Finding My Virginity: The New Autobiography

by Richard Branson

Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli had a look of pure shock on her face as I flew past her. Verbier’s top fitness coach appeared equally confused as he struggled in vain to keep pace with me. Finally, I met Sam near the front and zoomed past him without comment, eventually getting up the hill in twenty-four minutes! When Sam reached the top the best part of an hour later, the only part of my body aching was my face, from grinning too much. Sam looked absolutely knackered, and flabbergasted that his dad had outdone him. After I got him to agree to get me a polka-dot jersey as honorary King of the Mountains, I decided to reveal my secret: I had a special battery-powered bike! With all the sneakiness of a Lance Armstrong, I had hidden it below the Strive branding under my seat. “You bastard!” said Sam, with a giggle.

LOL The electric bike was his secret weapon way to go Richard Branson. We think alike

Just before Christmas 2007, I traveled over to the National Aerospace Training and Research Center in Southampton, Pennsylvania. I had heard all about some people being sick as they were thrown around during centrifuge training, or even passing out from the g-forces. But, having had several adventures in the sky, I was looking forward to it.

Whoa...I will pass!!

When it comes to deals like this, or any negotiations really, the key is to display passion, know-how and determination. Get to the point quickly, be persistent and consistent and don’t rely too heavily on prompts, statistics and certainly not PowerPoint slides. I went into the meeting with my notebook in my back pocket, armed with beautiful spaceship pictures, a lot of enthusiasm and belief in the project. Investors buy into people and ideas, not numbers alone.

As the wind increased to 116 mph, locals told me there hadn’t been such a combination of high winds, rain and freezing temperatures in Mojave for over thirty years. I was worried the spaceship would disappear into the desert along with the tent, or at least be badly damaged, but the team got six buses and RVs to surround SpaceShipTwo, and then we very slowly edged it toward the hangar. Remarkably, the team managed to get her back indoors unscathed, and everyone was OK. I turned to the flushed, astonished faces on the bus. “If there was ever an example of how something can pick up your dreams and throw them up into thin air, this is it!”

Saved just in time!

Most of the future astronauts gathered with us in New Mexico were not celebrities; they were simply people who had always wanted to go to space and were fortunate enough to be able to afford it. We welcome people from all walks of life, people who will be among their countries’ first ever astronauts, families eager to share the experience of a lifetime together, individuals who have looked longingly at the stars since they were kids—anyone who shares our passion for space. We made a point of offering no discounts, whoever was asking, and have only ever offered one free ticket: Professor Stephen Hawking, who is one of my heroes as well as being a pioneer of scientific theory and probably the smartest person alive, happily accepted our invitation. “I wouldn’t mind dying in space, surrounded by the stars. It would be a good way to go!” he told me.

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We hoped the satellites could help enable projects from space-based solar power to more efficient food production and transportation; more effective disaster management to humanitarian assistance. Perhaps most importantly, we hoped to connect many of the billions of people who are still unconnected. As we moved into satellites, increasingly excitable pieces began to appear in the press more frequently. Many declared a new “space race” between me and some fellow entrepreneurs, namely Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, the Amazon and Blue Origin founder. “The Space Race is back in full swing—only this time with tech titans taking on the roles of aeronautic adversaries,” wrote Fortune, while CNBC described the industry as “a game of thrones among three billionaires.”

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can achieve with a talented team, the willingness to take risks, belief in what you are doing and a healthy helping of luck.

This story, in a nutshell, encapsulates the power of social media: a journey that started with a single tweet read on my iPad ended up making a tangible difference in people’s lives.

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Rather than slave over a spreadsheet, why not write a blog and turn your pitch into a story? Humans communicate through stories; it’s how we make sense of our surroundings, ourselves and our place in the world.

In fact, put down this book (for a moment!) and tweet me a question using #askrichard—I’ll try to answer it.

I love going to watch the world’s greatest tennis players battle it out on major occasions like Wimbledon and the US Open. I always look forward to visiting SW19, though usually fall foul of their rule-making. I had to borrow a tie a few years ago just to get into the Royal Box (since being knighted I am invited every year). As I’ve mentioned, as a rule I always avoid ties, but as I was Martina Navratilova’s guest on this occasion I had to tie the dreaded knot around my neck.

My favorite sport!

He taught me how to get people’s attention and affection through stories, how to see the humor in everything, how to wear my heart on my sleeve. Most of all, he taught me what it means to be a father and a man. Together with my mum, he showed me why it is so important to put others before yourself, and why it is crucial to live every day as if it is your last.

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The torrential rain mingled with tears running down my face, but as soon as we were certain everyone had escaped unharmed, all I felt was overwhelming relief. There was nothing we could do for the building: being on a remote island in the middle of a tropical storm, it was no easy task for the fire service to make the dangerous crossing to Necker. Plus, with so much of the Great House built of wood, the fire rapidly consumed it.

I kept thinking back to my dad. If he hadn’t had that conversation with Jack, it’s quite likely everybody would have died. He was certainly watching over us. I don’t believe that everything happens for a reason. But I do believe that, whatever happens, you can learn from it and create something really positive. Better things can come out of adversity. Like a phoenix from the flames, I was sure the Great House would rise up again even more beautiful than before.

I spent forty years working around the clock in the UK to build businesses that have transformed industries, created greater competition and choice for consumers and, hopefully, put a smile on people’s faces along the way. These companies have created tens of thousands of jobs, paid hundreds of millions in taxes—and will continue to do so.

she pitched her vision of a new kind of modeling agency run in a more entrepreneurial way. Rather than joining the treadmill of competing agencies, she would focus upon nurturing young talent, managing them all the way through the trials and tribulations of a tough industry and helping them move into other exciting areas after modeling.

She surrounds herself with friends she trusts, who have been around for a long time, and are very loyal. It’s a model that works for Virgin, too.

People often ask me what it is really like living on Necker, and I have never been shy about sharing. For the first time, I decided to open up Necker to the BBC for a special documentary, Billionaire’s Paradise: Inside Necker Island. While I try to share what life is like here every day, the program promised to open up more about our staff and guests’ experiences. The crew had complete access to all areas of the island and we had no editorial control.

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I want to continue my active, creative lifestyle, where I can work, play tennis, kitesurf, swim and relax. I’ve traveled all over the world, from Mallorca to Australia, Tahiti to Bali, Bora Bora to Hawaii, and never found anything remotely as magical as Necker Island. As a Monopoly player, the

The wildlife of Necker spurs me on to support the conservation of all species. My definition of a sin is for humans to allow a species to die out. Animals cannot speak for themselves—it is up to all of us to protect them and their habitats. This is why we’ve tried to make Necker a real Garden of Eden. Our house is surrounded by huge iguanas, which are very friendly, but sometimes terrify the guests. I have to make it clear they are vegetarian. I get into traffic jams with giant tortoises and have to abandon my golf buggy and wait for them to cross the road.

Magnificent!

As an entrepreneur you are better equipped than anyone to question things, listen and learn and ultimately make a call. But there is always another company—there is not another wife, son or daughter. It doesn’t matter how much money you earn; nothing is worth more than your family’s health. The horrible feeling that I could have lost my partner made me realize, if I ever needed reminding, how much I love her and how much I appreciate having her around.

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I think the key to lasting love is listening, making sure you act upon your feelings and giving your partner the enormous respect they deserve.

The strategy of consolidating our businesses into the key areas in which we knew the brand worked best—travel, finance, health and wellness, telecoms—was paying dividends, but I still felt like there was so much to do. Whether it was expanding our nonprofit efforts or getting to space with Virgin Galactic,

I thought the solution was simple: mentorship, which had been essential for me, from my mum’s support to Freddie Laker’s. Getting advice on how best to achieve goals, overcome obstacles and outmaneuver competition is often the missing link between a promising businessperson and a successful one. Plus, it’s always good to have someone to talk to.

Moments like these really got me interested in microfinance, and how just giving people a little bit of a leg up can make a huge difference. I

The Branson Centres of Entrepreneurship, based in South Africa, the Caribbean, and online, are a great example. We give entrepreneurs guidance, connections and opportunities through our peer and partnership network and have helped thousands of entrepreneurs to become a force for good and stand on their own feet.

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I mentioned our ideas in a letter to David Cameron. “With more than one million 16–24-year-olds out of work and the numbers rising, I am sure you are looking for every way to tackle this problem and prevent the creation of a jobless generation,” I wrote. “Too many young entrepreneurs struggle to get small amounts of money to start a business, and yet young people can access loans to study a degree in Business Studies. “Together with Virgin Media Pioneers, I think Government should re-purpose part of the Student Loans as the Youth Investment Fund, and make lower rate loans available as start-up capital for young entrepreneurs.

Valid point...

I started casting around the Virgin Group trying to work out how best we could help. After Virgin Media had done lots of the groundwork with the initial research, Virgin Unite and Virgin Money now partnered with the Northern Rock Foundation and Project North East to form a consortium in the delivery of StartUp Loans. As a Delivery Partner for the scheme, we began handing out loans to young entrepreneurs in sectors ranging from tech to textiles.

I got my chance when I was in London to speak about entrepreneurship and innovation at the G8 Innovation Conference.

Whenever you are setting up a new project, the most important thing is to surround yourself with people who are better than yourself, have different skills and a healthy combination of enthusiasm and experience. For

The development of Virgin StartUp Loans wasn’t my only attempt to help budding entrepreneurs. The previous year, we had set up Pitch To Rich, our annual competition to find the best and most innovative entrepreneurs in the UK. Thousands of people sent in one-minute video pitches, the best became finalists and were invited to my children’s home in Oxford.

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In Pitch To Rich, entrants have the chance to win investment from us, plus mentoring, legal, branding, networking and marketing advice. It was born out of Virgin Media Pioneers, which helped to kick-start, among others, Jamal Edwards’ career.

Keep it short, sharp and picture-perfect.” Dan Watson won with his potentially revolutionary SafetyNet invention. It supports sustainable fishing by allowing unmarketable fish to escape fishermen’s nets. Since then, Dan has gone on to win the annual James Dyson Award for inventors. By 2016, Pitch To Rich had morphed into VOOM, the UK and Ireland’s biggest and most valuable pitch competition, with more than £1 million of prizes on offer. As the posters said: “I’ve got 99 problems but a pitch ain’t one!”

The key enterprising skills I used when first starting out are the very same ones I use today: the art of delegation, risk-taking, surrounding yourself with a great team and working on projects you really believe in.

The best-known example of this groupthink competitive advantage is in Silicon Valley, where most of the world’s brightest tech talents have gathered for the past decade. With companies from Google to Apple and Facebook to Twitter all operating within the same geographical boundaries, the atmosphere of innovation on the West Coast is tangible. I have long believed the UK is floundering behind the US and elsewhere when it comes to technology, and the lack of a principal hub to nurture the undoubted British talent is one of the main reasons why.

Totally!

“Have you got any inspirational words for us?” It’s not easy to be “inspirational” on demand, but thankfully I had a Dr. Muhammad Yunus quote stuck in my head: “All human beings are born as entrepreneurs. But unfortunately, many of us never had the opportunity to unwrap that part of our life, so it remains hidden.” Now, as you do have the opportunity, don’t waste it.

It may be controversial to say it but there is no job more important than being an entrepreneur. When you analyze everything about the world and all the improvements that get made, almost without exception it is an entrepreneur that has made them. It might be an entrepreneurial doctor, or architect, or artist—anything. The world is improving day by day, week by week and year by year at an extraordinary rate, thanks to entrepreneurs in every single profession. The number of people being pulled out of poverty globally is amazing, fewer people are starving and more people are working. Fortunately, that means even if there are rotten governments in place; yes, they can do harm but considerably less in a world made up of hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs.

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Plus research indicates every £1 loaned to a start-up business is worth £3 to the economy. A huge positive of the scheme is that 41 percent of our recipients are female, which is great news when you consider that only 19 percent of UK entrepreneurs are women. Virgin StartUp is also proving an excellent channel for previously unemployed people—nearly 20 percent were not working before they launched their businesses with our loans.

Fantastic!

We redefined our focus on changing business for good, investing in five core consumer sectors: travel and leisure, telecoms and media, music and entertainment, financial services and health and wellness.

Five core areas

“If Scotland left Great Britain it would be an absolute disaster.” So much for staying neutral!

Two of my favorite things are taking calculated risks and helping to grow businesses.

Jonno Elliott and our investment team find innovative businesses at early stages and we take relatively small stakes to support their growth. The portfolio of more than thirty-five companies is always growing in areas ranging from health to education, technology to financial services. I am as inquisitive as ever, and believe if you have resources you should use them well.

While business may have changed from when I started out, the principles are the same and still fit what I am good at: finding markets that need shaking up, coming up with ways to make people’s lives better, then finding brilliant people to bring it to life. Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. I know I’d find a gap in the market somewhere.

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My friend Elon Musk notoriously told Management Today in 2014 (though he’s since assured me he was misquoted!) that I lack practical technological skills: “I like Richard and I think he’s doing some cool things. But technology is not really his whack.” To a degree, he was right. We have very different brains, which is part of the reason we get on so well. He has a lot more technical knowledge than me and is very detail-focused, while I think in broader strokes. We’d probably make a good team. As I once joked while he was holidaying on Necker: “If you don’t have your own ventures one day, you’re welcome to come and run one of mine—just brush up on your people skills.”

Whoa Elon Musk spent time at Necker Island with Branson! Exciting...

Now, it’s absolutely critical to keep that early hunger I had. I mustn’t get complacent; I’ve still got to be fleet of foot and quick to jump upon opportunities. There is a danger Virgin could become too risk-averse without me. It is easier for me, as the founder, to be risky. When you’re CEO or a board member, it is more difficult, as you are playing with somebody else’s money.

After all, no one should have a monopoly on your love. My virile, young planes are yearning for your runways. You make my heart soar to the highest heights, and my fares drop to the lowest lows. You have the window seat to my heart, kitten. It’s time to let our love take flight, no matter how hard they try to keep us apart. Your sweetheart, Richard.”

Hilarious...

It proved once again that having the facts on your side is one thing, but telling a great story with just enough charm and chutzpah can make all the difference.

Rick “CJ” Sturckow had been in the chase plane following the spaceship. He had the best view of SpaceShipTwo’s breakup, but couldn’t be certain what had happened. He told us that one pilot’s parachute had definitely opened—later we learned it was Pete Siebold’s—and he had followed it down, praying the pilot was alive. Pete had been thrown out of the spaceship still strapped to his seat as it broke up around him, and somehow floated free of the falling debris. He fell for 25,000 feet, unconscious as he tumbled through the sky. Shaking himself awake, he had the presence of mind to unstrap himself, flying free of the seat, which automatically opened his parachute.

Omg....

It quickly became clear that our worst fears had been realized—co-pilot Mike Alsbury had not survived the accident. It was believed he had been killed instantly inside the spaceship as it broke apart, and was still strapped into his seat when he was found on the desert floor. Everyone looked around at each other, inconsolable at the news.

DEATH

Time magazine wrote it was “angry, even disgusted” with me personally and claimed, that “a Virgin crash always seemed troublingly likely.” They called me “a man driven by too much hubris, too much hucksterism and too little knowledge of the head-crackingly complex business of engineering.” (I’m no rocket scientist and have never pretended to be—but I have hired the world’s finest.) A month earlier, the Daily Mail proudly displayed the headline “The only thing Branson has fired into space is his ego;” now they really went for the jugular. One of the problems with this coverage was that, even as new evidence emerged, the initial falsities remained in the public consciousness.

Wow!