laker Airways and British Caledonian went bankrupt. What we wanted to do with Virgin was to try to create the best airlines in the world, and despite many efforts by British Airways to put us out of business, 15 years later I believe we have created one of the best airlines in the world. The book goes into the British Airways "dirty tricks" campaign, where they went to distances to put us out of business, including having people spreading false rumors about Virgin and people trying to poach our passengers, et cetera. We won an important case against British Airways, and as a result we came out stronger.
Steve Riggio from New York: Last year I flew Virgin Airways to London and flew American Airlines back, same price. I got off the Virgin flight feeling like a million dollars -- the service was extraordinary. The American Airlines flight was like being on a flying bus. How do you do it so well?
Richard Branson: Thank you for your kind comments. Basically, as I am sure you know, the company is only as good as the people. If you have people that believe in what they are doing and a highly motivated staff that is having a good time and smiling, then the passengers will also have a chance at smiling. Sadly, most airlines for some reason don't seem to treat their staff as their number-one asset, and therefore the experience of the passengers is often somewhat lacking.
Montey from New York City: Kudos to the new Virgin Megastore at Union Square. How did that development come to fruition? Do you cover this in your book?
Richard Branson: Thank you for the kind comments. When I came to America 25 years ago, I had a lot of admiration for Tower Records; but I felt that somehow they hadn't moved on with the times, and we felt there was a business opportunity to create stores in America that were more of the '90s than the '60s. At least people now have a choice as to whether they agree with me. My book doesn't actually cover it, because I stopped the book at the time that we won a case against British Airways. The book is about our struggling years, which most businesspeople who start without money go through.
Jude from Virginia: Hi, Richard. I have been a fan for quite some time. I've always wanted to ask you the following question: How do you see the Virgin brand competing in the cyberworld of online commerce?
Richard Branson: First, can you ask your governor to drop the last two letters of the name of your state, since we always wanted a state named after our company? Basically Virgin is developing its moves on the Internet at the moment. We plan to get involved in a number of different fields, maybe even giving my host today a little bit of friendly competition. It could be argued that we are a little slow off the mark, but we promise that when we arrive, we will do it with a normal Virgin bang!
Michael Walsh from Boston: Unfortunately, I missed your book signing here in Boston yesterday. I really don't have a specific question, except to say I'm very impressed by Virgin Airways -- excellent, well-organized airline. You have been concentrating most of you efforts as of late on the ballooning. Are there any other cross-Atlantic boating ventures planned? Keep up the always intriguing and exciting adventures.
Richard Branson: Thanks for your kind comments. In a month's time, myself and Per Lindstrand plan to attempt to once again fly around the world in a balloon. We will be taking off from Morocco, and this will be our fourth attempt. We have invited Steve Fawcett, who lost his balloon over the Pacific two months ago, to join us. I am delighted to say, he has accepted, and so this will now be a British/American venture. Hopefully mid-December we will be crossing the States on the completion of this voyage.
Nancy from Bridgeport, CT: V2 looks great! What type of future do you see for the company? Is there a unique angle you are going to take with the company?
Richard Branson: V2 is not dissimilar to any new company that we start. We look for the best people in a particular industry, people who love their subject matter, in this case music, and then give them a free hand to create something that is special and they can be proud of. We hope with V2 to achieve what we managed to achieve with Virgin Records, and that is to turn it into one of the most credible record companies in the world. Our first signing was a band called the Stereophonics, who are a band that best illustrate the kind of credibility that we are looking for.
Cynthia from D.C.: What is your biggest regret?
Richard Branson: First of all, I attempt to not really regret anything, because I have had an incredibly full life and have enjoyed almost every second of it and have been able to live the life of many people. If I had to choose the only thing that I would have not done in my life, it would be the sale of the original music company. The book goes into the battle that we were having with British Airways and the lengths they were going to push us over the cliff, the Gulf War, the spiraling fuel prices, and the need to protect all the people who work for Virgin by the sale of the music company. But with V2 we are now coming back.
Isabella from New York: Mr. Branson, this book has been a huge inspiration. I was very surprised to see that this was not just a business book but an inspirational story of a real person who took risks and wasn't afraid to take chances. Personally I intend to buy it as stocking stuffers for the holidays for my friends who are striving for new things, and especially for those who are stuck in their lives. Where do you see the brand in ten years?
Richard Branson: Thanks for the kind words. Where I would like to see the brand is that Virgin can be known for having created a number of the best companies in the world -- not necessarily the biggest companies -- and by competing with some of these major companies, have changed their approach to life as well as our own companies. Happy Christmas.
Lindsey from New York City: How much do you actually "work" these days?
Richard Branson: I obviously try to balance work with play. When my children are at school, I work very long days, but I try to make sure our companies are delegated in such a way that I can push off on holidays with my kids when term break is up. Virgin is made up of lots of small companies, and the people who run those companies run those companies as if they were their own companies -- they have stakes in the company. My principal job is taking Virgin forward into new ventures and making sure that the world knows that Virgin exists.
Elke from Trenton, NJ: LOSING MY VIRGINITY is a very provocative title. Care to elaborate?
Richard Branson: The alternative title was SCREW IT, LET'S DO IT! I tell a story in the book of what happened to me when I did lose my virginity, but you will have to read it to find out! But I started work at 15; I was inexperienced, and inexperienced at business, too. And ever since then, I have been effectively losing my virginity at work and at play.
Jonny C. from Los Angeles: My friends and I here in L.A. salute you -- you are a true inspiration to many. How do you remain so driven? Can't wait to read the book! PS: Love Virgin Cola!
Richard Branson: Thanks for the kind comments. I am very fortunate that I have wonderful people and friends around me. We are in a position where we can challenge ourselves and the people around us and don't want to waste that position. I just love new challenges.
Martha P. from Ireland: Who is your business idol?
Richard Branson: I think my best living business idol is Herb Kelliher of SouthWest Airlines. It is about the only American airline that I admire. He has managed to motivate his staff really well, and he has managed to bring down the cost of air travel to reasonable levels. The only problem I have with him is if I ever meet him for lunch, I end up starting smoking again, and therefore can only see him every few years, because it takes me so long to give them up after seeing him. Also, he can drink me under the table.
Gus from Hanover, NH: Have you gotten much feedback on the book from friends and people you write about in it? Has Mick Jagger read it yet?
Richard Branson: I have certainly sent Mick a copy of the book, because the Rolling Stones were one of our artists, and I have known them for most of my life. I am glad to say, he hasn't sent it back! I believe that most of the stories told are fun stories rather than hurtful stories, so hopefully my friends will still be my friends.
Rick Sorenson from Boston, MA: I am currently an MBA student at Babson College. Do you believe that formal business education would have helped or hindered you in managing the phenomenal growth of Virgin?
Richard Branson: There were certainly times in my life that a formal education would have been useful. I am still not quite sure I know the difference between "net" and "growth," but fortunately I can get people around me who do. The best advantage of formal education is that it is an excellent insurance policy. People who leave school at 15 rarely make it to the top, and there have been many occasions in my life where I came very close to going under and would have had nothing to fall back on. So I suspect you are best to finish what you are doing than embark on your entrepreneurism. The only advantage about leaving school at 15 is that you have nothing to lose -- no girlfriends, mortgages, you haven't started to become conservative, and you are willing to take risks. If you want to be an entrepreneur at 22, you must be sure if you are still willing to take those risks. Good luck!
Susan from Long Island: Do you have any favorite authors or musicians?
Richard Branson: I think my favorite musician is Peter Gabriel. He also happens to be my best friend. He was an artist who worked with Virgin for many years and still does, and he was always delightful with everyone who worked for Virgin, from the switchboard operator to the chairman.
Max from Manchester: What do you think of Tony Blair?
Richard Branson: I think he is brave, and I think Britain is in the best frame of mind that it has been in for years; it is a delightful country at this moment, and I think the current party contributes to that good feeling. Tony Blair runs the country firmly, but he also runs it with a heart.
Joseph Reilly from Massachusetts: Where do your business instincts come from?
Richard Branson: I think the question is, What is business? It is a way of life; it's realizing people's dreams and needs and making sure they are fulfilled better than by other people. A lot of my ideas come from personal frustrations -- flying other people's airlines and finding it unpleasant, the personal experience of finding an old tape and not finding a company that would let the people hear the tape, the personal frustration of dealing with banks, then starting Virgin Banks. Partly it is instinctive from experiences.
Carrie from Montana: I have just read the book, and I loved it. I know you have a huge following in the UK, but I have noticed that your presence here in the U.S. is growing stronger all the time. Do you choose your PR strategy in the U.S., or is there some genius by your side?
Richard Branson: I think that your PR is only as good as what you deliver. I think our team in America have started to deliver some excellent Virgin Megastores -- hopefully in Montana soon. The Virgin Airlines has helped the reputation as well. I suppose that the ballooning and boating activities have been covered here in America as well, but basically I have one PR person here in America who tries to keep me in check.
Anna from Atlanta: What do you want people to get out of reading your book?
Richard Branson: One, an enjoyable read. Two, different people will get different things from it. I tried to write the book so that it would interest people who were aspiring businesspeople. Also, so that it would also interest people who were interested in somebody's life who had been fortunate enough to have a very full life and very adventurous life. The book is all about survival -- surviving against the odds and surviving against the battles with major companies, as well as surviving against the elements, when it comes to the adventures we have had. I hope you enjoy it.
Moderator: Thank you so much for joining us online this afternoon, Richard Branson. It's been an absolute pleasure, and we hope you enjoyed the experience. Do you have any final words of wisdom for our online audience?
Richard Branson: Thank very much for having me. Thanks very much for logging on, and if I can't meet you in person, I hope to meet you through the book. I wish you all the best -- have a good one.
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