Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My WayThe unusual, frequently outrageous autobiography of one of the great business geniuses of our time, Richard Branson. 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. |
From inside the book
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... things, but this time he tried to stop me. 'You can't do better than that skid,' he said. 'Mine was perfect.' I thought otherwise. I was determined to do a better skid than Nik. I took his bike up the hill and launched myself towards ...
... things, but this time he tried to stop me. 'You can't do better than that skid,' he said. 'Mine was perfect.' I thought otherwise. I was determined to do a better skid than Nik. I took his bike up the hill and launched myself towards ...
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... thing in sending me there, but at that moment I could feel only confusion and resentment towards them, and a terrible fear of what lay in store for me. Within a couple of days, an older boy in my dormitory had taken a liking to me and ...
... thing in sending me there, but at that moment I could feel only confusion and resentment towards them, and a terrible fear of what lay in store for me. Within a couple of days, an older boy in my dormitory had taken a liking to me and ...
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... things to do wrong that, although we learnt most of them, we accepted that we would be beaten for some obscure misdemeanour almost every single week. My only consolation was the headmaster's eighteen-year-old daughter, Charlotte. She ...
... things to do wrong that, although we learnt most of them, we accepted that we would be beaten for some obscure misdemeanour almost every single week. My only consolation was the headmaster's eighteen-year-old daughter, Charlotte. She ...
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... thing my father wanted to do was to spend his weekends building a cage for my budgerigars, but he never told me. My mother was extremely keen to help me with Student, and wrote articles, gave me pocket money that she could scarcely ...
... thing my father wanted to do was to spend his weekends building a cage for my budgerigars, but he never told me. My mother was extremely keen to help me with Student, and wrote articles, gave me pocket money that she could scarcely ...
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... things, along with perspective and anatomy, which teaches you how to draw.' While I rapidly considered the advantages of becoming an artist, he went on to point out the dangers of 'student power' – which struck a controversial note at ...
... things, along with perspective and anatomy, which teaches you how to draw.' While I rapidly considered the advantages of becoming an artist, he went on to point out the dangers of 'student power' – which struck a controversial note at ...
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Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing ... Richard Branson No preview available - 2011 |
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