More and more U.S.-based direct selling companies are looking abroad to capture the growing demand for new products and career opportunities. Regional markets in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia are leading the industry in growth of salesforce and revenue.

Beauty and personal care products remain a cornerstone of the direct selling industry.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.” —Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II

How could there be a more social industry than direct selling? For us, it’s all about relationships. We treasure, nurture and build our businesses on them. No wonder social media is one of the hottest topics in any gathering of industry professionals.

Today more than 15 million people in the United States are engaged in a direct sales organization. While statistics from the Direct Selling Association show an annual increase in the overall salesforce growth rate over the past decade, the reality is that many of these first-time entrepreneurs will fall short of their dreams and disappear.

Yes, we are ambitious. Direct Selling News and all of the companies in this industry, that is. No challenge is too great. To illustrate this point, DSN created the Global 100, the top direct selling companies in the world, based on 2009 year-end wholesale revenue (in U.S. dollars).