Book review: Losing My Virginity

Trying hands on everything!

Like many people, I also thought Richard Branson to be a playboy always surrounded by busty girls. I was only able to see the other side of him after reading his autobiography Losing My Virginity.
Branson had a humble beginning. He was born in a middle class family. He was unable to go to university, yet he built one of the biggest corporate groups in the world. Branson currently employs
Branson started his career at the age of 16 when he published a magazine called Student. Without any experience in the publishing and media, he successfully ran the magazine and increased its circulation to 100,000 copies.
After the Student magazine, he established a mail order record company Virgin. A recording studio was established after some time. The simple one-office company later mushroomed into the biggest record company in the world.
The book traces Branson’s life as early as his memory supported him. The writer has not spared any moment of his life from sharing with readers. From having sex with a girl with asthma to wooing someone else’s wife, he has not hidden anything. Very few people in the world have the courage to confess the truth.
Another remarkable thing about this book is that it takes an ordinary reader, with no busniess sense, in to the corporate world where ideas sell for millions. Branson has discussed his business plans in a very candid and humours way. By reading the book, one can easily understand what an entrepreneur really is.
Branson was a dyslexic patient (remember Amir Khan's Taray Zameen Per) and was always scared of numbers. He was very poor in maths. With this type of disability in the childhood and building a corporate group consisting of around 300 companies in 30 countries is nothing short of astonishing success. He has built $ 8 billion worth of companies from scratch. From condoms to colas to the development of alternate fuel, Branson has tried his hands on everything. The book also contains details of his life long battle with the British Airways which wanted to maintain its hegemony over the British airline industry.
I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in business or wants to succeed through hard-work.