I know, it’s such an old book. Finished before the turn of the Millennium, go figure, and I hadn’t read it yet.
I picked up the Audiobook from Audible.com. Despite it taking longer to listen to something than read it, there are a number of notable benefits to this approach:
- You can do it whilst driving (or any other task that requires your hands/eyes).
- You often get to hear the words from the Author’s own mouth.
- Dead time – Doctors surgeries, public transport, bank queues – all great times no longer “wasted.”
- You can associate the audio with other contexts, which makes it easier to recall the information later.
So. I’m hooked. At $15 per month I get 2 books. Which means I get to “read” 24 more books a year on top of those I actually read. 
“Losing my Virginity” is a great book. Like “Business Stripped Bare” it tends to be a bit self-indulgent, but then when you’ve successfully started over 32 business, are personally worth $25b, and have started over 9 >$1b companies; not to mention have circumnavigated the world in a hot air balloon, and crossed the Atlantic ocean faster than anyone else in a boat; I guess you can be a little self-indulgent.
For someone like me, starting their own businesses, I found the book inspirational. Richard’s intuitive understanding of risk, and adoption of a risk profile, is amazing. The number of times he’s faced challenges and taken the decision to “grow” the business, start a new shop, take another opportunity, is incredible. It’s not just a case of “Screw it, let’s do it!” Neither a case of being in the right place at the right time. Nor even, “who you know, rather than what you know.” He combines all of these in varying ratios dependent on the venture.
I have no doubt that his team is crucial to every successful venture, but I also have no doubt that he has a personal tolerance to risk and failure which is far greater than most.
The book certainly holds no punches, for Richard himself, with stories of his schooling, the challenges brought about by his dyslexia, his losing of his actual virginity; working outside the law with Customs and Excise, and the relationship failures he’s been responsible for. It also holds no punches for those who chose to take him on, most notably British Airways. The book ends, rather incongruously, with the winning of Britain’s largest personal libel settlement against BA. It starts with the downing of his Round the World Balloon attempt over the Atlas Mountains.
The successes are there too. And he is certainly gracious to praise those people responsible for these.
I enjoyed the book thoroughly. Whilst I don’t aspire to all of Sir Richards personal values, I am inspired by his success. His skill at creating compelling visions, and, well changing the world. “Losing my Virginity” does give some insight into the actual inflection points, how long you can actually hold on, and just how surmountable the “insurmountable odds are.”
If you’re looking to start a business, this is worth a read. But wait until you’re in dire straits before you read it
If you’ve ever wondered “how the other half” live, this is worth a read.
It’s a great book for the drive to work, or the hammock…
All I need now is for Virgin Equity to fund Faarms 