"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.
Chief, the NuriaStore bookseller –
HOW RAILA ESCAPED EXECUTION:
A US embassy official, Mr Allan Eastham, told RAILA that they had intelligence indicating that the government was in advance stages of preparing his execution, he told him that the impending arrest was not to be an ordinary arrest but rather .. an arrest that would cause him bodily harm if not lead to his death, he advised him to be safe and careful.
The police raided his offices at Agip house but missed him since he had gone to Orengo’s office within the same building, a team of Lawyers led by Mrs Karua were called in to witness the siege, this foiled the raid and the police called it a day promising to keep the hunt.After a night in Orengo’s house, Nyong’o, RAILA and Orengo felt that the house was also not safe, they had to find a safer place to hide Raila from the state.
They made a decision to take him Dr kituyi house, Nyong’o drove him to his new home,RAILA stayed with Dr Kituyi family for a week while the special branch hunted down for him. On the first night at Kituyi home, the police raided his house in Kileleshwa.Ida having been used to the battle refused to open the door, insisting Raila was not home, she pretended to be searching for keys while in fact she was calling the press.
She asked the watchman to count the officers in the compound, when he reached 17, he was beaten to black out.After a week, the time to move RAILA to another location came, Kituyi’s wife, Mrs Ling was charged with the responsibility of driving him to the US embassy.
She changed RAILA beards, fixed him with glasses & a wig, she sat him behind while Dr Kituyi following closely with Nyong’oThe trip to the embassy was successful but they refused to host him for fear of crossing President Moi path.
From the embassy Nyong’o and Muite drove Raila to Loresho where he stayed with Jalang’o Onyango for a week as they crafted the next course of action.The Catholic church took the issue of Raila a week later, he moved to his sister in law house to meet his children and promised them that he’ll never go back to Detention.
A white American nun and father Opiyo got RAILA out of Nairobi.They dressed Raila as a priest, gave him glasses and shaved his head clean, RAILA became a completely different person after the changes, sitting at the back, RAILA read newspapers as they passed the numerous roadblocks mounted on the road by the police.When they reached the catholic station in Kisumu, they booked RAILA under the name Father Augustine from Machakos, he was later transferred to Rang’ala mission station and was booked under the same name.
His father sent a car to pick him.At 4 pm, RAILA ODINGA was moved to Olago Beach where he was to be smuggled out of the country through the lake, he boarded the diesel-powered boat and began his voyage to Uganda, they passed by Ndeda Island to pick up some passengers and left for Uganda at 8pm.After 2 hrs, Hezron Orori, the navigator announced that they were in Uganda, a heavy storm hit the lake later & Orori wife began to shiver, Raila lent her his jacket & faced the unforgiving cold himself, he turned to a bottle of Vodka given to him by a friend to get some warmth.
He spent the night at Sigulu. With the help of sympathetic Kenyans and Tanzanians living in Uganda, he acquired Ugandan papers, but changed his name to Joseph Ojiwa Wadenya.Once in Kampala, he was hosted by one of his friends who worked in his company, the friend reported his arrival to UNHCR, the UNHCR advised Raila to remain underground since the Kenyan government had sent special officers to kidnap him and send him back home.
To be moved out of Uganda, RAILA had to be disguised once more, Ahmed Sayyid Farah, a Somali national who was the UNHCR country representative in Uganda decided that they were not going to take chances.
Farah got RAILA ODINGA a kanzu with a fez and a jacket similar to those of Uganda Muslims to wear. His name was also changed from Wadenya to Haji Omar, going to mecca for pilgrimage, when he reached Oslo not even his blood sisters who waiting for him could recognize him