As Virgin Mail Order grew, I tried to sell Student to another magazine group. IPC Magazines emerged as the only interested buyer, and we had long negotiations that culminated in a meeting where they asked me to stay on as editor. I agreed to do so but then made the mistake of telling them all about my future plans.
Fantasizing about the future is one of my favorite pastimes, and I told them at the meeting that I had all sorts of plans for Student: I felt that students were given a raw deal by banks, and I wanted to set up a cheap student bank. I wanted to set up a string of great night clubs and hotels where students could stay, perhaps even offer them good travel – like student trains or even, who knows, a student airline.
As I warmed to my theme, I saw that their eyes had glazed over. They thought I was a mad-man. They decided that they did not want to keep such a lunatic on as editor of Student, and in the end they decided that they did not even want to buy it. Student died a quiet death, and my plans for the future had to be shelved for the time being.
- Richard Branson, Losing My Virginity, Page 57.
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