Throughout my life I have achieved many remarkable things. In Screw It, Let's Do It, I will share with you my ideas and the secrets of my success, but not simply because I hope they'll help you achieve your individual goals. Today we are increasingly aware of the effects of our actions on the environment, and I strongly believe that we each have a responsibility, as individuals and organisations, to do no harm. I will draw on Gaia Capitalism to explain why we need to take stock of how we may be damaging the environment, and why it is up to big companies like Virgin to lead the way in a more holistic approach to business. In Screw It, Let's Do It I'll be looking forwards to the future. A lot has changed since I founded Virgin in 1968, and I'll explain how I intend to take my business and my ideas to the next level and the new and exciting areas - such as launching Virgin Fuels - into which Virgin is currently moving. But I have also brought together all the important lessons, good advice and inspirational adages that have helped me along the road to success. Ironically, I have never been one to do things by the book, but I have been inspired and influenced by many remarkable people. I hope that you too might find a little inspiration between these pages.

Con el estilo descomplicado, directo y fresco que lo caracteriza, Richard Branson comparte los secretos que lo convirtieron en uno de los empresarios de mayor reconocimiento y en un icono para los emprendedores. Para el, autonomia, libertad, apoyo y flexibilidad son claves para lograr que cada una de las personas en su organizacion, sin importar el cargo, ponga todo su empeno en lograr metas extraordinarias al tiempo que gozan cada minuto de sus actividades. Su filosofia de vida ha sido divertirse mientras persigue sus retos (asi parezcan disparates para los demas), no rendirse si fracasa ni dormirse en los laureles: un espiritu que ha contagiado a los cerca de 50,000 colaboradores de Virgin en todo el mundo y que lo ha convertido en un lider unico y admirado.

"Oh, screw it, let's do it."
That's the philosophy that has allowed Richard Branson, in slightly more than twenty-five years, to spawn so many successful ventures. From the airline business (Virgin Atlantic Airways), to music (Virgin Records and V2), to cola (Virgin Cola), to retail (Virgin Megastores), and nearly a hundred others, ranging from financial services to bridal wear, Branson has a track record second to none.
Losing My Virginity is the unusual, frequently outrageous autobiography of one of the great business geniuses of our time. When Richard Branson started his first business, he and his friends decided that "since we're complete virgins at business, let's call it just that: Virgin." Since then, 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.
Many of Richard Branson's companies--airlines, retailing, and cola are good examples--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.
And in this stressed-out, overworked age, Richard Branson gives us a new model: a dynamic, hardworking, successful entrepreneur who lives life to the fullest. Family, friends, fun, and adventure are equally important as business in Branson's life. Losing My Virginity is a portrait of a productive, sane, balanced life, filled with rich and colorful stories:
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
Selling Virgin Records to save Virgin Atlantic
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.
Also available in the UK from Virgin Publishing, and in Canada from General Publishing,

"From the Hardcover edition."

“Having come close to dying over the Atlas Mountains, I thought that I should write this book now, in case my guardian angel ever deserts me. I also realised that my children, Holly and Sam, who are still young, would not really know what I had done and why I had done it. So this autobiography is for Holly and Sam, the best thing I’ve created in the last eighteen years (though I can’t take all the credit). But most especially for their mother, my wife Joan, who’s seen me through most of the highs and lows.

I have also written this book to show how we made Virgin what it is today. Rather like our balloon flights, these years have been all about survival. If you listen carefully you will, I hope, understand our vision and where we are going.”

“Branson grabs you on page one and never lets go. His story is compelling and would be a classic ‘how to’ lesson for life, if you had the will to follow his example. He’s larger than life and it shows”
LORD HANSON, 'The Spectator'

“This is an incredible autobiography – a great read – sex, balloons, intrigue and money”
SUNDAY BUSINESS

PAPERBACK EDITION FULLY UPDATED WITH FOUR NEW CHAPTERS After creating more than a dozen billion-dollar businesses from scratch and breaking scores of world records, wouldn't you think you'd done it all? Not Sir Richard Branson. Having brought the Virgin brand to all corners of the globe, he's now reached out to the stars by flying to space with Virgin Galactic. In this non-stop memoir, Richard takes you inside his whirlwind life: from reinventing his companies in the midst of financial crises and devastating personal losses, to tackling the planet's biggest challenges, to the joys of becoming a 'grand-dude' at 64, to leading his companies through the Covid-19 pandemic and achieving the impossible with Virgin Galactic. Discover the irrepressible spirit, ingenious vision and relentless drive that has made Richard the ultimate entrepreneur. The iconoclastic Virgin founder is still changing the world - and beyond.

Businesses today need to balance the pursuit of profit with the needs of growing numbers of people on a planet under pressure. While sustainability programs, government action, and nonprofits are all parts of the solution, a growing contingent of forward-looking leaders recognizes the real challenge: a fundamental shift in the nature of commerce. CEOs and other leaders must focus the practice of business on social, environmental, and economic benefit--not only because it will make the world a better place, but because it will ensure lasting profitability and success in the business climate of tomorrow.

"The Breakthrough Challenge "is an inspiring call-to-action and guide for this transformation, based on the work of the B Team, a major initiative uniting leaders in sustainability. As founding members of the B Team, John Elkington and Jochen Zeitz map out their agenda for change. The most important goal for businesses must be redefining the bottom line to account for true long-term costs throughout the supply chain. To achieve this, leaders must rethink everything: what counts on balance sheets, how to incentive performance, who does what in the C-suite, and even what inspires us. "The Breakthrough Challenge" draws on over 100 exclusive interviews to show this shift in action, sharing the pioneering work of leaders such as Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever; Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of "The Huffington Post; "Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chairman of the Nestle Group; Linda Fisher, pioneering Chief Sustainability Officer at DuPont; among many others.Change-as-usual strategies are not enough to move business from breakdowns to breakthroughs. "The Breakthrough Challenge" shows leaders how to achieve a true transformation and refocus the definition of profitability on the lasting wellbeing of people and planet--for the lasting success of their business.

In September 2012, a YOUGOV poll conducted in Britain found that the person British workers would most like as their manager was Sir Richard Branson. With over 40 years in business, Richard Branson is an inspiring pioneer of humanitarian projects and an iconic business leader. In The Virgin Way: How to Listen, Learn, Laugh and Lead, Richard shares and distils his secrets of leadership and success. Featuring anecdotes from his own business dealings, as well as his observations of many others who have inspired him - from politicians, business leaders, explorers, scientists and philanthropists - Richard reflects on the qualities he feels are essential for success in today's world. This is not a conventional book on leadership. There are no rules - but rather the secrets of leadership that he has learned along the way from his days at Virgin Records, to his recent work with The Elders. Whether you're at the beginning of your career, or head of a Fortune 500 company - this is your guide to being your own CEO (Chief Enabling Officer) and becoming a true leader - not just a boss.

Afterword by Professor Stephen Hawking "Reads like a thriller - and reveals many secrets... one of the great entrepreneurial stories of our time" (Washington Post) From the age of eight, when he watched Apollo 11 land on the Moon, Peter Diamandis's singular goal was to get to space. When he realized NASA was winding down manned space flight, he set out on one of the great entrepreneurial adventure stories of our time. If the government wouldn't send him to space, he would create a private space flight industry himself. In the 1990s, this idea was the stuff of science fiction. Undaunted, Diamandis found inspiration in the golden age of aviation. He discovered that Charles Lindbergh made his transatlantic flight to win a $25,000 prize. The flight made Lindbergh the most famous man on earth and galvanized the airline industry. Why, Diamandis thought, couldn't the same be done for space flight? The story of the bullet-shaped SpaceShipOne, and the other teams in the hunt for a $10 million prize is an extraordinary tale of making the impossible possible. In the end, as Diamandis dreamed, the result wasn't just a victory for one team; it was the foundation for a new industry.

Looking for advice on setting up your own company, improving your career prospects, or developing your leadership skills? Why not ask Richard Branson? In Like a Virgin: Secrets They Won't Teach You in Business School, Richard distils and shares the wisdom and experience that have made him one of the world's most recognised and respected entrepreneurs. From his 'Top 5 secrets of Business Success', to hard hitting discussions about the global financial crisis, this book brings together his best advice on all things business. It's business school, the Branson way.

'Doing good can help improve your prospects, your profits, and your business; and it can change the world. We must change the way we do business' - Richard Branson Can we bring more meaning to our lives and help change the world at the same time? In Screw Business as Usual, Richard Branson at his brilliant and motivating best, shares some fascinating and inspiring stories about the people who are already leading the way in transforming business into a force for good, for people and for the planet. Reflecting on some of his own experiences, and those of the Virgin Group, he also shares his new vision for the future and describes how businesses can help create a more prosperous world for everyone. It's time to turn capitalism upside down - to shift our values, to switch from a just profit focus to caring for people, communities and the world and to turn our work into something we both love and are proud of. It's time to Screw Business as Usual.

Richard Branson is an iconic businessman. In Screw It, Let's Do It, he shares the secrets of his success and the invaluable lessons he has learned over the course of his remarkable career. As the world struggles with the twin problems of global recession and climate change, Richard explains why it is up to big companies like Virgin to lead the way in finding a more holistic and environmentally friendly approach to business. He also looks to the future and shares his plans for taking his business and his ideas to the next level. Richard reveals the new and exciting areas into which Virgin is currently moving, including biofuels and space travel, and brings together all the important lessons, good advice and inspirational adages that have helped him along the road to success. This is a fantastic motivational business book that will help every reader achieve their own dreams.

The biggest business publication of 2009 -- Branson's business secrets now in paperback.
In Business Stripped Bare, Sir Richard Branson shares the inside track on his life in business and reveals the incredible truth about his most risky, brilliant and audacious deals. Discover why Virgin tried to take on one of the world's biggest superbrands, how Virgin Mobile USA holds the record as the fastest company in history to generate revenues of over one billion dollars (faster than Microsoft, Google and Amazon) and how Richard is the only person in the world to have built eight billion-dollar companies from scratch in eight different sectors.
Combining invaluable advice with the remarkable and candid inside stories of Virgin's greatest achievements, as well as some of its setbacks, Business Stripped Bare is a dynamic, inspirational and truly original guide to success in business and in life. Whether you are an executive, an entrepreneur or are just starting out, Richard strips business down to show how you can succeed and make a difference.

"The brave may not live forever-but the cautious do not live at all " -Sir Richard Branson
Richard Branson is an iconic entrepreneur and the founder of Virgin Airways, Virgin Records, and many other Virgin businesses around the world. Now he shares the inside track on his life in business and reveals the incredible truth about his most risky, brilliant, and audacious deals. Combining invaluable advice with remarkable, and candid stories of Virgin's greatest achievements, as well as some of its setbacks, this is a dynamic, inspirational, and truly original guide.
Whether you are an executive, an entrepreneur, or are just starting out, Branson strips business down to show how you can succeed and make a difference.

23 very well-known people from the arts, sport, and business worlds talk about how dyslexia affected their childhood, how they were able to overcome the challenges and use the special strengths of dyslexia to achieve great success in adulthood. Darcey Bussell CBE, Eddie Izzard, Sir Richard Branson, Meg Mathews, Zoe Wanamaker CBE, Richard Rogers, Benjamin Zephaniah, Steven Naismith, Lynda La Plante CBE, Sir Jackie Stewart OBE, Sophie Conran and others share their stories, and their advice. All reveal the enormous difficulties they faced, the strength required to overcome them, the crucial importance of adult support, and how `the different way the brain is wired' in dyslexia has enabled them to see something different in the world and to use their creativity in an exceptional way. They talk about `thinking sideways', and the ability to look at a bigger picture, the often strong visual strength, and the ability to listen, and to grasp simplicity where other people see only complexity. They also talk about how dyslexia continues to challenge them, and the ways they have found to work around this. An introduction, and final section that includes practical information about dyslexia, are written with the support of Dyslexia Action, and a percentage of profit from the book is going to The British Dyslexia Association. The book will be essential reading for teachers and other professionals, and for families affected by dyslexia, and inspirational for people with dyslexia.

"Oh, screw it, let's do it."
That's the philosophy that has allowed Richard Branson, in slightly more than twenty-five years, to spawn so many successful ventures. From the airline business (Virgin Atlantic Airways), to music (Virgin Records and V2), to cola (Virgin Cola), to retail (Virgin Megastores), and nearly a hundred others, ranging from financial services to bridal wear, Branson has a track record second to none.
Losing My Virginity is the unusual, frequently outrageous autobiography of one of the great business geniuses of our time. When Richard Branson started his first business, he and his friends decided that "since we're complete virgins at business, let's call it just that: Virgin." Since then, 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.
Many of Richard Branson's companies--airlines, retailing, and cola are good examples--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.
And in this stressed-out, overworked age, Richard Branson gives us a new model: a dynamic, hardworking, successful entrepreneur who lives life to the fullest. Family, friends, fun, and adventure are equally important as business in Branson's life. Losing My Virginity is a portrait of a productive, sane, balanced life, filled with rich and colorful stories:
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
Selling Virgin Records to save Virgin Atlantic
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.
Also available in the UK from Virgin Publishing, and in Canada from General Publishing,

"From the Hardcover edition."

How does globalisation affect our economy and how did it cause the financial melt-down? In this unique book twelve global thinkers and business people, including global entrepreneur Richard Branson ("Losing My Viriginity"), give their compelling views on the threats and opportunities that lie ahead. Included among the contributors are Jim O'Neill head of Goldman Sachs research who coined the phrase BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries; Peter Jones of BBC Draggon's Den; and, Minister for Business Lord Mandelson, Clare Short, alternative globalisation expert and eco-feminist Vandana Shiva (Earth Democracy), and 2006 Nobel Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus (Banker to the Poor).

This is a book on leadership from someone who has never read a book on leadership in his life.

While building the Virgin Group over the course of forty years, Richard Branson has never shied away from tackling seemingly outlandish challenges that others (including his own colleagues on many occasions) considered sheer lunacy. He has taken on giants like British Airways and won, and monsters like Coca-Cola and lost.

Now Branson gives an inside look at his strikingly different, swashbuckling style of leadership. Learn how fun, family, passion, and the dying art of listening are key components to what his extended family of employees around the world has always dubbed (with a wink) "the Virgin Way."

This unique perspective comes from a man who dropped out of school at sixteen, suffers from dyslexia, and has never worked for anyone but himself. He may be famous for thinking outside the box an expression he despises but Branson asserts that "you ll never have to think outside the box if you refuse to let anyone build one around you.

PAPERBACK EDITION FULLY UPDATED WITH TWO NEW CHAPTERS After creating 12 different billion-dollar businesses and breaking dozens of world records, wouldn't you think you'd done it all? Not Sir Richard Branson. Having brought the Virgin brand to all corners of the globe, he's now reaching out to the stars as he prepares to launch commercial space travel with Virgin Galactic. In this non-stop memoir, Richard takes you inside his whirlwind life: from reinventing his companies in the midst of the financial crisis and devastating personal losses, to tackling the planet's biggest challenges, to the joys of becoming a 'grand-dude' at 64.Discover the irrepressible spirit, ingenious vision and relentless drive that has made Richard the ultimate entrepreneur. The iconoclastic Virgin founder is still changing the world. Next comes outer space.