What was he thinking when Tom Adams, CEO (37), chose to take Rosetta Stone public in April during the worst downturn in recent memory?

Since 2003, the company has grown from a small, family-owned business with $10 million in annual revenue and 90 full-time employees into a 1,200-employee operation with first-quarter revenue this year of $50.3 million.

Rosetta Stone’s shares have recently traded above $27 (shares went out initially above the estimated range of $15 to $17 and raising $112.5 million). The wildly successful offering sent a message of good news worldwide for privately owned companies.

Did Tom Adams take a calculated risk? Find out here where Lora Kolodny with The New York Times recently spoke with Mr. Adams about his decision.

Original entry about about Rosetta Stone and its interest to grow global can be found here (4/23/09).

We've been saying this all along ... Wiggly Wigglers, a rural England-based natural gardening company, was awarded (U.S. $50,000!) by Dell and its global partners for its innovation and leadership in social media. Using tools like Facebook, podcasting and blogging, Wiggly Wigglers:

Serves 90,000 customers worldwide and delivers its products across Europe; Cut its advertising budget by 80 percent when the company turned to social media over traditional advertising; Facebook fans currently stand at 898, with over 170 discussion topics; Hosts podcasts from the “Wiggly sofa” reaching thousands of listeners per week, and Built its catalogue based on Wiki ideas generated on its Facebook page by experts and customers.

Read more about the Dell/NFIB Small Business Excellence in Customer Experience Award here.

What a wonderful example of how to use social media to grow your business globally. Congratulations to Wiggly Wigglers and all the other award recipients!

It's a fact: Businesses earn more and grow faster by exporting or growing global.

Find out how and why here.

Photo taken by me (Delaney) in Chicago at the lake front during the Cool Globes display.