T H E I N T E R N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R

LOSING MY

VIRGINITY

How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune

Doing Business My Way

SIR RICHARD BRANSON

Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson Virgin Founder Autobiography — page 2

"Screw it, let's do it."

Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson Virgin Founder Autobiography — page 3

Contents

Prologue: The View from the Edge

Chapter 1: The Headmaster’s Prediction

Chapter 2: The Sound of Success

Chapter 3: Taking on the Goliaths

Chapter 4: Screwing It and Doing It

Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson Virgin Founder Autobiography — page 4

INTRODUCTION

Prologue: The View from the

Edge

have always believed that life is for living. As I look back on the

path that led from a small basement in London to the edge of

space, I realize that my journey hasn't been about building a

conglomerate—it's been about the thrill of the challenge and the people

who shared it with me.

This is my story of how I survived, had fun, and made a fortune doing

business my way.

Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson Virgin Founder Autobiography — page 5

PART 1

Chapter 1: The Headmaster’s

Prediction

rowing up, I was the boy who couldn't read the blackboard.

Dyslexia made school a nightmare of confusion, but my

mother, Eve, never let me wallow. She once dropped me off

miles from home and told me to find my own way back. It wasn't

cruelty; it was a lesson in self-reliance that would save my life more

than once.

My headmaster at Stowe, Robert Drayson, gave me a choice on my final

day: 'Congratulations, Branson. I predict that you will either go to

prison or become a millionaire.' I spent the next several decades trying

to ensure it was the latter, though there were moments when both

seemed equally likely.

At sixteen, I left school to start 'Student' magazine. I had no money, but

I had a phone box and a dream of giving youth a voice. When we

decided to name the company 'Virgin,' it was because we were exactly

that—virgins in business, ready to disrupt everything.

Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson Virgin Founder Autobiography — page 6

PART 2

Chapter 2: The Sound of

Success

irgin Records started because I wanted to buy records cheaper.

What began as a mail-order business quickly grew into a shop

on Oxford Street. But I didn't just want to sell records; I wanted

to make them. I bought a run-down estate called The Manor and turned

it into a studio.

Our first signing was Mike Oldfield, a quiet, brilliant kid with a demo

called 'Tubular Bells.' Everyone else had turned him down. When the

album became a global hit, it gave us the foundation to sign the bands

no one else would touch—like the Sex Pistols. We were the rebels of the

music industry, and we loved every minute of it.

Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson Virgin Founder Autobiography — page 7

PART 3

Chapter 3: Taking on the

Goliaths

hen I decided to start an airline, my partners thought I’d

lost my mind. I had one second-hand Boeing 747 and zero

experience in aviation. But British Airways was stagnant and

arrogant, and I knew we could do better. We offered massages, seat-back

screens, and—most importantly—a smile.

BA didn't take kindly to the competition. They launched a 'Dirty Tricks'

campaign against us, trying to crush Virgin Atlantic before it could take

off. We sued them for libel and won. I took the record damages and

gave them to our staff as a 'BA Bonus.' It was a sweet victory, but to keep

the airline flying, I eventually had to sell my first love—Virgin Records

—to EMI. I cried that day, but I knew I had to protect our people and

our future.

Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson Virgin Founder Autobiography — page 8

I’

PART 4

Chapter 4: Screwing It and

Doing It

ve always seen my world-record attempts as an extension of my

business philosophy. If you aren't living on the edge, you’re

taking up too much space. Whether it was racing across the

Atlantic in a speedboat or nearly dying in a balloon over the Pacific,

those moments of pure adrenaline taught me that the impossible is

usually just something that hasn't been done yet.

That same spirit led us to Virgin Galactic. People said space was for

governments and billionaires. I wanted it to be for everyone. We’ve

faced tragedy and setbacks that broke my heart, but we never stopped

looking up. Because at the end of the day, if you aren't dreaming big,

you aren't really living.

Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson Virgin Founder Autobiography

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