As stated put by the author, Richard Branson writes this book to describe the first forty years of his life. Since it is his life, he has the background and knowledge to write about it. He has the expertise as a sometime journalist and magazine publisher. His talent enables him to communicate in simple basic terms what he does and why he does it. He writes to tell readers about his life without preaching and proposing to others what they should do. He seems to be having a marvelous experience with his life and wants to share the marvels of it with whomever is interested. This is not a how to book, nor is it an egoistic "how I did it" book. This is just Richard writing about his life in simple, understated words completely lacking in pretense.