If you're a small business owner or aspiring entrepreneur, you probably have a go-to list of blogs and industry leaders you follow. With Twitter and LinkedIn growing as sources of valuable business information, finding the best people in your field to follow can be tough.
For that reason, we've compiled a list of some of the must-follow entrepreneurs for 2017. No matter what industry you're in, or where you are in your business, these leaders and visionaries will dish out great advice daily.
1. Neil Patel
If you're looking for a marketing expert to follow, Neil Patel should be at the top of your list. He's the founder of well-known companies such as KISSMetrics and Crazy Egg and an internationally-respected conversion optimization expert. When he's not writing for publications like Forbes and TechCrunch, you can catch his marketing insights on Twitter.
2. John Rampton
Self-taught entrepreneurs usually have the best wisdom—and best stories—to share. John Rampton went from working construction to learning how to sell products online to owning and selling several online companies. As the founder of Due.com, a digital payment company, Rampton contributes to the growing community of entrepreneurs by teaching business owners how to turn an idea into a company.
3. Anthony Smith
As the founder of Insightly, a CRM solution, Anthony Smith shares his wisdom from years of working with CRM software and small business marketing. He saw a gap in the market for small businesses to build their customer relationships, and built Insightly to fill that gap. Now in addition to running the company, he offers advice and insights (no pun intended) on LinkedIn.
4. Brittany Hodak
In addition to her stellar work with her company Zinepak, Brittany Hodak is an entrepreneur to follow for her work in the nonprofit world. Zinepak specializes in custom publications, and Hodak's social media is chock full of helpful content marketing resources. She also co-founded Per Diems Against Poverty, and offers helpful advice for nonprofit fundraising and marketing.
5. Kelly Lovell
If you're looking for someone to follow who has the awards to back up their entrepreneurial credibility, Kelly Lovell is that girl, with 14 leadership awards for her work in youth empowerment. Lovell produces and hosts YOU Effect, a global media network that pledges to be gossip-free and bias-free to provide innovation and news to the younger entrepreneurial generation. Her own company, The Kelly Effect, is a consulting firm that helps large corporations tackle social responsibility on a global scale.
6. Adrian Nazari
If you're in the financial sector, or just looking for everyday advice, Adrian Nazari is a must-follow. As the founder of Credit Sesame, a management platform for consumers, he offers helpful tools for loan and credit management—especially helpful if you have small business loans.
7. Hope Horner
Video and visual content is as important as ever, but some companies struggle with producing it as their business grows. Hope Horner is the CEO of Lemonlight, a production company that creates branded video content at scale for all-sized businesses. In addition to owning a company with the resources, her Twitter offers helpful advice for creating your own content as a startup or new business.
8. Melinda Emerson
Known as the Small Biz Lady, Melinda Emerson offers some of the best advice on the market to small businesses across various industries. She is the founder of the Quintessence Group and has advised companies like FedEx and Verizon on branded marketing and social media strategy.
You don't have to sign up for conferences or webinars to receive quality advice from industry thought leaders. Once you've followed the list above, you'll find and interact with many other entrepreneurs in the social media space and build your own resource lists in no time.
1. Neil Patel
If you're looking for a marketing expert to follow, Neil Patel should be at the top of your list. He's the founder of well-known companies such as KISSMetrics and Crazy Egg and an internationally-respected conversion optimization expert. When he's not writing for publications like Forbes and TechCrunch, you can catch his marketing insights on Twitter.
2. John Rampton
Self-taught entrepreneurs usually have the best wisdom—and best stories—to share. John Rampton went from working construction to learning how to sell products online to owning and selling several online companies. As the founder of Due.com, a digital payment company, Rampton contributes to the growing community of entrepreneurs by teaching business owners how to turn an idea into a company.
3. Anthony Smith
As the founder of Insightly, a CRM solution, Anthony Smith shares his wisdom from years of working with CRM software and small business marketing. He saw a gap in the market for small businesses to build their customer relationships, and built Insightly to fill that gap. Now in addition to running the company, he offers advice and insights (no pun intended) on LinkedIn.
4. Brittany Hodak
In addition to her stellar work with her company Zinepak, Brittany Hodak is an entrepreneur to follow for her work in the nonprofit world. Zinepak specializes in custom publications, and Hodak's social media is chock full of helpful content marketing resources. She also co-founded Per Diems Against Poverty, and offers helpful advice for nonprofit fundraising and marketing.
5. Kelly Lovell
If you're looking for someone to follow who has the awards to back up their entrepreneurial credibility, Kelly Lovell is that girl, with 14 leadership awards for her work in youth empowerment. Lovell produces and hosts YOU Effect, a global media network that pledges to be gossip-free and bias-free to provide innovation and news to the younger entrepreneurial generation. Her own company, The Kelly Effect, is a consulting firm that helps large corporations tackle social responsibility on a global scale.
6. Adrian Nazari
If you're in the financial sector, or just looking for everyday advice, Adrian Nazari is a must-follow. As the founder of Credit Sesame, a management platform for consumers, he offers helpful tools for loan and credit management—especially helpful if you have small business loans.
7. Hope Horner
Video and visual content is as important as ever, but some companies struggle with producing it as their business grows. Hope Horner is the CEO of Lemonlight, a production company that creates branded video content at scale for all-sized businesses. In addition to owning a company with the resources, her Twitter offers helpful advice for creating your own content as a startup or new business.
8. Melinda Emerson
Known as the Small Biz Lady, Melinda Emerson offers some of the best advice on the market to small businesses across various industries. She is the founder of the Quintessence Group and has advised companies like FedEx and Verizon on branded marketing and social media strategy.
You don't have to sign up for conferences or webinars to receive quality advice from industry thought leaders. Once you've followed the list above, you'll find and interact with many other entrepreneurs in the social media space and build your own resource lists in no time.
Kelly AyresKelly is a freelance SEO consultant based out of Washington D.C. She has worked for Philadelphia marketing agencies and writes for several lifestyle sites.
