As the only person in the world to have built seven billion dollar companies from scratch in seven completely different sectors, Branson has remarkable advice on how to grow a lasting and viable business. And unlike some business authors, he is not afraid to address the failures as openly as the successes, making his insights significantly more realistic and valuable.

As a British entrepreneur he launched, amongst other global ventures, Virgin Mobile USA, the fastest growing company in history to reach a billion dollars in revenue, faster than Microsoft, Google or Amazon.com. His approach to borderless business holds particular relevance in for any company looking to connect overseas – be it with suppliers or customers. He is down to earth and straight up, and I find him an extremely inspirational businessman and author.

See Richard Branson talk about \’Business Stripped Bare\’ in a short video

Several years ago I devoured his autobiography, “Losing My Virginity” and “Business Stripped Bare” is proving to be equally addictive. He tells the story behind the launch of Virgin America, his new airline in the USA and how Virgin Galactic is set to initiate a new era of space tourism from a spaceport deep in the Mojave desert. He also shares his thoughts on the changing face of the global economy and how businesses worldwide need to work together to tackle environmental challenges and invest in the future.

Enjoy!

When small business owners consider setting future goals, they are often looking for ways to build stronger companies with a smaller team, but I have always found being a leader when your main charge is yourself, an even tougher challenge than a room full of VP’s.

Being able to efficiently recognize strengths, both in yourself and others, is extremely valuable in a small office. How do you know if it will be worthwhile calling in a freelancer for a one-off need or if you can/should do it yourself?

“How Full is Your Bucket?” and “Strengths Finder 2.0” author, Tom Rath, has hit the shelves again with a book that aims to shed a little light.

Rath’s latest book, “Strengths Based Leadership”, encompasses decades of research on the topic of leadership. Research organisation, Gallup, had scientists study more than 1 million work teams, conduct more than 20,000 in-depth interviews with leaders, and interview more than 10,000 followers around the world to ask why they followed the most important leader in their life. Published in January 2009, the book immediately became a New York Timesand Wall Street Journal bestseller and an interesting addition to my own bookshelf.

The author encourages leaders to be themselves, rather than trying to imitate an admired role model or follow the latest leadership fads and this is a sentiment I share.

Do you have any examples of good and bad leadership that has had an impact on business?

Since pioneering the DHgate cross-border trade platform, innovation has been my focus. And this dedication to forward-thinking is, I believe, one of the key reasons my company is steadily growing.

I had this in mind when I was thinking about my blog this weekend.

So, in the true entrepreneurial spirit, this month’s book recommendations are a selection of yet-to-be-released works that are due out in the coming weeks. With the ink not even dry, here are a few gems to look forward to; I’ve already placed my pre-order!

On The Brink by Hank Paulson.

The former CEO of Goldman Sachs and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Hank Paulson, has joined the throngs of authors vying for the attention of those who are curious to learn the nitty-gritty of what has come to be called “The Global Economic Crisis”.  What drew me to Paulson’s account is the fact that he was a) actually there and b) a decision maker. Given the pressure Paulson was under during this time, I look forward to understanding more about the how he went about making decisions, coordinating stakeholders and analyzing strategy while under the spot-light and on the stop-watch. Whether this book turns out to be lessons in what not to do or a valuable demonstration of grace under fire is yet to be seen, but either way I’m looking forward to it.

Due out February 1^st, 2010.

Googled by Ken Auletta

Promising to be “a revealing, forward-looking examination of the outsize influence Google has had on the changing media Landscape” this is a book that I almost have to read – Not only because I run an online business, but because I too have an ambition to change the way things in my sector are traditionally done. While Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin inspire the digital revolution when they first decided that search could be done more efficiently, DHgate hopes to lead an ecommerce revolution for simplified global trade.

While Google will generate about $20 billion in advertising revenues this year and is well on its way to become the world’s first $100 billion media company, there are significant challenges ahead. Whether your business is one person and a computer or much bigger, this “unprecedented insight” into the people that fuelled Google’s rise and the challenges ahead promises much.

Due out November 10^th, 2009.

Stones into Schools  by Greg Mortenson

Mortenson’s 2006 book, “Three Cups of Tea”, recounted the details of his extensive and demanding humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan including (amongst other incredible things) the unique ways he has built relationships with Islamic clerics, militia commanders, and tribal leaders. In this new work, he shares for the first time his broader vision to promote peace through education and literacy.

There is so much in Mortenson’s words that I find extremely valuable. While I am a businesswoman, I am also hugely aware of the situation many find themselves stuck in – people want an opportunity to grow or start their modest business to help improve the circumstances for themselves and their families, but for several reason, it is not possible.

Focusing on providing opportunities for small businesses both overseas and here in China is the founding principal of my business, and running training programs, working with NGOs and initiating micro-financing initiatives are becoming an increasingly important part of our future. This book intends to shine a light on the bigger picture, and I for one and anxious to see the view.

Due out December 1^st, 2009.

I’ve run across some blogs of folks who give interesting insights on sourcing in China, and one of those blogs is the Silk Road International Blog, run by a guy named David Dayton, who lives in China and inspects products in Chinese factories prior to export. There is a lot of brutal realism here, and sometimes the author gets a bit cynical, but all told you can see that he really believes that China can be a great place to buy great products. Check it out at http://silkroadintl.net/blog/.

A somewhat different perspective is offered by Cyrill Eltshinger in his book Source Code China. Cyrill is one of those interesting people that make doing international businesses so much fun. He’s from Switzerland, where he was drafted into the Army and stayed long enough to become a junior officer in their special forces. After he left the Swiss Army (no knife jokes, please) he went back to college to get his degree – at Texas A&M.

If running into a Swiss Aggie in Beijing is not cool enough, he’s also written a book about his years running a Beijing company that wrote software for huge global corporations. His book has some superb insights about doing business internationally and in China, and is very much worth the read.

In “The Online Millionaire: Strategies for Building a Web-Based Empire on eBay and Beyond” author Amy Joyner makes a valiant attempt to simplify multi-channel marketing for ecommerce. While the book claims to have enough ‘ins-and-outs’, ‘tricks-of-the-trade’ and ‘inside scoops’ to have you dining with Bill Gates and Richard Branson in no time – most of us will find it a worthwhile read with some interesting ideas and tactics. A new edition should be on the cards.

Mitch Joel, of digital marketing fame, has just released a booked called “Six Pixels of Separation” which, although I have yet to read it, promises to be quite compelling. Being that it was only released 2 weeks ago, it is an up-to-date roadmap for the latest tactics, insights, and tools to help entrepreneurs and small businesses leverage new media to connect with their target market and grow their revenues – for free. I’ve got my copy on order.

If you haven’t read these, add them to your list.

Free Agent Nation by Dan Pink explains why what he calls the “micro-business” is the future of America, and how not even the U.S. government gets it yet. Dan used to be Al Gore’s speechwriter in the White House during the Clinton administration, until he woke up one day and realized he wanted to cut out on his own. The way he weaves his own story with his voyage of discovery about what it means to be a Lone Wolf in American business is delightful.

The 4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss is an interesting book because while I think I would be bored to tears if I only worked 4 hours a week, he gives some important perspective. The key is not to work harder, the key is to work one heck of a lot smarter, and in pursuing his extreme examples he will help you – like he has helped me – achieve the most important thing, which is a life that blends a healthy mix of challenge, satisfaction, and fun.

If you have not yet read Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of the Start, you now have no excuse. Before you read anything else, go pick up this mini-masterpiece and keep a pen and paper next to you as you read. You will get more good ideas out of one chapter of this book than you’ll get out of a shelf of typical business books.