By The Grow Wire Editorial Board

In short:

  • Mentorship is essential to growing your big idea or your business. And thanks to social media, you can get “mentored” by some of the most experienced names in business, without first networking your way to the top.
  • Grow Wire recognizes the 25 experts below as excellent sources of advice on starting a business.
  • Follow them on social media for guidance as you grow your endeavor.


Entrepreneurship is part grit, part innovation, and part mentorship from those who have walked in your shoes before. Whereas the first two elements come from within YOU, the final piece of the puzzle can come only from outside.

Thanks to social media, you needn’t to schedule a face-to-face coffee date to reap knowledge from some of the top business experts in the world. Below are 25 pros that Grow Wire deems worth a follow on social media. Check out their accounts for the advice--and comedic relief!--needed to grow your big idea.

Experts are listed in alphabetical order by first name.

1. Alan Taylor (Facebook.com/realalantaylor)
As host of the “Entrepreneur Weekly” podcast, Taylor sits down with entrepreneurs from industries across the board to chat about lessons learned. Expect quick-witted and insightful posts on Taylor’s Facebook, along with updates on his YouTube series "Business and Burgers."


2. Alex Blumberg (@AbexLumberg)
Blumberg is the CEO and cofounder of Gimlet Media, an award-winning podcasting company. He cohosts a podcast called “StartUp,” which covers what it takes to launch an organization. Follow Blumberg on Twitter for updates on his show and Gimlet’s other productions.


3. Anita Campbell (@Smallbiztrends)
While she was happily running her own business, Campbell craved a way to deliver her insider perspective to fellow entrepreneurs. Enter her publication, Small Business Trends. Campell’s Twitter account features both news about big businesses and strategies for growing ones.


4. Barry Moltz (@BarryMoltz)
Moltz is an Entrepreneurship Hall of Famer--yes, that’s a real thing--known for his work as a speaker, author and adjunct professor. On his Twitter, he shares strategies for moving businesses forward, based on his own entrepreneurial experience.

5. Brad Foss (@BradFoss_)
Foss leads the Associated Press’s business news department, where he oversees business, economics and finance news. Follow Foss on Twitter for his curated favorites from the AP Business News section.

6. Brian Clark (@BrianClark)
Clark has started 10 businesses in the last 20 years, with a stellar understanding of online content marketing and the emerging commercial Internet. Find actionable strategies and resources for freelancers on his Twitter.

7. Bryan Elliott (@BrianElliot)
Elliott shares an inside look at the lives and minds of some of the most incredible entrepreneurs via his TV show, “Behind the Brand with Bryan Elliott.” Expect pictures and videos from Elliott’s daily life and motivational takeaways on his Twitter.

8. Christopher Lochhead (@lochhead)
Dubbed a “human exclamation point” by Fast Company, Lochhead shares unfiltered, authentic and raw dialogue on “the misfits, dreamers, and innovators making their place in the world” on his podcast, “Legends and Losers.” Follow Lochhead’s Twitter for daily motivational quotes.

9. Colleen DeBaise (@CollenDeBaise)
A former Small Business editor at the Wall Street Journal, DeBaise recently founded Hampton Bee, a site that provides news and tips for consumers who support small businesses on Long Island’s East End. Follow her on Twitter for her latest articles and podcast episodes.

10. Gene Marks (@GeneMarks)
Marks writes columns on political, economic and technological trends to help business owners, executives and managers make profitable decisions. To keep up with the latest issues affecting the small business community, give Marks a follow.

11. Jason Feifer (@HeyFeifer)
As editor-in-chief at Entrepreneur magazine, Feifer uses his podcast “Problem Solvers” to share stories from business owners and CEOs who experienced crippling company problems before reaching success. Check out his Twitter for some interesting quick reads.

12. Jeff Barrett (@BarrettAll)
Barrett built an award-winning PR agency by organizing his network of influencers and social media followers. On Twitter, he shares his work, advice for burgeoning entrepreneurs and plenty of gifs.

13. John Lee Dumas (@JohnLeeDumas)
iTunes ranked Dumas’s podcast “Entrepreneurs on Fire” as one of its top business podcasts, with over 1 million downloads per month. Expect inspiring advice and entrepreneurial strategies on Dumas’s Twitter, sourced from the 2,000 entrepreneurs he’s interviewed so far.

14. Kevin Maney (@KManey)
Maney has worn many hats in his career, from writing for USA Today for 22 years to playing in a New York City rock band called Total Blam Blam to coauthoring “Unscaled,” a book on the new generation of technology. Give Maney a follow to keep up with his endeavors.

15. Lewis Howes (@LewisHowes)
The Obama administration named Howes one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the country under 30. Howes’s podcast “School of Greatness” has 3 million downloads per month. Follow him on Twitter for engaging conversations about life, motivation and career direction.

16. Marie Forleo (@MarieForleo)
Forleo hosts the award-winning show “MarieTV” and is a best-selling author. (Oh, and did we mention her website is awesome, too?) On her podcast, “How to Get Anything You Want,” she provides free training on how to find the confidence to act on your dreams.

17. Matthew Toren (@MatthewToren)
Toren is a best-selling author and founder of YoungEntrepreneur.com, the world’s largest social networking forum for entrepreneurs which recently became part of the Entrepreneur magazine family. If you’re an entrepreneur on the rise, give Toren a follow for advice and mentorship.

18. Melinda Emerson (@SmallBizLady)
Emerson, also known as SmallBizLady, is a thriving entrepreneur of nearly 20 years whom Forbes named as one of its “Top 10 Tech and Business Experts.” Emerson holds an ongoing conversation with a community of small business owners on her Twitter account.

19. Melissa Stewart (@MelissaOnline)
"Behind every successful woman is a story.” So reads the site for She Owns It, Stewart’s media platform that celebrates, supports and connects female entrepreneurs. On Twitter, Stewart shares resources, podcasts and blogs from around the entrepreneurial world.

20. Pat Flynn (@PatFlynn)
Flynn started his blog Smart Passive Income in 2008 to dish up strategies on Internet marketing and starting an online business. Follow him on Twitter for updates on his podcast, which has over 33 million downloads and ranks in the top 10 of iTunes's Business category.

21. Ramon Ray (@RamonRay)
Ray has interviewed scores of successful icons including Barack Obama, whom he introduced to Google Hangouts. With years of experience in marketing, sales, personal branding, tech and more, Ray shares business advice and tips from his legendary interviews on Twitter.

22. Rhonda Abrams (@RhondaAbrams)
You know you’ve made it when 1,000 business schools are using your books on business planning and entrepreneurship. Stay updated on Abrams’s insights via her weekly USA Today column, “Small Business Strategies,” or her Twitter account.

23. Susan Solovic (@SusanSolovic)
Big-time speaker Solovic hosts the podcast “One Percent Edge,” where she talks with top business leaders about “innovation, profitability and competitiveness.” On Twitter, she shares new episodes, blog posts and insider tips on getting that “edge.”

24. Tara Gentile (@taragentile)
Balancing all aspects of your own business is difficult. Gentile fosters a community of those doing “The Juggle” and offers tools to make things easier. She regularly tweets out business advice and updates on her podcasts, “What Works” and “Profit Power Pursuit.”

25. Tim Ferriss (@tferriss)
We couldn’t complete this list without this legendary motivational author and speaker. A Twitter follow will earn you updates about “The Tim Ferriss Show,” a podcast in which world-class performers reflect on their entrepreneurial journeys.