Character building: The nine most influential Aussie entrepreneurs on Twitter

RedBalloon’s Naomi Simson

It’s more important than ever that entrepreneurs have their own social media presence.

Twitter is a great place to source news, engage with customers and stay in touch with what potential investors and business partners are saying online.

Even the big banks are making sure their chief executives tweet, retweet and favourite while sipping their morning coffee.

After all, more than half of online shoppers have purchased a product from a business because of its Twitter account.

With this in mind, SmartCompany has rounded up nine Aussie entrepreneurs you should be following on Twitter.

This list is based on the influence of the individual entrepreneurs on the social media channels taking into account the number of followers they have and the level of engagement they receive on Twitter. 

1. Kate Kendall

@KateKendall

51,600 followers

Kendall is the founder and chief executive of CloudPeeps, a startup that connects small businesses with freelance social media and online marketing professionals. Kendall is now based in the United States and tweets about marketing and leadership.

2. Sebastian Eckersley-Maslin

@sebeckmas

30,900 followers

Eckersley-Maslin is the founder of startup accelerator BlueChilli and is particularly passionate about bringing innovation to traditionally slow-moving industries like banking and agriculture. He regularly tweets about startup advice and industry meet-ups and hackathons. Because of this, Eckersley-Maslin’s Twitter account is a must-read for budding online entrepreneurs.

3. Janine Allis

@Janineboost

25,300 followers

Allis is well worth a follow because of her insight into work-life balance and women in business. The founder of Boost Juice also tweets about what it is like to be behind the scenes at Shark Tank, along with links to interesting articles. Oh, and did we mention the occasional puppy?

4. Naomi Simson

@NaomiSimson

19,600 followers

Like Allis, Simson is a fellow Shark Tank investor and shares a wealth of insight with her followers. The RedBalloon founder often tweets links to her LinkedIn blogs where she discusses how to empower employees and, refreshingly, the mistakes she has learnt along the way. Simson is a must-follow for business owners wanting to become better leaders.

5. Ruslan Kogan

@ruslankogan

17,500 followers

Kogan was an early adopter of Twitter, signing up in 2008. As well as insights into his personal life, Kogan’s Twitter account is a space for him to share his opinions about politics and call on the government to do more to support entrepreneurship.

6. Tom Dawkins

@tomjd

8500 followers

Dawkins is the founder of crowdfunding platform Start Some Good. If you’re interested in social enterprise and how your business can make a positive impact on the community, Dawkins’ Twitter feed is well worth taking a look at. Consumers are increasingly voting with their wallets, and Dawkins’ tweets are a great insight into some of the causes your business or employees could get behind.

7. Mike Cannon Brookes

@mcannonbrookes

8000 followers

Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes often tweets links to interesting articles as well as insights into what it is like to work for his company. Atlassian has been named BRW’s best place to work for two years in a row, so there is definitely something to be learned from what Cannon-Brookes has to say. His feed is also filled with links to articles about interesting tech trends. If you’re after ideas for your next venture, then look no further.  

8. Steve Baxter

@sbxr

7100 followers

Serial entrepreneur and Shark Tank investor Steve Baxter is renowned for giving aspiring business owners no-nonsense advice. His Twitter account is no exception, with Baxter happily engaging in discussions with fellow investors and entrepreneurs. Baxter is also a passionate Queenslander, so if you happen to be from the Sunshine State, you should definitely give him a follow to find out about the latest meet-ups and grants.

9. Melanie Perkins

@MelanieCanva

4900 followers

Melanie Perkins’ graphic design startup Canva may only be two years’ old, but it is definitely one to watch. To date the business has scooped up more than $17 million in funding. Perkins’ feed provides a sneakpeak into what it is like to work at Canva as well as the company’s latest product updates.