With the rise of social media, we now have access to some of the most influential people in business, marketing, HR, etc. Each of these influencers bring a unique perspective and set of knowledge to the table. The greatest part about this is we have the ability to obtain this knowledge and apply it to our business everyday. This week, our team spent time researching countless influencers in the business world to bring you the top 20 influencers you should follow to benefit your small to mid-size business! Take some time to learn more about these business leaders and influencers and tell us if you would add anyone else to the list in the comments below!

*Please note, these are listed in no particular order.*

1.) Richard Branson- Richard Branson is a renowned British entrepreneur known for launching Virgin Records during the 1970s. From there he turned Virgin Records into a multinational organization known as Virgin Group which reached 35 different countries across the world with almost 70,000 employees. He also launched Virgin Hotels in 2010 and Virgin Voyages in 2015. Today, Branson focuses heavily on space-tourism. Find him on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.

2.) Gary Vaynerchuk- Gary Vaynerchuk is a man of many trades with tons of influence. Currently, he is the chairman of VaynerX, CEO of VaynerMedia, Advisory Member of Ad Council and Pencils of Promise, and a Well Member of Charity: Water. Gary is also a popular public speaker after being awarded a 5-time New York Times Bestselling Author. Follow Gary on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.

3.) Arianna Huffington- Ever heard of the Huffington Post? Meet the creator! Arianna Huffington is an international mogul and renowned author who has taken her platform to the next level since the launch of HuffPost in 2005. If you don’t read the HuffPost, it’s full of media categories such as sports, politics, business, and more. HuffPost is so well read that in 2008 it was named the most powerful blog in the world. Since then, Huffington has appeared in both Time and Forbes magazines as 100 Most Influential People in the World and The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Currently, Huffington has left Huffington Post as Editor-in-Chief to pursue her new venture, Thrive Global, a start up dedicated to health and wellness. Follow Arianna Huffington on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

4.) Lori Greiner- If you’ve ever watched ABC’s Hit Show, SharkTank, then you may recognize this next influencer, Lori Greiner. Lori is an inventor, entrepreneur, and investor. She has created over 700 products and holds claim to 120 national and international patents. As a “shark” she invests into new-comers companies to help turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality. You can also catch Lori on QVC’s “Clever & Unique Creations by Lori Greiner” where she has starred for the past 17 years. Follow Lori on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

5.) Tim Ferriss- Tim Ferriss is known as a start-up angel investor. For those unfamiliar with the term, an angel investor is someone who invests in businesses or companies in exchange for some sort of ownership/equity. Companies Ferriss has invested in include Uber, Facebook, Twitter, and Abibaba. He’s also a blogger and entrepreneur best known for his work titled “The 4-Hour Workweek” which has been sold in 35 different languages and reached #1 on NYTimes Bestseller list as well as The Wall Street Journal Bestseller list. When able, Ferriss guest lectures at Princeton University. Follow Ferriss on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

6.) Marissa Mayer- Marissa Mayer is a powerhouse and is ranked #35 with Forbes Magazine’s 2019 America’s Self-Made Woman. During the early years of Google, Mayer joined the team as the first female engineer and 20th employee. She worked at Google for a full 13 years which brought her a claim to fame. From Google, Mayer went on to take over Yahoo as CEO in 2012 until it was sold to Verizon in 2017. Since leaving Yahoo, Mayer co-founded Lumi Labs where she works currently. Follow Marissa on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

7.) Marques Brownlee- Marques Brownlee is only 25 years old and has already made Forbes Top Influencers-Technology/Business list during 2017. He is best known for screencasts and software tutorials which he started at the age of 16. According to Forbes, Brownlee can “command millions of views on his tech- and gadget-focused YouTube channel; an iPhone 7 unboxing video in 2016 has racked up 9.9 million views.” He has worked with brands such as Google, Apple, Tesla, and Nike. Follow Brownlee on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

8.) Neil Patel- Neil Patel is best known as a well established entrepreneur, analytics expert,and investor. Originally from London, raised in La Palma, CA and Seattle, Patel has founded multiple companies including Crazy Egg, Hello Bar, and KISSmetrics. Patel is also well known as a digital marketer who formed and sold the successful company known as Quicksprout. Follow Neil on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

9.) Branden Hampton- Branden Hampton is best known for his brand origination through Twitter. Notable brands associated with Hampton include @Notebook which has more than 5 million followers. @Notebook was also named most influential brand on Twitter in a study to determine the top engaged brands. Hampton is passionate about branding, businesses, and online products. Follow Hampton on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

10.) Eric Ries- Eric Ries is a popular author, entrepreneur, and creator of the lean startup methodology. He’s best known for his blog: Startup Lessons Learned as well as being a co-founder and CTO for IMVU. His NYTimes bestseller, The Lean Startup has sold over one million copies and was translated into thirty different languages. This methodology has become a movement practiced and loved by businessmen and women across the globe. Ries has also provided advisement on a number of startups, venture capital firms, and larger companies such as GE. According to leanstartup.com, Eric “has served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Harvard Business School, IDEO, and Pivotal, and he is the founder and CEO of the Long-Term Stock Exchange.” Follow Eric on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

11.) Anita Campbell- Anita Campbell is another business mogul who wears many metaphorical hats. Campbell began her career as a lawyer but has a background in banking, IT, HR, marketing, and eCommerce. According to Small Business Trends, where Anita is the Founder, CEO, and Publisher, she is also a “business speaker, analyst, publisher and writer”. Follow Anita on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

12.) Elon Musk- Elon Musk is perhaps one of the most talked about entrepreneurs of today. Since founding Tesla Motors and SpaceX, Musk has become a multi-billionaire. Other notable companies that Musk founded or co-founded include Zip2 Corporation, PayPal, SolarCity, and The Boring Company. Follow Elon on Twitter.

13.) Tim Cook- If you own an IPhone, you should know who Tim Cook is! Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple and serves on the board of directors there. Before rising to the top, Cook was the COO at Apple where he was “responsible for all of the company’s worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple’s supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries” (Apple). Before his days at Apple, Cook worked at Compaq, Intelligent Electronics, and IBM. Follow Cook on Twitter.

14.) Jeff Weiner- Most business professionals rely heavily on their LinkedIn page for business related news, connections, and job postings. If you are one of those LinkedIn lovers, you can thank Jeff Weiner for his service. Jeff is the current CEO of LinkedIn where he previously was Interim President in 2008. Jeff played a crucial role when LinkedIn was purchased by Microsoft in 2016. Follow Jeff on LinkedIn and Twitter.

15.) Mark Cuban- Another SharkTank regular, Mr. Cuban is a well known businessman and investor best known for his role as a ‘shark’ and for being the owner of the National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks. He also co-owns 2929 Entertainment and is Chairman of AXS TV. Before he really made it big, Cuban was known for co-founding Broadcast.com as well as MicroSolutions. Follow Cuban on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

16.) Robert Iger- Robert Iger is best known for his reign as Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Iger’s legacy is to thank for Disney’s acquisition of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and 21st Century Fox. You can also thank Mr. Iger for the 2016 opening of Disney’s first theme park in China, Shanghai Disney Resort. Before Iger joined ‘the Mouse’, he began his career with ABC in 1974 where he laid his career foundation before joining Disney in 1999. According to The Walt Disney Company, Iger “has been named one of the “World’s Most Powerful People” by Forbes magazine (2018); one of Fortune magazine's “25 Most Powerful People in Business” (2006, 2007); one of the “Top Gun CEOs” by Forbes magazine (2009); one of the “Best CEOs” by Institutional Investor magazine (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011); MarketWatch CEO of the Year (2006); and “CEO of the Year” by Chief Executive (2014).” Follow Iger on Twitter and LinkedIn.

17.) Everette Taylor- If you would’ve told Everette Taylor ten years ago that he would be on Forbes list, he probably wouldn’t have believed you. Over a decade ago, Taylor was on the verge of dropping out of highschool and homeless. Now, Taylor has climbed the ladder with his launch of social media marketing software company PopSocial which made $2 million in revenue during its first year. According to Forbes, some of the clients of PopSocial include Anheuser Busch, Microsoft, and Hint Water. Since PopSocial, Taylor has also worked for Skurt, founded MilliSense where his clients include Microsoft, NASA, and Miller Lite. Follow Everette on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

18.) Marie Forleo- Marie Forleo is a Jersey born and raised success story. She now splits her time between NYC and LA where she is an entrepreneur, writer, and philanthropist. Forleo takes pride in her award-winning show, MarieTV, as well as her online training programs, and motivational books where she proudly speaks to her audience across 195 countries. Lately, Forleo was named by Oprah to be a thought-leader for the generation to come! Follow Marie Forleo on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

19.) Carla Johnson- Follow Carla Johnson if you enjoy anything business related! Her claim to fame comes from storytelling, speaking, and writing. Johnson has worked with architects, actuaries, executives, volunteers, innovators, and more! She is also the proud author of 8 books! She has been consistently voted one of the top influencers in B2B and Marketing. Follow Carla on Twitter and LinkedIn.

20.) Michael Brenner- Mr. Brenner is an internationally recognized speaker and prolific author of such works as The Content Formula. He also stands as the CEO of Marketing Insider Group. His background is mainly in sales and marketing for huge brands such as SAP and Nielsen as well as a few profitable start-ups. Recently he was recognized by the HuffPost as a Top Business Keynote Speaker. Follow Michael on Twitter and LinkedIn.