In the realm of small business, there are hundreds of people you can follow to get advice on how to run a company, market products, oversee employees, manage finances and so much more.
It can be difficult to cut through the noise and find the most meaningful, helpful voices for small businesses on social media platforms. Here are 10 small business experts and thought leaders you should be following.
[Read: The Top 5 Social Media Influencers by Industry]
Lisa Barone
Albany, New York-based Lisa Barone, the chief marketing officer for marketing agency Overit, has been helping companies for years with all things marketing, social media and content. On social media, she starts conversations about business and strategy, but she also writes a popular newsletter for Overit that is full of vital business insights. For example, one newsletter outlines insights from former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, while another talks about how your business can build better bridges to optimize the customer experience. Barone also gave a powerful TED Talk in 2011 about “what stuttering taught me about running a business,” during which she taught businesses to embrace “weirdness” to stand out from the competition and be more marketable.
Follow Barone on Twitter and LinkedIn or subscribe to the Into & Overit newsletter.
Joshua Jenson
Edmond, Oklahoma–based certified public accountant Joshua Jenson, a CPA for more than 23 years, uses his YouTube channel “JJ the CPA” to demystify financial matters to business owners. Recent video topics include the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC), cryptocurrency, and PPP loan forgiveness. On top of his YouTube videos, Jenson also has two books that provide financial advice for small businesses through the CPA lens.
Follow Jenson on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and his personal website.
Mike Michalowicz
Mountain Lakes, New Jersey-based Mike Michalowicz, the author of multiple business books and a coach for business owners, was a successful entrepreneur behind three multimillion-dollar companies prior to his current role helping businesses find innovative solutions. Michalowicz was formerly a small business columnist for The Wall Street Journal and he still shares wisdom and insights on his personal blog. Notable recent blog posts include how to avoid small business burnout, steps to increase your profitability, and New Year’s resolutions for business owners.
Follow Michalowicz on Twitter, LinkedIn and his website.
Barry Moltz
Chicago-based Barry Moltz, a small business expert who has penned several books and hosts a weekly radio show in Chicago, uses his platform to help educate business owners. After selling his own businesses, Moltz now coaches businesses in sales, marketing, social media, customer service and finance. Small businesses can get a lot of helpful advice from Moltz’s radio show, which doubles as a podcast. Notable recent radio shows include one focused on major challenges for small businesses in 2022 and one discussing the frontline experience during the pandemic.
Follow Moltz on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and his website.
Cleveland, Ohio–based Ivana Taylor, who has provided marketing advice to small businesses for more than 20 years, uses her platform DIY Marketers to teach entrepreneurs low-cost strategies.
Eric Siu
Los Angeles–based Eric Siu, an entrepreneur, author and podcast host, uses lessons from gaming and applies them in creative ways to help small businesses. Siu dispenses his free advice on YouTube, with videos on topics including marketing trends, SEO, case studies and sales strategies. Siu also shares stories and ideas weekly on his podcast, Leveling Up. Topics include top community-first NFTs for 2022 and crypto marketing trends for 2022.
Follow Siu on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and his personal website.
Ivana Taylor
Cleveland, Ohio–based Ivana Taylor, who has provided marketing advice to small businesses for more than 20 years, uses her platform DIY Marketers to teach entrepreneurs low-cost strategies. Taylor’s general pitch to companies is that they can be successful when spending only $17 a day on marketing. Some of Taylor’s most recent blog posts include email marketing basics, increasing foot traffic in your retail store and marketing tactics to promote your business.
Follow Taylor on Twitter, LinkedIn and her personal website.
Ramon Ray
Elizabeth, New Jersey-based Ramon Ray, a leading expert on small business success, founded SmartHustle.com to inspire and educate small business owners through expert content and success stories. His playbook, an e-book called “Grow Your Solo,” aims to help readers expand their solo business. Ray also is one of the many hosts of the podcast “Breakfast With Champions” and the live show #RiseandGrind with Glenn Lundy, both of which discuss entrepreneurship and small business tips each week. As an Entrepreneur.com contributor, Ray also covers topics like networking in the post-COVID era, peer-to-peer gathering for business growth and using audio-only apps like Clubhouse to maximize your success.
Follow Ray on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and his personal website.
Neil Patel
Las Vegas-based Neil Patel is a digital marketing expert and top influencer in the marketing sector. A New York Times Bestselling author, Patel also co-founded his company Neil Patel Digital, which helps grow companies through innovative digital strategies including search engine optimization (SEO), pay per click (PPC) and more. He writes insightful blog posts on both his LinkedIn and personal website for small business owners looking to expand their reach via digital marketing. Patel also posts videos on YouTube that explain different digital marketing tactics. Some more recent videos cover social media marketing in 2022, starting a website and gaining traffic and the different stages of learning digital marketing.
Follow Patel on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and his personal website.
[Read: 5 Tips for Marketing in the Digital Age]
Melinda Emerson
Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania-based Melinda Emerson, also known as SmallBizLady, is an internationally renowned keynote speaker, author and host of the SmallBizChat Podcast. Listed as Forbes’ #1 Influential Woman for Entrepreneurs, Emerson has been the CEO of Quintessence Group for over 20 years. The former New York Times columnist also has an online school called SmallBizLady University, through which she teaches students how to start and grow their small businesses. On her website, Emerson blogs about topics like important things entrepreneurs should know before starting their business, how to develop business processes and ways to make a living as an entrepreneur
Follow Emerson on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and her personal website.
Gary Vaynerchuk
New York-based Gary Vaynerchuk (also known as Gary Vee) is a serial entrepreneur who uses various platforms to teach his audience about entrepreneurship. Vaynerchuk is the chairman of VaynerX, CEO of VaynerMedia, and a five-time New York Times Bestselling author. He also hosts a podcast, runs a blog and speaks at both in-person and virtual conferences that include keynote speeches, educational talks, panels and Q&A sessions, and more. Additionally, Vaynerchuk created VeeFriends, “an NFT project around meaningful intellectual property and an extraordinary community.”
Follow Vaynerchuk on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and his personal website.
CO— aims to bring you inspiration from leading respected experts. However, before making any business decision, you should consult a professional who can advise you based on your individual situation.
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