2022 Business Woman of the Year (CEO Today magazine)
In her new book, The Inner Mountain, DHgate Group founder and chairperson Diane Wang shares her journey to the top in the business world while overcoming internal conflicts with confidence and self-esteem.
She recounts pivotal career experiences at Microsoft, Cisco, starting and selling her first startup—Joyo.com—to Amazon in the early 2000s, which was later renamed Amazon China after its acquisition in 2004, and founding DHGATE Group, to illustrate how she learned to stop fighting external barriers, and focused inwards, connecting with her heart's inner wisdom to find clarity and take bold action aligned with her true passions.
The book explores the controversial issue of the "glass ceiling" women experience in the business world as artificial limitations placed on them by others, chronicles her ups and downs launching DHgate and shares lessons on persistence, resilience, and "pacing not chasing" goals.
It also dives into Diane’s "Inner Mountain" philosophy of looking within for personal strength to conquer one’s own internal feelings of limitation, complete with valuable tips for accomplishing this. Learn to embrace your "inner dragon," refusing to get trapped fighting others' battles, and focusing on collective good over self-gain. Diane advocates fostering communities based on mutual nurturing and support she likens to "the way of water" over ruthless corporate "wolf" culture. She offers reflection exercises so readers can grow self-knowledge and apply teachings to their own lives.
The book spotlights Diane’s trailblazing work empowering female entrepreneurs globally through her cross-border e-commerce company DHgate, APEC-endorsed program APEC Women Connect, and the global community of empowerment—The Inner Mountain Foundation.
Overall, Diane delivers a stirring journey and issues a powerful call to women seeking fulfillment in business and life. By sharing vulnerable insights from her personal and entrepreneurial journey, she empowers women worldwide to unleash their potential by looking within. This book will resonate with any driven women who lead, nurture, and inspire those around them—starting with themselves—through the strength they uncover within after climbing and discovering their Inner Mountains.