There is much to be learned from great business leaders. Luckily for us, we live in an age when it is easier than ever to access, view and digest their wisdom and experience. While reading and studying will always have their place as the number one way to get an education on any subject (second only, perhaps, to experience itself) we now have the opportunity to make our (business) heroes and mentors’ part of our daily lives through social media.
Seeing as (let’s be honest) you’re probably going to be spending time online on your favourite social media channels anyway, why not fill them with the advice and motivation of people who can set you on the right path to achieve your goals?
Remember, too, that just because you follow someone (and even respect them) doesn’t mean that you have to agree with everything they say. However, you should keep an open mind, especially when the opinion you’re considering comes from someone with a proven track record for getting things done.
We had a hard time narrowing our list down to only ten people, but if you’re going to choose just ten people to add value to your social media procrastination time, then these are the people you should follow.
10 Business Gurus to follow on your Social Media Today
Sir Richard Branson
He’s every working professional’s favourite entrepreneur. Sir Richard Branson is the founder of the multi-billion-dollar Virgin Group. He speaks prolifically on the importance of family values, taking care of your employees, climate change and making your dreams a reality. Branson has more than 13.5 million followers on LinkedIn, and for good reason.
Find him on LinkedIn
Ian Bremmer
Ian Bremmer is the entrepreneur and an academic who founded the Eurasia Group. They are a global political risk research and consulting firm that assists businesses who wish to do business in counties with unstable and unpredictable political climates.
Eurasia has a media subsidiary – GZERO Media, who focus on analytics and commentary on global issues. Bremmer’s content is helpful because of his focus on bringing un-objective information to his followers in digestible chunks.
Find him on LinekdIn
Sarah Needleman
A must follow for small businesses and budding entrepreneurs, Sarah Needleman is a Wall Street Journal reporter who focuses on issues that are core to small and emerging businesses. In addition to her content on current business issues, she also has oodles of advice on how to market your small business through social media and even on how to secure funding for your startup.
Find her on LinkedIn
Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss is probably most famous for his book “The 4 hour Work Week”. He is a favourite among entrepreneurs who run their businesses remotely (or who aspire to). While Ferris writes about an array of topics from physical fitness and well-being to cooking, his main focus is on time efficiency. Ferriss is concerned with helping people to maximize their productivity and potential through with highly effective time management.
Find him on LinkedIn
Ryan Holmes
Ryan Holmes is the founder of the hugely successful digital management platform Hootsuite. The platform allows businesses large and small to manage and curate their social media content. The content he shares is focused around building your brand, best practices, innovation in the workplace and a lot about artificial intelligence. He is definitely worth keeping an eye on if you want to stay ahead of your game.
Find him on LinkedIn
Daniel Goleman
Changing companies from a human perspective, Daniel Goleman is the author if the book “Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more IQ”. He is the leading advocate for the concept of personal competencies such as self-awareness and empathy improving work performance and over-all productivity within companies, as well as in your personal life. His content will inspire and motivate you on topics from meditation to brand.
Find him on LinkedIn
Jill Schlesinger
Jill Schlesinger is a business analyst from CBS News. She hosts a podcast titled “Better Off” which discusses various aspects of money and business. Jill also hosts a radio show and website “Jill on Money”, where she discusses money (and how to make and save it) from every possible angle. Her content gives followers useable, valuable tips and advice about money and keeps you up to date with the latest goings-on the financial world.
Find her on LinkedIn
Tony Robbins
Tony Robbins is well known for his role as a successful entrepreneur, but in recent years he has become an authority as a speaker and author. His most famous titles are “Unshakable” and “Your Financial Freedom Playbook”. He is well worth following on LinkedIn where he shares interesting articles, bite-sized tips and pointers on how to achieve both personal and financial success, and inspirational quotes to keep you going.
Find him on LinkedIn
Adam Gant
If you’re looking for razor sharp insights on life, work and human-nature, then Adam Gant should be on your follow list. He is a professor of management and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and is the author of three New York Times best-sellers, including Finding Joy (co-authored with Sheryl Sandberg), Building Resilience and Facing Adversity.
Find him on LinkedIn
Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk made a name for himself when he took his retail wine store and turned it into a hugely successful brand. He hosted an internet TV show called “Wine Library TV” and built an ordinary business into an empire. He now shares his understanding of knowledge on the topics of social media, marketing and vlogging with a huge international audience. If you’re looking for advice on how to build your brand then this Russian entrepreneur should be on your follow list.
Find him on LinkedIn
Following the business leaders and advisors above will not only inspire you and help you to stay on track when you find yourself procrastinating, it will also prove educational. You will find yourself picking up important tips and advice (free) from those who already have a proven track record.