May 11, 2010 08:37 PM
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If you are looking to know someone who not academically good during his schooling years but good in sports, who actually had a good family upbringing but not depended on them, who was hardworking but yet was flamboyant, who was not rich but became very rich with many brands to his name - it is Richard Branson.
He created Virgin and that too all forms of it.
What makes the book brilliant is his life lived through hard times with many ups and downs. How during his struggle to survive he found ways to grow. How he kept on modifying the ways he did business in order to overcome the daunting challenges. It’s a story of a person who liked adventures and made it a part of his lifestyle enjoying every moment that went into its preparation and the bonding needed for it.
It is fascinating to see someone moving from a student magazine to selling Virgin records to Virgin airlines to Virgin Colas to Virgin satellites to expanding himself for humanitarian work from UK to other countries.
The best parts are the way he moves from one stop to the other. How a postal strike would cause him to think and give him and idea to sell his own records. How phenomenally he would manage it and move on to create his own music stars and make millions. How during the times when cash strapped he resolved to overcome it and expanded further.
The book moves at break neck speed to accommodate the rise of a small student magazine workshop to a huge organization with and within many brands. From a staff of friends and family to huge human resources. How he wins over cases against his adversaries like British Airways and gains a sizable foothold. How from being a student he amasses a fortune in the end. How he owned the Necker Island. His family and the joys they have together. The women in his life, the wine and champagne, the balloons and the record.
