10 UK household name entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter

Startups has pulled together 10 of the best household name entrepreneurs you should be following on Twitter.

To start following the list click here and find out who we’ve picked and why below.

Victoria Beckham

Why you should follow: Although Victoria Beckham may not immediately spring to mind when you think of entrepreneurs, the former Posh Spice’s global fashion empire reported revenues of £30m last year with a massive 2,900% growth over the past five years. VB’s tweets are generally fashion-related rather than business advice per se, but they provide an interesting insight into her life running a fast-growth fashion brand.
No. of followers: 10.4m
Twitter handle: @victoriabeckham

New #VBAW16 pieces have arrived online and in store!! X vb https://t.co/LSOlV6sx9j #VBDoverSt #VBHongKong pic.twitter.com/cvsxutVglY

— Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) August 26, 2016

Richard Branson

Why you should follow: Serial entrepreneur Richard Branson’s feed has the right balance of business advice, personal insights and inspirational quotes – his sheer amount of followers are a testament to that. He also shares interesting articles with the hashtag #readbyrichard. No. of followers: 8.27m Twitter handle: @RichardBranson

Give people space to succeed, and give them support if they screw up https://t.co/rCiTbR5nPJ pic.twitter.com/jRIZOBU7CY — Richard Branson (@richardbranson) September 1, 2016

Lord Alan Sugar

Why you should follow: Despite lots of promotional tweets about his ventures, the Amstrad Group chairman and Apprentice frontman has a huge Twitter following – mainly due to his honest and often controversial tweets on current affairs, football and business.
No. of followers: 5.2m
Twitter handle: @Lord_Sugar

24 years ago I closed one of my companies in Italy which required a refund of VAT we over paid. Today 24 years later they just paid the €7k

— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) August 26, 2016

Michelle Mone OBE

Why you should follow: Ultimo founder Michelle Mone tweets all about business, fitness and, of course, lingerie. With rumours that she's set to become the latest Dragon, her feed is definitely one to watch.
No. of followers: 1.07m
Twitter handle: @MichelleMone

I have 6 days to get into the powerful zone.4 months to achieve this&I'll DO IT! Fancy joining me for #UltimateLife pic.twitter.com/MoDX8BfFkr

— Lady Mone (@MichelleMone) August 26, 2016

 

Peter Jones

Why you should follow: One of the original Dragons, Peter Jones tweets a mixture of business and pleasure as well as occasional competitions for his followers. He's currently tweeting lots about the current series of Dragons' Den.   No. of followers: 1m Twitter handle: @dragonjones

@dragonjones is like a kid at Christmas!! #dragonsden pic.twitter.com/5WqRMQPihs — BBC Dragons' Den (@BBCDragonsDen) August 28, 2016

Rupert Murdoch

Why you should follow: Although not as regular a tweeter as some other names in this list, Rupert Murdoch tweets frank personal opinions (no retweets and very occasional replies) which provide an insight into the business magnate’s thoughts on politics, business and the economy.
No. of followers: 516k
Twitter handle: @rupertmurdoch

Long term AUST optimism great, but right now all parties must engage whole public in realistic debate on present facts.

— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) February 10, 2015

 

Mary Portas

Why you should follow: High street champion and retail guru Mary Portas tweets frankly and passionately about her charity work, small business and the high street – and is never shy to share her opinion.
No. of followers: 242k
Twitter handle: @maryportas

Have you got a story to share with me? Tell me about it here: http://t.co/sNMCDmurPf

— Mary Portas (@maryportas) January 29, 2015

James Caan CBE

Why you should follow: Ex Dragon, serial entrepreneur and investor James Caan tweets lots of links to content about starting, running and growing a business. As chairman of Start Up Loans he also offers valuable insights on start-up finance as well as lots of links to his LinkedIn blog.
No. of followers: 149k
Twitter handle: @jamescaan

“Observe the masses and do the opposite” – do you agree? http://t.co/nJBCu5Kxf1

— James Caan CBE (@jamescaan) February 6, 2015

Kelly Hoppen MBE

Why you should follow: Current Dragon (although this is her last series) and creative designer Kelly Hoppen tweets about her design business, her investee companies and what makes a good business idea – as well as plenty of glamourous pics.
No. of followers: 105k
Twitter handle: @IMKellyHoppen

What do you think of this method of delivery or would you prefer to shop normally? #dragonsden

— Kelly Hoppen MBE (@IMKellyHoppen) February 8, 2015

 

Oli Barrett

Why you should follow: Somewhat of a celebrity in the entrepreneurial world, the co-founder of Cospa is the king of connections, tweeting insights on (and jokes about) the tech and business scene constantly. Although his follower numbers aren’t huge compared to some of the people above, the quality of his followers and influence of his tweets is top notch.
No. of followers: 15.6k
Twitter handle: @OliBarrett

A Government report on driverless cars has concluded that there is no legal barrier to trials on public roads. Some predict a U-turn.

— Oli Barrett (@OliBarrett) February 11, 2015