The Editing Error I Can’t Unhear (And What It Taught Me)

An Unexpected Lesson from Richard Branson

Mar 13, 2025

I started listening to Losing and Finding My Virginity expecting business wisdom from Richard Branson. Instead, his biggest lesson came from an editing mistake—and it set me free.

I tend to want everything I do to be perfect. Perhaps it’s my own perfectionism (wait, I have that?) or fear of judgment (that sounds more likely). It’s probably rooted in my experiences, especially in the workplace where every blunder I made felt like a failure. In fairness, sometimes mistakes are judged harshly. But when I own it, address it, and move on it just doesn’t matter. So what am I actually afraid of when it comes to making an error in my business? On the surface, no one will buy my service or products. In reality it is that someone I know on social media will see it and judge me. I’m working on not caring. Those who would judge a minor error on my part probably wouldn’t be a good fit to work with anyway. Those I know who judge me—well, their judgment is more a reflection of them than of my ability. Sometimes I just have to say that out loud to bring it home.

Branson’s Bold Moves: Lessons in Taking Action

I was looking for practical business advice from one of the most charismatic and ethical businessmen on the planet today. Hearing about Sir Richard’s challenges and triumphs in spinning up Student magazine with no capital and doubling down on early expansion of Virgin Records is a stark reminder that even the most successful businesspeople didn’t just start off and fly to the top. He learned as he went and kept trying until something worked. He didn’t wait for opportunities—he created them. Whether it was cold-calling executives, leveraging the press, or turning problems into publicity stunts, he found ways to get attention and make deals happen. Branson’s businesses took years to gain financial stability, and even when Virgin Records was making money, he constantly reinvested in the next big thing, sometimes before he had the cash to back it up Conviction, hard work, persistence, confidence, and a little luck built Virgin and Branson into what they are today.

The Editing Error That Proved Mistakes Are Meaningless

Funny thing is, this wasn’t even the lesson I set out to learn when I first started listening to Losing My Virginity. When it comes to autobiographies, I always try to listen to author-read audiobooks. It feels more authentic and keeps my interest in a way an actor reading on their behalf never could. I feel like this person who I admire so much is speaking directly to me. So I was thrilled to find this copy of Losing and Finding My Virginity: The Full Story which is the combination of two autobiographies spanning his childhood to current. But here’s the catch, the audio is a bit glitchy. You can clearly hear when something had to be corrected in post-production editing. It sounds fine, just a difference in quality. But this glitch made me take notice. There is one piece of corrected audio that is repeated! It’s the story of the first Virgin Atlantic flight long before Virgin Atlantic was officially launched. I heard it the first time when Richard and Joan first started visiting the Virgin Islands and again when he talks of launching the airline. I can imagine some poor editor getting this piece of corrected audio, scratching his head, and trying to figure out where to plug it in. The book itself would be a good reference, but still. So, a pretty major glitch, yes? But who cares!! I’m still getting the value intended from the book. And now I have a bonus lesson – perfect doesn’t equal value. And we already know that people are and will never be perfect – authenticity builds connection and value.

Making Peace with Imperfection in Business and Beyond

“The lesson? Small errors just don’t matter! Most won’t notice. Indeed, some people may notice but brush it off or offer genuine assistance or support if warranted. Regardless, few people will notice and judge, but they don’t impact my worth. With this knowledge I now recognize that…

Imperfect action beats perfect hesitation.
Small wins will build confidence.
Most things work out fine, and if not, dust off and keep going. You’ll lose more opportunities by not taking action.

Reminders When Fear of Failure Creeps In

Here are some cliches that can help get you over the hump when the drive to be perfect is slowing you down.

Move a muscle, change a thought – This is often heard in recovery as a means to shift the mindset through action.
Just do it – Nike said it best
WWRD (what would Richard do?) – Throw back to Izzy Stevens in Grey’s Anatomy circa 2006, although the saying goes much further back.

Now It’s Your Move—Let’s Break Through Perfectionism Together

What’s one thing you’ve been overthinking? Drop it in the comments or subscriber chat…then take one imperfect step forward today.

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