This book, published in 1998 with an updated copyright in 2004, takes place from 1950 through 2004 and presents an autobiographical record of the first forty-three years of Richard Branson's life. Losing My Virginity is subtitled "How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way. Fun is at the core of Richard's business, the secret of Virgin's success and informs what he does from the beginning.

Written by Richard Branson from daily notes, the book is a subjective, reader-friendly, down to earth simple and straight-forward motivating story of his life. His writing makes the reader feel like he is meeting and learning about the life of a new friend. The paradox of this book is that Richard is an entrepreneurial multi-billionaire who, despite regular balloon and other flights of fancy into the heavens, is planted firmly on earth. Richard is a pragmatic genius who builds a two to three hundred company empire and makes a reader feel like he is more common and approachable than the next-door neighbor.

Richard Branson is larger than life, and the enormity of his contacts, achievements and experiences from just the first forty years of his life may be sufficient content for several books. Regardless, the personality shines forth and reading the book leaves one with the impression that one has met a new friend. The eight pages of photos offer a glimpse into a Branson family album.

Virgin employs over twenty thousand people but is a small company with a big brand comprised of many small companies and ventures, most started from scratch and not bought ready-made. A key goal of Virgin operations is to have two or three hundred separate companies that can stand on their own through the brand that links them. This diversity of Richard's Virgin vision is a proven model that withstands the test of time and circumstances. For example, Virgin Atlantic has the double advantage of separately run airlines with Virgin Express in Brussels and Virgin Blue in Brisbane, Australia. Choice of the name "Virgin" years earlier for the new mail-order record business symbolizes his vision of the Virgin brand. Richard's Virgin vision embraces new and different worlds over and over again like repeatedly losing his virginity.