The Business side of TikTok: 10 accounts to learn, build, and grow

What began in 2020 as an app for comedy sketches and viral dances has evolved into a genuine source of knowledge, creative experimentation, and cultural relevance. More than just a search engine in disguise, TikTok reflects a collective demand for authenticity.

Somewhere along the way, we all got tired of perfectly curated feeds, sterile aesthetics, and brand voices that felt more corporate than human. TikTok cracked that code by throwing the rulebook out the window. Here, traditional social media strategies don’t apply. Just look at Ryanair’s chaotic brilliance: making fun of their customers (and somehow making us love them more). Or Loewe, a luxury brand redefining its image on the platform by not selling or (sometimes) making any sense while still captivating the audience. And we could have a bundle of articles if we start talking about the huge transformation within the music industry, thanks to this platform.

Beyond entertainment and aesthetics, TikTok has become a powerful space for startups, business creators, and entrepreneurs. It’s a new kind of search engine where, instead of scrolling through articles, you’re met with tutorials, quick breakdowns, interviews, and someone on your screen simply showing you how to do the thing. Whether it’s advice on pitching to investors, building a brand, or optimising your workflow, there’s a good chance someone has already made a helpful (and oddly satisfying) video about it.

With that in mind, here are 10 business-focused TikTok accounts we stumbled upon and genuinely think are worth following, whether you’re here to learn, build, or just get inspired.

@garyvee – Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk, known as GaryVee, began his journey by transforming his family’s wine business. After immigrating from Belarus to the U.S. as a child, he helped grow their liquor store into Wine Library, one of the first e-commerce platforms for wine, boosting annual sales from $3 million to $60 million. He gained early internet fame through his YouTube show Wine Library TV. Later, he co-founded VaynerMedia, a digital agency serving Fortune 500 brands. His early investments in companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Uber cemented his reputation as a savvy entrepreneur and outspoken digital marketing expert.

He uses TikTok to expand his audience, focusing on short, high-energy clips offering advice on business, mindset, and marketing. With 15.1 million followers, his early presence helped shape how entrepreneurs and creators saw the platform, not just for dance trends, but as a powerful tool for organic reach and brand building, posting short, high-energy clips offering advice on business, mindset, and marketing.

@herfirst100k – Tori Dunlap

Tori Dunlap began by starting a simple vending-machine business at age nine, saving all profits to fund college. After earning dual degrees in organisational communication and theatre, she worked in digital marketing in Seattle. At 22, she launched a blog with a bold goal: save $100K by age 25. She hit that milestone in 2019, quit her job, and founded Her First $100K, a financial education platform for women. During the pandemic, her TikTok videos went viral, boosting her podcast and book Financial Feminist and growing her business into a multimillion-dollar movement.

Tori uses TikTok to share practical financial tips on saving, investing, and budgeting, especially for women. With 2.4 million followers, she combines money advice with feminist insights, highlighting how systemic issues affect financial independence. Her content also teaches creators how to grow and monetise their audiences effectively. on saving, investing, and budgeting, especially for women.

@marktilbury – Mark Tilbury

Dropping out of school at 16 and earning under $2/hour making wooden trash cans, Mark used grit and hustle to build multiple businesses and eventually a media empire. Today, he runs multi-million dollar companies, educates millions online, and breaks down wealth-building into digestible, relatable guidance. His candid stories about success and failures resonate widely, shaping the next generation’s approach to money and entrepreneurship.

Mark shares no-nonsense, experience-backed financial and entrepreneurial advice drawn from his rise as a self-made millionaire. With 7.9 million followers, he teaches followers how to build wealth through investing, frugal habits, cash-flow businesses, and personal finance strategies, all delivered with engaging storytelling and snappy visuals.

@realcodiesanchez – Codie Sanchez

Codie Sanchez is an ex-Wall Street investor turned multi-business owner and founder of Contrarian Thinking. After launching her platform in 2020, she’s built a media brand and investment community that teaches people to buy and scale “boring” cash-flow businesses. A New York Times bestselling author with degrees from ASU and Georgetown, she’s on a mission to empower financially free, independent thinkers through real-world education and no-fluff content.

Codie delivers sharp, data-driven insights on building wealth through “boring” small businesses (like laundromats, vending machines, car washes) and practical advice on entrepreneurship, investing, and contrarian finance. With 1.8 million followers, she emphasises authenticity and consistency.

@schoolofhardknocks – Jack Dumoulin

Jack Dumoulin co-founded The School of Hard Knocks in 2021 to make financial wisdom from top entrepreneurs and investors accessible to everyone. What started as a TikTok channel quickly grew into a multi-platform media brand with over 15 million followers and 4 billion+ views across all his social media platforms. Now focused on scaling behind the scenes, Jack leads a growing business that includes content production, an entrepreneurial community, and a real estate fund, all rooted in real-world learning and digital storytelling.

Jack shares short, engaging interviews with self-made millionaires and billionaires, capturing practical lessons on money, business, and mindset. With 4.9 million followers, his team travels across the U.S. to spotlight real stories of financial success, offering raw, accessible mentorship for a new generation.

@simonsquibb – Simon Squibb

Simon Squibb is an investor, entrepreneur, and Chief Executive Officer at The Purposeful Project. He spent 10 years as an entrepreneur in the UK and 20 years in Hong Kong. He started his first company while homeless at 15 and sold his last company, Fluid, to PwC. Over the past 15 years, he’s invested in more than 70 startups. Today, he focuses on offering free training through The Purposeful Project on how to launch and grow a business.

Simon began with street interviews asking people, “What’s your dream?”, combining startup advice with a spotlight on others’ ambitions. With 6.9 million followers, his TikToks blend empathy, actionable insights, and exposure for small ventures, turning walk-up interviews into startup launches by simply asking people: “What’s your dream?”

@steven – Steven Bartlett

Steven Bartlett began his journey by dropping out of university at 18 after just one lecture. He launched Wallpark, a student-focused messaging platform, and later moved to San Francisco to join an incubator run by Bebo’s founder, gaining valuable mentorship. He then returned to the UK and, at 22, co-founded Social Chain, a social media marketing agency that rapidly grew into a global business, propelling him into the spotlight as a leading entrepreneur.

He publishes clips from his podcast Diary of a CEO, offering raw, often emotional conversations with influential guests. With 3.2 million followers, his TikTok features digestible insights on business, leadership, and mental resilience. The leading podcast in Europe offering raw, often emotional conversations with influential guests.

@tedtoks – TED Talks

TED began in 1984 as a one-off conference in Monterey, California, founded by Richard Saul Wurman and Harry Marks to explore the intersection of Technology, Entertainment, and Design. After relaunching as an annual event in 1990, TED gradually broadened its scope to include science, culture, and global issues. Its true breakthrough came in 2006, when the organisation started sharing recorded talks online for free, reaching over a million views within months. This move transformed TED from an exclusive conference into a global media platform, sparking the creation of initiatives like TEDx and TED-Ed.

TED shows that a solid brand and great content work across formats. With 2.9 million followers, the team reposts TED Talk moments as bite-sized, thought-provoking TikToks on psychology, technology, personal development, and social issues, perfect for scroll-friendly insight on the go.

@yourrichbff – Vivian Tu

Vivian launched her career as an equity trader at J.P. Morgan, learning real-world money skills from a female mentor in a male-dominated industry. After a few years, she transitioned to digital media sales at BuzzFeed, where colleagues constantly sought her financial advice. In early 2021, inspired by growing demand, she began posting under Your Rich BFF. A viral video led to explosive growth, and by 2022, she left BuzzFeed to grow her brand full-time.

Vivian shares budgeting tips smartly, investing early (like using credit card perks or understanding 401(k)s), and optimising travel with points & miles. With 2.7 million followers, she breaks down complex financial concepts into accessible, girl-coded advice while teaching creators how to monetise intentionally.

WAIT …THERE’S MORE!

If you’ve made it this far, chances are that you noticed we only mentioned nine accounts above, and we promised 10! That brings us to a quick announcement: We just launched the official TikTok account for EU-Startups!!

We’ll be using the platform mainly to share highlights from our podcast, which already has over 120 episodes, as well as founder insights, startup tips, and behind-the-scenes moments from our events across Europe. It’s a new way for us to bring startup stories to life—in a format that’s fast, fun, and (hopefully) useful.

Follow us at @eustartups and come along for the ride. Whether you’re building, scaling, or just curious, there’s something for you.

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