Nothing but the best

You may have read that I'm selling my Virgin Active chain of fitness centres. I recently concurred with my advisor's recommendation to have Goldman Sachs lead the banking end of the deal. They're top-tier bankers. Until I manage to get around to starting my own Investment Bank, they're the ones I prefer to deal with for my deals. Nothing but the best for my companies. (Especially when the cash is coming back to me!)

Bob Rubin was the Treasury Secretary during Bill Clinton's administration, and he's one of the legendary GS lads... so I figure I can't go wrong.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Northern Rock, part 2...

You've all probably heard the news by now... Virgin is the preferred buyer of Northern Rock. As I wrote nearly a month ago, "Virgin's coming."

There are plenty of things that could still potentially go wrong, but Virgin's committed to turning Northern Rock around without firing everyone and ruining the business or industry.

We're still debating how to brand the business... I've been a fan of Virgin Rocks, but my advisors say there might be confusion about whether that would refer to Rock-and-Roll, my upcoming line of stores for geologists, or just a statement of the obvious.

I'll keep you all updated on progress. Now back to my conference in paradise...

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Conference

Hello, everyone. For the Americans out there, I hope you had a good Thanksgiving holiday. (Remember you can work those extra calories off at Virgin Active!)

I was trying to keep this quiet, but some jackass posted about it on the internet, so I can't any longer.

I'm hosting a very exclusive conference for CEO's at my Necker Island paradise. It's a time where I can get a group of high-powered visionaries like myself around my big dining room table and talk about important stuff. Unfortunately, so many of these other CEOs came from consulting backgrounds, so they don't actually know how to do anything. They're great on the vision thing, but most have no idea how their products or companies work. Oh, well... that's what I'm there for, to teach them about real people.

Anyway, I'll try to keep you updated on details, but no guarantees.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Still waiting...

As I mentioned to the reporter here, while I've got a few of the big new Airbus planes on order, they're not really big enough. I'm trying to press them to build their 900-seat version of the plane as quickly as they can.

You may start criticising me saying, "Whoa, Sir Dick, isn't that contributing to even MORE global warming??"

NO.

People are going to fly where they want to fly. But I can tell you for sure that one 900-person airplane flight from London to San Francisco uses up less fuel (and creates less CO2) than two 450-person airplane flights on the same route. So by using these huge planes on key routes, we are actually reducing environmental damage.

Or at least that's what my advisors are telling me....

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

You're welcome, America

I've done a good job promoting Virgin America. We got some good photos with Kyla (the fit bird that Southwest wouldn't let fly), I had a good interview with another beautiful young lass, and I got into a water fight with Stephen Colbert that made for some good publicity.

So you know about Virgin America now, but how can I get you all to really want to fly on my airline? Easy... incredibly cheap ticket prices!

Go to virginamerica.com and click on "Priced to Fly." These are the kind of deals you'll be getting:

$39 one-way between San Francisco and Los Angeles
$39 one-way between San Francisco and Las Vegas
$119 one-way between Washington, D.C. and San Francisco
$39 one-way between San Francisco and San Diego
$109 one-way between Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles
$129 one-way between New York and San Francisco

I'm sorry if you don't live or need to go to one of those cities... we're still working on the rest of your country.

But for those of you that fly those routes... you're welcome.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

This guy is a twat

This guy's website is using his 5-day stay at my little paradise to help convince you to listen to his "podcast."

What a twat.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Another fan

So I guess that TED conference was a great thing to do. Of course, I did get the full 30-minute interview, instead of the 18-minute talk that the normal speakers get. But then again, I'm more of a successful businessman than 99% of the people invited to that conference, anyway.

Here's yet another fan post about my TED interview. The best quote:

Due to his high-flying accomplishments and his success as the chairman of Virgin Group Ltd., he is invariably asked all sorts of questions about business and his life, and he responds humbly and happily, with honesty, integrity, wit and enthusiasm. His agenda appears rooted simply in being genuine, open, friendly and helpful. Bravo!

Cheers, Roger. I appreciate it.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

I miss Stevie

That's it... I was just thinking about him again today. I miss my mate. My last post about him is still the way I feel.

Ahhh.... University

I never went to University... I was too busy starting businesses to "learn" how to start businesses from professors who had never done it themselves. It's always better to just jump in and do it instead of wading around thinking about it.

That said, Universities are still valuable for 90% of the population. (If you're really clever, look me up and one of my Virgin companies will sort you out with a job.) I just opened a big new arts, design and technology centre at the University of Derby. As always, using the Virgin style:

From the BBC:

He turned up in a red open-topped racing car to be met by two Virgin Atlantic air hostesses.

We need all of the home-grown British talent we can get in my Virgin Group of companies, and Derby will be an important part of that. Planes and Trains are key pillars to Virgin, and they're big pillars in Derby.

Good luck to all the students, and look me up when you graduate.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Virgin Active

I'm sure you've all heard the reports by now that we're trying to sell Virgin Active for about a billion pounds. Yep, it's true.

I really enjoyed building Virgin Active. We made a huge purchase last year of the chain "Holmes Place." They were a rather poor chain that didn't inspire any vibrancy. We re-branded them as Virgin Active, made some key upgrades here and there, and now the whole businesses is going quite well.

I viewed my investment here as rather strategic. How else do you think we keep our flight attendants fit and looking like this?



I have to spend some time each week at Virgin Active to keep myself as fit as I am. Well, only when I'm in London. When I'm in paradise my fitness just takes care of itself.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Spice Girls... all grown up now, but still fit

So the Spice Girls are back together and going on tour.

Virgin Records were very proud to be a part of their career getting started, signing them to the label over 10 years ago. (Though looking back we're frankly a little embarassed... call it "90's excess".)

For a group to go on tour these days, they go by plane, and I was happy to arrange for the girls free flights on Virgin Atlantic.



"Why free?" you may ask. Well, free puts us in the newspapers and celebrity television shows, which makes it worth the cost. Not only that, but it shows some of our usual first-class passengers the kind of style and charisma we expect of people in the first-class cabin. Plus, some of our standard Virgin Atlantic passengers will now be able to say they flew with Posh... needless to say, they'll never leave Virgin for BA after that!




So, good on you, girls. I look forward to seeing you in concert, though I'll probably just watch from backstage. (It's always better than the mosh pit at the front.)

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Long week for Sir Dick

It's been quite a long week for Sir Dick. My advisors had me running all over the globe; from London to Jamaica, and in and out of meetings.

Now, I don't do traditional meetings. I start to fidget, my mind drifts to the new business I could start that would eliminate all meetings (still in progress), and more. My advisors found out long ago that I was useless in meetings if five or more people were there.

I do meetings one-on-one, or perhaps two-on-one or three-on-one. (To be fair, that's not the only threesomes or foursomes I've had, but that's a post for another day.) I can get my ideas and my concerns out there much more quickly, and move on to the next business I want to start. It's much easier for my people, and it's much easier for me.

Hopefully I'll be able to let you know about what happened during this weeks' meetings next week, when I introduce November's suite of new Virgin companies.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

A proper introduction

Virgin Atlantic recently started service to Kingston, Jamaica.

From the wire report:

Sir Richard Branson greeted the inaugural Virgin Atlantic flight from London into the Jamaican capital.
The entrepreneur was joined by two bikini-clad local models to welcome the aircraft's arrival in Kingston.
He chatted with local media as the first passengers disembarked to the sound of a steel drum band.

What they didn't mention was that those particularly lovely ladies weren't just models, they were also looking to work as flight attendants for the airline. I'm always on the lookout for talent, and boy did those girls have it!

My apologies for not having photos, you'll just have to take my Virgin word on it.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Drunken Pilots

You may have heard from the BBC here that one of my pilots on Virgin Atlantic was arrested for being drunk just before the flight was going to take off to Miami.

This is wholly unacceptable. Per company policy, we removed the entire flight crew and replaced them all. It was before noon! We never allow pilots to drink on the flight deck before noon; that's just a sign of alcoholism.

That said, Virgin hires flight crew with style. It's the way we keep the Virgin brand alive. We hire the fittest birds (and blokes, for that matter) as flight attendants, and only the best pilots and biggest party animals for the flight deck. Sometimes this kind of thing happens.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Dealing with Critics - Jim Cramer is an arse

So on Jim Cramer's website you can find this nugget of business wisdom:

No! I don't like him [Virgin President Richard Branson] , I don't like his stocks. ... This guy, Branson, he may be cool. The babes may like him. But in my department, the money department, stay away.

Well, first of all at least he does recognise my success with style and women. But he clearly doesn't know what he's talking about with money.

And I'm not the only one to think so... my advisors pointed me to this website of the CXO Advisory Group. They said:

In summary, Jim Cramer's stock market calls since May 2000 have low consistency and average accuracy.

In other words, it's really not a huge surprise that a standard Wall Street guy wouldn't like me. While he probably worked very hard for his University degree, did his time doing analysis of business and all the rest (rarely getting a shag), he really hasn't done anything with his life. Of course he'd be jealous of the billionaire that skipped University, actually built businesses from the ground up and ran them. Jim Cramer just doesn't understand reality. Oh, well.... too bad for him. He's just telling people to stay away from very profitable growing businesses!

Maybe if he apologises I'll introduce him to some of Virgin's flight attendants.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Come ski with Virgin!

Virgin Limited Edition is my company that runs my resorts around the world. They run my personal paradise, Necker Island. Additionally, they run my African Game Lodge, my London rooftop gardens, and my Moroccan Kasbah. But I was missing something important...

In January, my new resort will open: a ski lodge in Verbier, Switzerland!

We're keeping it low-key for now, but you can read the announcement here.

Yes, it's pricey... it's sadly not for the middle-class or pensioners at £35k-£60k per week (though you do get to have 18 people with you!). For 99% of the population, Virgin Holidays will take care of your every need. But for the very wealthy, they can pay for the extra experience that we at Virgin can provide.

Perhaps you'll even see me there from time to time, relaxing with my family!

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Kyla was wronged, Virgin America set it right

Kyla Ebbert is a wonderful young woman, who was banned by Southwest Airlines from flying because she of inappropriate dress. WHAT?!? Luckily she was finally allowed to fly, but it became a huge news story in the US. Do you think she was dressed inappropriately? Here's what she was wearing that day:



Well, I thought she was actually a beautiful young lady, who was a student and putting herself through school by working at Hooters. So when we opened our San Francisco to Las Vegas route on Virgin America, I invited her to take part.

And wow, did she look spectacular. Here are some photos:








So do you think she's fit enough to be a flight attendant for our airline? (See history here and here.) I certainly think so. She's currently thinking about it.

I mean, this is what she looks like in her off time with friends! (Kyla's on the left.)



Full story here and here.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

To Northern Rock customers...

I say... Virgin's coming.

You've been sacrificed by poor thinking and poor management of the current company. You've obviously worried about the credit crisis. But worry no longer, Virgin is on it's way.

Now, the deal's not done, and some bureaucrat could still stick his oar in and muck things up. But my advisors and I have pulled in an all-star consortium of investors to save the institution and re-brand it as Virgin Money. (Well, and sack all the managers that f**ked up.)

More details here.

This is what I get done during my strategic thinking time. And yes... you're welcome.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Thinking about the recent postal strike...

Ahhh... it's good to have a good weekend away from blogging. There's nothing quite like doing some strategic thinking on my hammock, away from my advisors that always try and put a sheen of respectability on my businesses. Well, respectability and reality... I'm not a details man.

You may have heard that Royal Mail here in the UK was on strike recently, for quite a number of days. That reminded me of how my Virgin empire really got started.

A long time ago, I was selling albums by post. (That's mail, for you Americans.) Then Royal Mail decided to strike, though that strike was for a LOT longer. Perhaps my greatest ability is to take adversity and turn it into a new and higher level of success. At that time, I was sitting on a stock of albums I couldn't ship, yet I had bills to pay. How was I going to get the music into the hands of people that wanted it?

Simple... I opened a store. I was young and nobody in London would have ever signed a lease with me, so I found a guy that had space above his store and hired it from him directly. Because we set up the shop as I wanted it as a music lover (you could actually listen to music in the store!), everyone wanted in, and it saved my business. Not only that, it set the stage for Virgin Megastores, my record label, and more. It worked out beautifully.

So yes, Royal Mail going on strike wasn't that much fun here in the UK. But not every strike is bad news... if it hadn't happened, Virgin may have become very different from what it is today. (And I think we can safely agree that that would have been a very bad thing!)

For my Freakonomics fans...

So for those of you that liked the book Freakonomics, I recently answered a few of their questions on where air travel is going to be going in the future. Here's my favourite quotes from me:

Where most people see mess, I see opportunity. Thirty years ago, when I was stranded at an airport, I chartered a plane, sold seats to other stranded passengers, and in effect started Virgin Atlantic Airways.

That's the way to really start a business!

Travelers who’ve had enough of commercial air travel actually have greater options in private aviation. [...] We’re doing our bit with Virgin Charter, an online marketplace for sellers to put up their flights and for buyers to find and book flights as easily, as if on Expedia. So, the way I see it, it’s a brilliant time to be in the air travel business.

Let's be honest... if you're not flying on Virgin America, it's just better to take a chartered jet. And now you can arrange that through Virgin!

And a little promotion of Virgin America, too:

Virgin America passengers are entertained with 25 movie options, TV, games, in-flight chatting, and music. They can order food whenever they want it. They have power to charge up computers and, by next year, will have WiFi access at their seats. And why not have a bit of fun with mood lighting and a soundtrack in the bathrooms?

Yes, modern airlines are great, but only if you're flying Virgin. (Did I mention our flight attendants?? That's right, I did.)

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Virgin Money USA

We've had Virgin Money in the UK for quite a while now, and we finally had an opportunity to create Virgin Money in the USA.

You can read a bit more about it in the AP article here.

In the UK, Virgin Money does a whole ton of things, like credit cards, loans, mortgages, insurance, etc. We're starting off small in the US, and Virgin Money USA will be a way of formalising loans between family and friends. It's a great service, and a much better way of keeping everyone safe but yet not charging the home-wrecking fees that banks charge for loans.

Living it Virgin-style! Now back to my hammock for some more strategic thinking...

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

More fans, part two...

Ahh.... There are some days I really love being me.



Hat tip

More fans...

So I had a little chat with Greta Van Susteren of Fox News recently. This is what she had to say:

I just met Sir Richard Branson - who wants to be called Richard, and not Sir. He is pretty amazing and fun.I am positive you would like him. Among other things, he owns two airlines and he joked that the easiest way to become a millionaire is to first be a billionaire and then buy an airline. Regretably you won’t see this interview but maybe in the future we can book him for our show at ten pm.

Well, Greta, I insist to the public that I be called Richard (and no Sir!). However, I still insist that my advisors call me Sir Dick. It's the way I keep a little respect after things like this happen.

That f**king HURT

I've always done stupid stunts for publicity; they're what I'm known for now so I can't stop doing them.

But the last one I did really f**king HURT!

I was promoting Virgin America now that we're flying to Vegas, so my advisors planned a stunt where I essentially jumped from the top of the Palms hotel/resort/casino. I was on a rope, but it was damn near free-fall until the end.

The problem was that the free-fall was right next to the wall, and so when I ended up brushing against the wall, it ripped my trousers and hand apart. I did at least manage to release the free Virgin America tickets I had in my hand, but I freaked out a little at the speed and I don't think anyone caught them.

All I have to say is that at least it was my arse that brushed up against the building. If it had been my face or bollocks there could have been major repercussions.

Anyway, I don't think I'll be doing any free-fall jumps next to buildings, only with parachutes. I have to go beat the s**t out of the guy who suggested this, now...

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Here's the video from the news channel in Vegas:


Billionaire Branson Hurt In Stunt - The funniest movie is here. Find it

Yes, I do weddings

You've probably all seen me in drag... I think that got me more comments than any other publicity stunt I've ever done. That was for Virgin Brides, which unfortunately didn't turn out the way we wanted it to. (As I mentioned in my TED talk, we just couldn't get customers.)

But I do officiate weddings, like one I did on the inaugural Virgin America flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas. It was great fun, and I really enjoyed so many lovely ladies on board the flight. I also did an interview, or two, but at least the interviews were with people that had already been to Vegas. Not like this girl...

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

My TED talk

So I went to the TED conference earlier this year, and they finally got around to posting the video.

I'm not a huge fan of giving a presentation, so that's why Chris went with the interview format. (It also gave me a bit more time with the audience, 30 minutes edited; when most presentations are less than 20 minutes.)

I'll let you judge for yourself what you think, but I think it went pretty well.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Estate Agents

Walking around London recently I realised how many estate agents there are in the UK. And from what I've heard from customers and friends, they're all s**t. They cost too much, they scam you, etc. The reason people haven't been so concerned recently is that the London housing market has been rocketing so fast that no one really cares.

I think this may be a ripe opportunity to finally start Virgin Estate Agents. A good estate agent with a honest customer focus could be a true winner in London and the UK. Now, I haven't talked this over with my advisors yet, so they may shoot it down for a very good reason. But I'll at least have them look into it...

What do you think?

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Losing My Virginity - a late review

So even though I published "Losing My Virginity" ages ago, it's still getting good reviews.

Check out TJ's site here for his review. Some of my favourite quotes are:

The story of setting up Virgin Atlantic along all those setbacks is equally telling - Branson managed to brush aside all obstacles with luck, determination and sheer desperation sometimes.

and

As the title puts it - a must read for every entrepreneur.

Now TJ doesn't put the traditional disclaimer on this; while it's certainly a must-read if you want to be successful, it certainly doesn't guarantee success, and it certainly doesn't guarantee that you'll become a multi-billionaire like me. (Let alone the island paradise.)

I succeeded because I knew a hit when I had one, and I knew if I wanted to have a lot of hits, I had to try a lot of different things. (I've never been that good at focusing.) In my particular case, I took bigger and bigger leaps and had more and more successes. Of course when you develop something like the Virgin style that always focuses on your customer you're always going to be better off.

If you're interested in the book, just click on the picture of the book in the left-hand column of this page, and you'll be taken to the Amazon.com page for it.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Why I love doing (some) interviews

I mentioned before the benefits of being the boss: getting interviewed by fit birds. (Some of them are even fit enough to work for my airlines! Just check out what they do on holiday.)

Well, I found another video from one of my inaugural Virgin America flights. Strangely enough, she was from Los Angeles and had never been to New York City! I can understand how some Americans don't travel much, but this was a fit bird who is a television presenter. How did this happen?

I obviously made some quips about her Virgin trip to New York, and explained that we'd take care of her because we were so experienced. (Little did she know how experienced!)

Please note that I paid careful attention to make eye contact instead of chest contact with her... I'm pretty good about only doing that when the camera's off.



Warm regards,
Sir Dick

World Leadership

So I was in Darfur with Jimmy Carter, and it got a little tense. You can read about it in this AP article.

Jimmy's a great guy, but he was President and is also getting a little old. This means that he wants to get stuff done while he's still fairly spy, and when things don't go his way he gets angry.

Luckily, he does end up remembering that:

a- he's a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and
b- he's got more power and influence politically than anyone in Darfur.

So I helped calm him down, and we all worked things out.

It's a sad situation in Darfur, and I hope you all take some time to learn a little bit more about it.

Yes, I am a hip boss

I'm one of the top two people that Liverpool people would like to work for, according to this article. Considering that the other guy is Liverpool's football team manager, which would mean they just want to be a professional footballer, that really just means I'm at the top of the pile!

Good for them. Though statistics say that no one from Liverpool will become the entrepreneur that I've become, I do like to serve as a good example. But I could be wrong... the same thing was probably said about music before the Beatles came along.

Yes, I am a hip boss, and I invite you to apply to any of my 275 Virgin companies to prove it!

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Fit Flight Attendants, part 2

One of the more popular posts here was when I wrote about our fit flight attendants. I can understand why; travelling is far more enjoyable when you've got a professional that not only does their job well but looks good doing it!

All of my airlines (Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America, Virgin Blue, Virgin Nigeria, Virgin Express) have strict unwritten policies to hire the most fit flight attendants (male and female) that we can.

One thing I can't guarantee you is that you'll enjoy the same pleasures of flight that I enjoyed when I was younger, but I can't guarantee you that it won't happen!

Still not convinced? Well, this is a photo of one of my flight attendants on her beach holiday. Enjoy.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Inviting more journalists into my home

I've mentioned before how much I detest inviting idiots into my homes, particularly my Necker Island paradise.

Well, I recently had to invite a couple of coaches of journalists to my Oxfordshire home. Over a hundred of them showed up because, well, I'm Richard Branson. They want to see my house, check out the neighborhood, because they'll never be able to afford anything near me. (There's less risk in reporting news than making it, and clearly less reward.)

I managed to get a little revenge, though. The A40 had massive tailbacks, so they were sitting in those coaches for a VERY long time.

What were they doing there? Well, I finally got around to launching a television channel, called Virgin 1. We've got great new shows like The Riches, which stars Eddie Izzard. (How many tele stations in the US would feature a transvestite comedian? They don't have that Virgin-style, baby!) We're starting small, but we'll be beating Sky One and all of the other s**t channels here in the UK soon. I mean, if they just do live coverage of the V Festival they'll get huge ratings from that alone!

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

UK's Top Dad

I'm a bit gob-smacked at this honor, but after looking at the list I think it's probably about right. I was named as the bloke "most British people would believe would be the perfect dad."

Now, I know my kids love me, and not just because of our home on Necker Island. (Which is very cool and my favourite spot on earth, by the way.) I think I am a cool dad, and let's be honest... I started the only cool business in the UK! (What other businesses is the UK known for? Banks, trains, books? Again, the only cool examples of those are our Virgin banks, trains, and books.)

So thanks to everyone who voted for me. I'm having my advisors look into starting a Virgin Parenting Classes business... I see some potential here.

A Virgin paradise...

My last video was shot at my personal island paradise... Necker Island.

I first saw Necker nearly thirty years ago, and I've been adding pieces to it with each hit album on Virgin Records and profits from my 200+ companies. (Well, those that weren't duds...)

A while back MTV came and visited Necker to profile it for their show "Cribs," which my kids tell me is popular with their friends. It's on YouTube now, so check it out below. There is no better place to s**t than that toilet at the end, believe me.

My advisors make me do this...

I really detest having to entertain boring people, but my advisors make me do it. It's particularly horrible when they're on my own damn island...

Little Maddy and her family

You may have read in the news about the girl that went missing in Portugal (Madeleine McCann), and that now her parents are under suspicion. A lot of people had helped support them in their time of need, but have now been backing away since her mother may have done it.

Well, I've donated £100,000 to their legal fund. For all I know her mother did kill her own daughter, hide her body, and then dump it weeks later. (I'm leaning towards it today, to be honest.) But even if her mother killed her, she still deserves her day in court.

As much as I love my country's media establishments, they can be a hungry pack of wolves. I want to make sure they don't get eaten alive once police are able to collect enough evidence to prove her mother did it.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Business Wisdom from Sir Dick

Loyal readers will notice a little something new on the left-hand column: some of my favourite business books. And yes, they're mine. (Well, my thoughts and words. I couldn't actually be bothered to write them down, so I just spoke everything and let my assistants and advisors take care of the rest.)

You think you've gotten yourself into a strange situation? I've been there and done that. Has business boomed for you? Or has it gone bust? Have you had to fight your ground against impossible odds and a cheating competitor (such as British Air, for one)? I've done that all and more.

Remember lads (and lasses), I was building an empire when you were still in nappies. I've built businesses, sold businesses, and teetered on the edge of collapse more times than I wish to remember. And after all of that I wrote a few books to pass some of my wisdom down. It's what people like me are meant to do.

(Will any of you understand it, or take my advice? Probably not. For those that do, will you be as successful as me? Again, no, though you might come close. But it's nice for you to think about, isn't it?)

So check those pearls of wisdom out, and enjoy the warm Virgin glow of Sir Dick, entrepreneur extraordinaire.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

The story of the four Steves (Fossett, Jobs, Ballmer, and Colbert)

I've been dealing with a lot of "Steve"s in my life this past couple of weeks, and wanted to give you all a re-cap.

Steve Fossett - Stevie - He's a hell of an adventurer, and has been an inspiration for me. (Which, by the way, says a lot about his reputation.) Most recently he flew around the globe without refueling, alone in his plane (the Virgin Global Flyer). But as I stated in my earlier post, I've said my last about the search for Stevie.

Stephen Colbert - Codfish - Our interview was finally aired, and the truth is out. He was a slimy operator, but I got my revenge. Did you see how disrespectful he was?? What he thought was promotion of Virgin America was just boasting of the fact we named a plane after him. NOTHING of the amazing airline and all the cool stuff you can find on our planes! I'm a business warrior, and I used the best weapons I had at hand: a cold glass of water and public shame. (Plus, a S**T-ton of publicity around it, my personal favourite.)

Steve Jobs - So Jobs got annoyed last year when during one of my brainstorms I rang him up to chat about an iPod Class on our Virgin America airplanes. Of course, I had forgotten he was a raging a**hole who only cares about design and nothing about his customers. (F**king over the early iPhone adopters, anyone?)

So I got the phone with him, and immediately called my Virgin America design team. They had been planning on basing the in-flight computer system around Mac OS X. No more, and all because of that bloody idiot. The engineers said I couldn't use anything Windows because it could crash. And I said that Virgin planes don't crash, so we're not using Windows! Then they showed me this computer that had a penguin, and there was a big hit film about penguins recently, so I told them to go with that. And now I find out we're geek cool.

Once again, my business intuition is correct, and I'm staying away from raging a**holes like Steve Jobs.

Steve Ballmer - So I never told Steve Ballmer about using the penguin computers on Virgin America instead of his plane-crashing software. That guy can gets as dangerous as a drunken Scot, especially when he starts throwing all his weight around. Would you want to get into it with someone weighing 22 stone?? I didn't think so.

That said, he's a nice enough guy if he's been taking his medication. We occasionally exchange e-mails, and he said he'll take a flight with me on Virgin America or Virgin Atlantic sometime. Let's just say there's an obvious reason why. Not that he'll be able to do what I did at 19, especially at 22 stone.

-----

So those are the Steve's that I've been dealing with recently. Now it's back to the hammock to do some more strategic thinking and napping. I've got three new companies to start next week.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Stevie... my final post

I'm at a loss for words.

I spent all yesterday drinking Red Bull and Diet Cokes while going through all of the new Google Earth photos of the area Stevie was flying. My kids told me I looked like one of those geek "hackers" from films.

We still haven't found Stevie. He's been gone for over a week, now, and hundreds of people have been searching for him either in planes or through satellite photos.

That part of the United States is remote, and it could be tough to survive. Many are fearing for the worst.

This is my last post on Stevie until he's found. I have in my head a picture of what I think happened:

Stevie had problems, and landed his plane somewhere remote. He found that he just liked it there, and knew he was quite a long way from home, so Steve Fossett decided to make this place his new home. He's got a stream for fresh water, fruit nearby and a few animals around for meat. There's a little cave for shelter, too. Stevie is going to be staying there for a while. At some point we'll finally reach him and have the reunion we've been dreaming about.



Stevie.... I'll see you there, my friend.

Fit Flight Attendants

You, my readers, know that at Virgin companies, we just do things differently. More stylish, better service, lower cost, and more innovative. We don't accept the premise that businesses are trying to "f**k a person in the ass and not even have the goddam common courtesy to give him a reach-around."

Previously I've mentioned our flight attendants, who I always knew were the fittest birds in the air. Well, it turns out there's proof.

From AskMen.com, rating the top ten airlines for "attractive stewardesses":

Virgin Atlantic
Take Virgin Atlantic’s progressive approach to business, factor in hot stewardesses and keep in mind the 2005 Durex sex survey that lists the UK as the seventh-busiest nation (four slots ahead of the U.S.), and I like the odds. It couldn’t bother me that a hysterical stewardess panicked during turbulence. Virgin’s red skirts are tailored to show off figures rather well; certainly better than most uniforms we’ve seen. Most flights on Virgin are long, but it doesn’t mean they’re dull.

Now I'm not saying that you'll get the same experiences I had when I was 19, but I can't promise you it won't happen.

67%?? That's it??

So there's some sort of competition on this eBay Match-ups site. I don't know what the hell it is, but I'm "competing" against some bloody guy named Chris Bangle. My advisors had to look him up to tell me that he's some design guy for BMW. What??

At least the site has the seeding correct: I'm #3 and he's #45. But how have I only got 67% of the votes against this bloke??

I'm going to get my people working on this. This will not stand.

Still waiting on Stevie

I'm getting more than a little concerned now. I've been scouring Google Earth for days now. Do you realise how hard it is to balance a laptop on your chest while trying to relax in a hammock with the sun in your eyes and conducting a search for my adventuring best friend? Readers, you have no idea the lengths I go to for things I believe it.

But Stevie's still out there, I'm sure. We've just got to find him.

My new spaceport

So I'm still new to this "blogging" thing, but I like telling everyone straight from Sir Dick's mouth what's going on in the world of Virgin.

I wrote last week about my new spaceport for Virgin Galactic in New Mexico, but somehow it never showed up. Well, it's fixed, and you can see the photos of the Virgin Galactic terminal here.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Still no Stevie... I'm hopeful but also concerned

We still haven't found Stevie. (That's Steve Fossett, my partner in world-renowned adventures, for those of you new here.)

I'm quite concerned, and some newspapers are saying we should be. (Such as the New York Times.)

I much prefer the reporting of the Associated Press. Their article mentions Stevie's world-class survival skills.

It's late, and it's been a while since he took off, but we're still searching and hoping to see Stevie soon.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

My favourite evening radio show

So whenever I'm in London, I do enjoy listening to my old radio station, Virgin Radio. (I've sold it, but they've bought rights to the name/brand and all.)



It may not be directly mine anymore, but they certainly have the Virgin spirit and style! Sir Dick is proud of them.

But I do enjoy listening to the Geoff show, also featuring Annabel. They have a nightly feature called "Drunk versus Stoned." Geoff and Annabel get a drunk person and a stoned person on the phone and ask them a series of quiz questions. The point? Well, which one affects your mental state the most? Spirits/Ale or a spliff/bong?

"Why are you promoting this show, Sir Richard? Isn't it a bad example for our children?"

Yes, but so was dropping out of school and starting my own magazine, record shop, record label, and damn near everything else I've ever done. And look at where I am! Enjoy it for what it is, a very funny nightly quiz.

Stevie's still not back

Well, Stevie's a survivor. While we still haven't found him, I know he's a tough old sod, and is out there somewhere waiting for us.

I'm going to start talking about other things in the next few days, but most of my thoughts and focus these days are all on my fellow adventurer, Steve Fossett and the search for him and his plane. I'll be posting updates as I get information.

(By the way, the search teams have been absolutely fantastic. We should have more of these guys around.)

"Feed" yourself full of Sir Dick

So my advisors tell me that people can read everything I write here without actually stopping by this site. Wow!

(This could be important for news like updates on Stevie, who is still missing.)

They say that if you just click on this link, you'll be able to read it with your favourite RSS reader. (RSS originally stood for Richard's So Suave, according to my stylist. What do I know? He's damn expensive, that's for sure.)

My new spaceport... now with pictures!

So I've talked before about my brand-new spaceport for Virgin Galactic, designed by Lord Foster. Well, I'm happy to show you the pictures here.

So the first picture is classic "sunset" photo, with a number of our fleet around on the ground and in the air.

The next one is what the spaceport will look like if you separate the layers inside.

This photo shows what inside the terminal will look like for all of our future astronauts.

Finally, this one shows what the place will look like from above. Brilliant, don't you think?

So I know some of you say that the place looks like a big toilet seat, but what do you expect from the architect that designed the Gherkin? It also shows the Virgin style and spirit. Is British Air taking you into space with hot flight attendants?? I don't think so.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

More on Stevie

Okay, now I'm starting to get a little worried. If Steve had just run out of fuel and landed somewhere safely, he would have already walked back home and been telling stories at the local pub by now.

So, I'm hoping he's just injured (or just stayed with the plane) and we haven't found him yet. Believe me, I know this guy, and he's got the Virgin can-do spirit; I use him for inspiration, and it takes a lot to inspire Sir Dick. I'm confident Stevie will be able to hold out until we find him.

I also gave him one of those cool watches (only practical for adventurers) that has a manually operated distress beacon, and that doesn't seem to have gone off, which bodes well for the bloke. All of us at Virgin are still hoping for his very safe return, very soon.

Latest info from CNN can be found here.

Stevie's missing

As you may have heard by now, Steve Fossett is missing.

He's an adventurer of the first rate, and we're all hoping he's found safe... and soon.

CNN Story here.

The benefits of being the boss

I generally don't like being referred to as "the boss." Just call me Sir Dick and move on.

But there are times where I get to do interviews with some fit birds ("hot chicks" for you Americans) that make all the trouble of being a boss worthwhile. See what this lovely lass wrote about me by clicking here.

A quick quote:

On Tuesday, I interviewed Sir Richard Branson in first class on an empty Virgin America flight pre-LA/NY launch. The disco lighting, the scintillating conversation with the cosmopolitan billionaire, the roomy leather seats…I could live like this!

Also:

Sir Richard Branson, captain of industry of global hip

Oh, yeah, baby. It's too bad I'm not my 19-year-old self, otherwise she could have joined the Mile High Club with me. Too bad.

2 versus 4

So, I realised that two planes burn less fuel than 4 planes. Wait, two engines burn less fuel than 4 engines. Or something like that. My advisors tell me this is a smart move to make.

So Virgin Atlantic is getting rid of our 4-engine planes, and replacing them with 2-engine planes. I've been told that even if you're in a Virgin Atlantic flight over the ocean and one engine goes up in flames, there's still a pretty good chance you'll live. (Read those safety cards!! In the event of a water landing...)

Anyway, as an airline, we need some good press on "combating global warming," so it's something we're going to publicise. (We were going to do it anyway since two engines are cheaper than 4 engines, but this way we get yet a little more attention.) This is business, Virgin-style.

Princess Diana

I had the honor of attending the memorial service for Princess Diana recently. It was a beautiful service for a beautiful person.

So many funerals these days are just too dreary these days, and it's nice to see some that aren't. Perhaps there is an opportunity here. I'll have my advisors look into it...

Worship your heroes, courtesy of me

One of my many ventures is Virgin Comics, which I understand should be popular amongst the 10 to 15-year-old geeks out there. (I was always a sex, drugs, and Rock and Roll kid, myself. Which is how the Virgin empire began!)

But one comic hero was always close to my heart, Dan Dare. He was a swashbuckling pilot, going on adventures around the world. I've done my best to live up to him, and have to say I've largely out-classed him.

The Dan Dare comics ended almost 40 years ago, and they are long overdue for a renaissance, so that's what Virgin Comics is doing: bringing back a hero! This guy is the real deal, and I'm happy to say that Sir Dick played a part in bringing him to life again.

So look for more announcements on this soon. And if you don't want to look at real-life people for inspiration (for example, me), then you can at least find that inspiration in a comic-book-hero.

Lord Foster, he's brilliant!

So I'm building a brand-new spaceport in New Mexico for Virgin Galactic, which is probably my most ambitious Virgin project ever. (And believe me, that's remarkable.) And I'm announcing next week that we've hired Lord Foster to design it.

Lord Foster, that sounds like a tosser's name, you say? You're an ignorant sod, I say.

Norm, as I like to call him, has designed a number of beautiful and groundbreaking buildings. Some of them look like phalluses, which I find amusing.



We're all hoping that he can do something phallus-like for Virgin Galactic, too. It will help remind you of our incredibly hot flight attendants on Virgin Atlantic and Virgin America. But since it's an entire spaceport in the middle of the damn desert of New Mexico, he might not get the same inspiration. We'll see.

Anyway, look for the news on this next week. But remember, Sir Dick gave you the information first!

PS- Please remember that you can still donate to the support fund for the families of the victims of the explosion at the company that's building my rocket.

New Zealand, you're welcome

I know, I know. Everyone is still talking about how I got in a little splashing contest with Stephen Colbert. Yes, you can even see it online now. But I'm here to talk about something else.

New Zealand, you're welcome. My new airline service to your little country will end the price-pillaging you've had to endure for far too long from Air New Zealand. The subsidiary of Virgin Blue, Pacific Blue, will now be competing against those ignorant old sods that used to be your only choice for inter-country travel.

That's what you can count on from Virgin... great service for low prices. (And don't forget our incredibly hot flight attendants!)

Yes, I know the picture above is of a "Virgin Blue" plane, not a "Pacific Blue" plane. My people are working on it.

It's a long Bank Holiday weekend!

Hello, fellow Virgin-ites!

It's nearly the Bank Holiday weekend, so don't expect to hear from me for a few days. I'll still be working the whole time, but I like to call it "strategic thinking." (Also known as lying back and calling my minions as inspiration strikes. There are about 15-20 new businesses I see Virgin getting into in the next week or two, and I need some more time mulling them over before I make my decision and set the Virgin Group into motion.

Ah... it'll be a beautiful weekend. Have a great holiday, yourselves.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Are you scared?

So there are some real losers out there, who somehow are scared of flying. What?? You have a better chance of dying on a London Underground escalator than you do of flying. (Not that I ever take the Tube, of course... it's something my advisors tell me.)

Well, as always, Virgin is coming to the rescue. We've started this "Flying Without Fear" course to help people get over their irrationality. (Or at least the fear of flying irrationality.) More can be found on it here:

Flying Without Fear

So if you're scared of flying, come try it out. And if getting over your fear doesn't convince you, you'll also get a photo of yours truly. (Suitable for framing, naturally.)

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Virgin HQ moving to the British Virgin Islands

This London weather has gotten to be too much. I haven't told my advisors yet, but I'm going to move all of the Virgin businesses down to the British Virgin Islands. NOT Necker Island, that's still mine, but close by.

Sure, there might be a hurricane or two where we'll need to re-locate from the islands, but it's better than staying here in this cold, rainy, windy city. I'm getting irritated by this constant s**t weather... it's August!

I'm seriously reconsidering my commitment to stopping global warming, and instead thinking of starting fires in rubbish bins across London just to help heat things up. This is getting ridiculous.

(Trying to stay) warm regards,
Sir Dick

Virgin Private Equity

As I finally get my hands out of the day-to-day details, Sir Dick is finally able to get back to my strategic business roots. (You know, the ones where I can lay in my hammock on my island and just think about everything.)

Well, the New York Times (the "black widow" of American newspapers, or something like that) has a little article talking about the Virgin Group becoming more like a private equity firm. So what, I say! I'm Richard Branson, and can do whatever the hell I want to with my companies. So now I want to bring all of my hard work public... that's bad now? Crazy Yanks.... no wonder we let them go.

You can see their article (cleverly disguised as a "blog post") here.

Don't think I'm quitting; I'm just getting started!

So it's clear that it's been a while since I've been a hands-on businessman; I'm more the big-picture strategy head. And I've finally gotten rid of the little hands-on duties that I've been saddled with for a while. See here:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/article2280440.ece

What I'm focusing on now is all these new business ideas that I've been ruminating over for months and years. Now that I don't have to deal with any of the s**t that comes with actually implementing it, I can just be the face of Virgin success. Brilliant, wouldn't you say?

Get ready world. Virgin Stationary, Virgin Computers, Virgin Double-Glazed Windows and more are on their way!

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Blog lessons from me

Greetings, everyone.

A blog on entrepreneurialship is doing a series of posts with lessons from yours truly, Sir Dick. He's taking some of my quotes and writing a little more around them. The first four are here:

How to Identify an Opportunity: http://www.youngentrepreneur.com/blog/?p=185
Don't Do it for the Money: http://www.youngentrepreneur.com/blog/?p=186
Focus on the Business: http://www.youngentrepreneur.com/blog/?p=187
Build a Solid Team: http://www.youngentrepreneur.com/blog/?p=188 (with bonus photo of me in ice hockey kit)

Let's show this "Young Entrepreneur" a little Virgin love, all!

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Virgin America... Yes, we're even Geek cool

Unlike the Codfish Colbert, Wired magazine in the States actually took the time to take a flight on Virgin America and tell everyone just how cool the service is.

Check it out here.

The first paragraph says it all:

Virgin America launched its U.S. air service yesterday, and immediately staked a claim as the most geek-friendly airline yet invented. It's also one of the most comfortable and pleasant to fly in -- and it's reasonably priced.

Once again, America... you're welcome.

Warm regards,
Sir Dick

Me and Colbert... the Codfish

So Colbert's television overlords decided to grow some bollocks, and will be airing the little segment I taped with him. Good for them, but dangerous, as the public will get to see his slimy side (finally!).

Look out for it next week in the States. If you're here in the UK... too bad! (It'll be up on some video site soon.)

The Codfish has got to be glad I haven't started Virgin Solicitors yet; that would be the end of him and his television channel!

Details on airing here: http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/tv/richard_branson_colbert_report_interview_to_air_65076.asp

My waterfight with Stephen Colbert - the REAL story

I am completely hacked off with Stephen Colbert. He's a whinging chav in a suit. How the hell he gets off treating guests on his show like he does, I'll never understand. I've just been stewing about this on my own, but since the story has apparently hit the blogs, I've got to tell my side.

So I'm on his show, and he's going on and on, trying to get me to sign some piece of s**t. I'm Richard Branson, and run 250 different companies! I don't sign anything unless it's been through the right advisors on my team (believe me, I totally f**k things up if I don't.) Anyway, next thing I know he's wrapping up the interview without even mentioning Virgin America, my gift to the airline industry of America. Well, I show him what I think about that by throwing my cup of water in his face. Take that, arsehole! Well, then he managed to get some water of his own, and threw it at me. Then the time for the interview was really over.

Stephen is a slimy codfish, and completely dis-respectful of his guests. Some of you may think I have been a bit laddish with my water throwing bit, but I don't give a toss. I'm not an uptight corporate CEO who's going to take s**t from a slimy codfish and not fight back.

Of course, if this is the first time you're hearing about this event, you can check out more here.

My advisors tell me that the Codfish actually has the bollocks to air our little waterfight, so you'll be able to see it soon.

America, You're Welcome. Warm Regards, Sir Dick

You've been living in aviation squalor for years now, poor Americans. Though some of you have had the opportunity to fly the bright future that is Virgin Atlantic, I'm proud to have been part of the group to get Virgin America off the ground.

(According to the lawyers, I have to be careful how I phrase my involvement. Some of your regulators got their pants/panties in a bundle because they thought an Englishman, aka foreigner, had too much control over Virgin America. Bollocks! You think I have time to micromanage??? I'm starting three new businesses a week! The only reason I haven't formed a Virgin Law partnership is because the rest of the lawyers would tie me up in knots getting it going... not to say that I'm still not thinking about it.)

Back to the main story, Virgin America. Try it out! We've got all the fancy new equipment all the way up to and including a network for every seat on the plane. Plus, you think we hire flight attendants that aren't hot?? We screen for that from the start. VA has a special door they have to get through for one interview, which eliminates the fatties. There are other tricks we've got to keep the fit (but ugly) ones out. Rest assured, you'll have a fantastic experience on board Virgin America, and for a competitive low price. ($139 one-way from San Francisco to New York!) Say "goodbye" to the mess of jetblue, bi-coasters.

Just thank me... Sir Dick.

Total, laddish idiots

You may have seen some of Virgin Media's adverts lately. In fact, a couple of months ago, you couldn't have missed them if you tried here in the UK. There's a bit of problem here; they're not really Virgin.

NTL:Telewest (an evil, dasterdly telecom company) bought Virgin Mobile a while back so that they could combine their offerings to provide mobile, land-line, telephone, and broadband access. But they also bought rights to the Virgin brand to re-label it all. (Let's face it, Virgin is infinitely more hip than NTL:Telewest.)

Now they f**king it all up, and dragging Virgin's brand with them through the mud.

Some of you may say I was the idiot for selling it to the evil telecom company. Well, remember that while I'm Virgin, there were other investors, too, and we sold for a s**t-ton of money. In fact, buying and selling when I did gave me one of the best returns on my investment in my entire career. So bollocks to you all who think I should have kept it!

I just hope that one of these days they pull their collective heads out of their arses. Preferably, before their license to the Virgin brand is up.

More here: http://news.independent.co.uk/business/analysis_and_features/article2841400.ece

Mile High club at 19

Yes, it happened. Guess what? I'm male, and I love women... always have.

It seems every six months or so, some newspaper has a slow news day and write a story about what I did forty years ago. Good on them, I say... America is a little too "Puritanical" for me. I think that's why Virgin has flourished a little more easily in Europe. (You'd think with all the parents in the US wanting their kids to stay Virgins until they get married that we might get a little more out of the name, but they're probably scared of our rock-and-roll roots.)

Anyway, today's brilliant scoop of my sex life is provided by The Post Chronicle:

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/entertainment/tittletattle/article_21295498.shtml

Cheers, all.

My thoughts are with the victims

If you haven't already heard, most of my time lately has been spent tracking the situation with Virgin Galactic.

Last Thursday in California, Scaled Composites (the company that's designing and building the spacecraft for Virgin Galactic) had a serious explosion during testing. Three engineers were killed and three others seriously injured. More news can be found here.

For those of you that would like to contribute to the Support Fund for the Victim's families (the men that died were aged 38, 45, and 33) can contribute here.

Everyone in the Virgin family of companies is thinking about these men and their families. While Virgin is known for our pioneering into new industries, these men exemplified the word "pioneer," breaking new ground for human-kind. Their efforts will not be in vain; we'll find the problems, fix them, and give humanity an opportunity to experience space for themselves.

Nice little profile of yours truly

So a little Yank publications (Businessweek) did a little summary of my Virgin empire. Fairly well done, but no real substance.

What they did get right were the pictures. They got me in drag (for Virgin Brides), in running kit, dressed as a soda can, and a whole lot more. You can check out the article at:

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jul2007/sb20070725_507406.htm

Sorry it's been a few days without posting here. But one, I didn't think many of you would notice and two, I've been in my bunker trying to build Virgin Drains, to save England by draining all of this rain back into the sea where it belongs. The engineers are having some difficulty, so I've got to keep mum for now. Watch this space for more announcements!

London beaten by s**t weather

If you haven't seen the news about London (which if you aren't in the UK is likely), us Londoners experienced flooding of a biblical nature today. Streets and trains are both flooded out. That's Virgin weather, edgy and stylish. (Though Virgin always provides better service than this latest storm.)

Am I just talking out of my arse? No!

This is all happening because of global warming and the climate crisis. Just ask my buddy Al Gore! He made a brilliant film about it. (Which reminds me... why don't I start Virgin Film Studios? Great synergies with the record label and the rest of the Virgin brand. Hmmmm.... watch this space.) That's why I've started Virgin Fuels, and have been an industry pioneer in reducing the fuel costs for Virgin Atlantic. Plus, it costs the company less. That's win-win, Virgin-style!

So watch Al's film and DO something. Before the water reaches my front door, if you would.

Saving the Earth... Virgin style

So if you haven't already heard of it, I decided to lead a revolution in the fuels industry and started Virgin Fuels. I was kicking back with my kids, and they were like "So dad, what are YOU doing about climate change? I mean, don't your airlines burn lots of it and kill polar bears or something?"

With my trusty advisors feeding me info, I boldly stepped forward to start a new environmentally-friendly oil company. Sure, you may laugh, but remember you're talking about Sir Dick here. (And it's really an investment company, anyway.)

Virgin Fuels has announced that we're investing in gevo, some fancy company that tells us they're going to turn s**t into fuel, or something like that. (My advisors tell me the science is sound.) Once again, I'm building another business, except this one is going to help save the world - from ourselves.

Happy Birthday to me!

Yes, today I turn 57. Happy Birthday to me!

To the nay-sayers that say you lose your edge when you get old... BOLLOCKS! I've started more businesses in the past year than most "entrepreneurs" start in their lifetime. You know why? It's FUN! Yeah!

Getting ready

Big day tomorrow... Sir Dick turns 57!

They're trying to keep it quiet, but I've heard the kids are planning a surprise party for me. But nothing escapes my visionary instincts.

The years keep on getting better and better for me and the rest of the family. By the time I turn 60 I'll be an astronaut, courtesy of Virgin Galactic.

Blogging... Virgin style

Well, my kids tell me that all their friends are blogging, so I realised that this the newest business I need to revolutionise with a vibrant, "Virgin" edge.

I'm not a man of a whole lot of words (well, except for here, here, and here), and I don't like typing, so I'll wrap this up here. Watch this space for more from me!