Top 20 LinkedIn Creators on Business Development (2026)

What changed in the top 20 LinkedIn Business Development creators since our last ranking

The pool is larger this time: 256 active Business Development creators, against 179 in our previous edition.

Four of the first five places go to new names: Alex Hormozi enters at #2, Lara Acosta at #3, Rachel Mitchell at #4 and Ryan Yockey at #5. Five more new entries sit further down.

Justin Welsh holds #1. Every other returning creator ranks lower than before: the steepest falls are Tom Mills, from #10 to #18, and Ben Kelly, from #11 to #19, and our previous #2, Chris Donnelly, is now #8.

Nine creators from our previous top 20 are no longer in it.

#20 · Patrick Martin, 298 median likes per Business Development post

Patrick Martin, president of MEDEF and of the Martin Belaysoud Expansion group, is down from #13 in our previous edition. His audience likes and rarely replies: a median of 8 comments, the lowest in the top 20, or about 37 likes for every comment.

"Et cette année, le programme mettra au cœur des débats le 'courage'." His most liked Business Development post of the year, an invitation to the Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France at Roland-Garros: 734 likes. Read it

#19 · Ben Kelly, 308 median likes per Business Development post

Ben Kelly has acquired and scaled businesses with little or no money down, and he is the closest thing to a full-time Business Development creator in this top 20: 49% of his feed, on 152 posts in 12 months, by far the most here.

He is down from #11 in our previous edition. His Business Development median more than doubled, from 137 in 2025 to 338 so far in 2026, and his theme posts earn 45% more than his overall median, the second-largest premium on this page.

"I worked as a banker at JP Morgan. & you know what I noticed? The wealthiest clients were buying and growing businesses." His most liked Business Development post of the year: 944 likes. Read it

#18 · Tom Mills, 316 median likes per Business Development post

Tom Mills, whose headline promises to make readers 1% smarter at procurement every week, is down from #10 in our previous edition. Business Development is 5% of his feed and lands within 3% of his overall median.

"A procurement manager is NOT what most people think. This infographic shows what everyone thinks and what a procurement manager actually is:" His most liked Business Development post of the year, a single infographic on his own trade: 1,906 likes, 6 times his median. Read it

#17 · Dan Martell, 334 median likes per Business Development post

Dan Martell, author of Buy Back Your Time, builds AI startups at Martell Ventures and is new in this edition. Business Development is 3% of his feed and earns 37% less than his overall median, the second-steepest discount here.

"A few weeks ago I told my team that AI needs to do 92% of their work or they'll get left behind." His most liked Business Development post of the year: 1,461 likes and 1,234 comments, 9 times his median comment count and the busiest best-post thread in the top 20. Read it

#16 · Jean-Pierre Nadir, 406 median likes per Business Development post

Jean-Pierre Nadir founded the FairMoove group, which works on responsible tourism, and is new in this edition. He writes the longest posts among the top-20 creators we hold writing data for (416 words on average), and his opening lines run 29 words, more than twice anyone else's.

His audience replies little for its size: a median of 32 comments, second-lowest on the list.

"On me demande souvent : « Si tu devais recommencer aujourd’hui, tu referais la même chose ? »" His most liked Business Development post of the year: 834 likes. Read it

#15 · Hanna Larsson, 414 median likes per Business Development post

Hanna Larsson, founder of HUNTRS and formerly at LinkedIn, builds personal brands for founders and CEOs. She is down from #9 in our previous edition and publishes 496 posts a year, second only to Alex Hormozi in the top 20, so Business Development fills just 4% of her feed.

"If I solve your problem in 30 minutes, you’re not paying for 30 minutes. You’re paying for 15+ years." Her most liked Business Development post of the year: 3,733 likes, 9 times her median, the widest gap in the top 20. Read it

#14 · Hala Taha, 417 median likes per Business Development post

Hala Taha hosts the Young and Profiting podcast and runs YAP Media, and she is new in this edition. Business Development is 5% of her 439-post year, and those posts earn 25% less than her overall median.

"Year 1 (2019): $0 ... Year 7 (2025): $1,230,000" Her most liked Business Development post of the year, seven years of podcast sponsorship revenue laid out one line per year: 983 likes and 287 comments, almost 3 times her median comment count. Read it

#13 · Elizabeth Kershaw, 495 median likes per Business Development post

Elizabeth Kershaw founded Journee Girls Club, a community for young female founders, and is new in this edition. On 63k followers she posts a 0.78% engagement rate, the best in our Business Development pool among accounts over 20k followers, which puts her first in the efficiency table below.

"I SOLD OUT my launch as a solo founder WITHOUT sacrificing my wellbeing" Her most liked Business Development post of the year: 929 likes. Read it

#12 · Molly Stovold, 515 median likes per Business Development post

Molly Stovold is the chief executive of Sitting Pretty, an inbound marketing agency, and new in this edition. On 84k followers her 0.61% engagement rate earns her a place in the efficiency table below, and her Business Development posts beat her overall median by 15%.

"I wasn't going to post this." Her most liked post tagged Business Development by our classifier, a personal note: 810 likes and 442 comments, twice her median comment count. Read it

#11 · Adam J. Graham, 597 median likes per Business Development post

Adam J. Graham is the chief executive of JustFix and writes about business and personal growth, down from #7 in our previous edition. He published 43 Business Development posts, fourth-most in the top 20, and his Business Development median eased from 668 in 2025 to 588 so far in 2026.

"Home repair is broken and everyone knows it. JustFix is raising its next round. Now is the time to get involved." His most liked Business Development post of the year, a fundraising call for his own company: 1,885 likes. Read it

#10 · Tobi Oluwole, 633 median likes per Business Development post

Tobi Oluwole, founder and chief executive of Magnate Ventures and its Founder's Blueprint accelerator (we profiled him in his data biography), is down from #4 in our previous edition. Business Development is 10% of his feed and earns 19% less than his overall median.

"In 2010, I was selling noodles in high school. In 2013, I was selling internet services through network marketing." His most liked Business Development post of the year, a career told as a list of years: 3,317 likes, 5 times his median. Read it

#9 · Matt Gray, 716 median likes per Business Development post

Matt Gray, founder and chief executive of Founder OS (see his data biography), is down from #6 in our previous edition. His Business Development median runs from 252 in 2022 to 506 in 2023 and 830 in 2024, and stands at 693 so far in 2026.

His best post earned only 1.5 times his median, one of the smallest gaps here: his rank rests on consistency.

"How to monetize your expertise (without selling your soul): Most experts are broke." His most liked Business Development post of the year: 1,066 likes. Read it

#8 · Chris Donnelly, 733 median likes per Business Development post

Chris Donnelly, co-founder of Searchable (profiled in his data biography), has the biggest audience in the ranking, 1.3 million followers, yet sits eighth, down from #2 in our previous edition. His 0.06% engagement rate is the lowest of the top 20.

A number opens 56% of his hooks, the highest rate among the top-20 creators we hold writing data for.

"You can start an entire business from your laptop using Claude. No agency or developers needed. This is your guide:" His most liked Business Development post of the year: 2,750 likes. Read it

#7 · Codie A. Sanchez, 801 median likes per Business Development post

Codie A. Sanchez invests in Main Street businesses and teaches people how to buy them, down from #5 in our previous edition. After Ben Kelly, she is the volume engine of this top 20, with 83 Business Development posts in 12 months.

Those posts earn 40% less than her overall median, the steepest discount on this page.

"You don’t have to be smart to be successful. But don’t take my word for it:" Her most liked Business Development post of the year, built on quotes from well-known founders: 3,281 likes, 4 times her median. Read it

#6 · Jordan Lee, 894 median likes per Business Development post

Jordan Lee left a corporate job and now sells AI to businesses, down from #3 in our previous edition. He is the smallest account in the top 20, at 17k followers.

His 5.39% engagement rate is the highest by a wide margin, about seven times anyone in the efficiency table below. Business Development is 29% of his feed, the second-highest share here after Ben Kelly.

"Laid off after 5 years working 80 hour weeks for a company that sees me as just another number. That's what I saw as my future in corporate." His most liked Business Development post of the year: 1,326 likes and 251 comments. Read it

#5 · Ryan Yockey, 1,045 median likes per Business Development post

Ryan Yockey coaches high performers who want to build a business on LinkedIn, and he is new in this edition. Business Development is only 3% of his feed, yet those posts earn 169% more than his overall median, the largest premium in the top 20.

His 0.71% engagement rate also puts him second in the efficiency table below.

"I turned down $250K because of what Charlie Munger taught me. The offer was simple: consult for a company selling overpriced courses to desperate entrepreneurs." His most liked Business Development post of the year: 2,573 likes. Read it

#4 · Rachel Mitchell, 1,199 median likes per Business Development post

Rachel Mitchell is an executive producer and IP investor who helps experts get paid to appear on TV, and she is new in this edition at #4. Business Development is 3% of her feed and earns 25% less than her overall median.

"Most people make this mistake: They secretly compete with people who are not even competing with them." Her most liked post tagged Business Development by our classifier: 7,606 likes, 6 times her median and the single biggest best post in the top 20. Read it

#3 · Lara Acosta, 1,471 median likes per Business Development post

Lara Acosta, an entrepreneur and investor on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list who teaches personal branding (see her data biography), is new in this edition at #3. Her median of 675 comments is second only to Justin Welsh's.

She also has the fewest Business Development posts in the top 20 (10, tied with Ryan Yockey), and her best post earned only 1.4 times her median, the smallest gap here.

"pov: you’re building a business in london (surrounded by 8-figure founders because of LinkedIn)" Her most liked Business Development post of the year: 2,127 likes and 876 comments. Read it

#2 · Alex Hormozi, 2,025 median likes per Business Development post

Alex Hormozi, founder of Acquisition.com and co-founder of Skool (see his data biography), is the highest new entry in this top 20.

He is the most prolific account here, with 619 posts in 12 months, so his 11 Business Development posts are 2% of his feed, the smallest share in the top 20.

His posts are also the shortest among the top-20 creators we hold writing data for, 22 words on average. His Business Development median was 945 in 2023 and stands at 2,014 so far in 2026.

"Top business books that helped me make 9-figures" His most liked Business Development post of the year, that one line of text: 3,377 likes. Read it

#1 · Justin Welsh, 2,226 median likes per Business Development post

Justin Welsh, who writes The Saturday Essay for more than 200,000 readers (we profiled him in his data biography), tops this ranking again with 2,226 median likes per Business Development post, 60 times the typical Business Development post we measured.

He also has the highest median comment count in the top 20 (773) and leads total Business Development likes (126,238).

His theme posts still earn 31% less than his overall median of 3,214, and his Business Development median went from 2,802 in 2025 to 2,133 so far in 2026, on three times as many posts.

"Most people are set up for failure. Their environment is a nightmare." His most liked Business Development post of the year: 5,877 likes and 1,215 comments. Read it

Where do these cards come from? We computed every figure on this page from public posts with MagicPost's LinkedIn analytics: median engagement per theme, share of feed, premiums and trajectories, across 256 Business Development creators and 13,143 Business Development posts. Run it on your own profile, side by side with anyone on this list.

Which Business Development creators just missed the top 20?

Five names sit right behind the cut, all within 18 likes of number twenty:

Matt Barker, at #25, published 444 posts in 12 months, so his 11 Business Development posts are only 2% of his feed, yet they earn 31% more than his overall median.

Ian Tenenbaum, at #21, misses the cut by 2 likes.

Which LinkedIn Business Development creators have the highest engagement rate?

Raw likes flatter the largest followings, so divide by reach: engagement rate on Business Development posts, median likes divided by followers (20k followers and over). The order changes almost completely:

Three of the five also sit in the top 20: Elizabeth Kershaw (#13), Ryan Yockey (#5) and Molly Stovold (#12). Mariya Valeva, a fractional CFO with 24k followers, and Tim Hillison, a go-to-market operator, complete the table.

One smaller account does far better still but falls under the 20k floor: Jordan Lee (#6), at 5.39%. The top 20 itself runs from his 5.39% down to Chris Donnelly's 0.06%. For how Business Development compares with other subjects, see our study of LinkedIn engagement rate by topic.

Which Business Development creators get the most total likes on LinkedIn?

One more cut counts the total likes on Business Development posts over 12 months, where frequent posters gain ground:

Justin Welsh leads on 53 posts. Codie A. Sanchez needs 83 to land second and Ben Kelly 152 for third, while Alex Hormozi reaches sixth on just 11 and Rachel Mitchell eighth on 13.

All eight come from the top 20, so in Business Development the volume cut stays inside the median ranking.

Which LinkedIn Business Development creator gets the most comments per post?

This cut divides comments by likes. The record in our Business Development pool belongs to Logan Merrick, who headhunts talent in the Philippines for DTC brands: 110 median comments against 103 median likes, slightly more comments than likes.

The typical top-20 creator gets one comment for every 4 likes. Jacob Pegs and Marc Kuhn complete the podium, both near one comment per like (counting creators with 100+ median likes).

Are the top LinkedIn Business Development creators full-time Business Development voices?

Almost none. Of the 256 creators who post Business Development consistently, only 1 gives it at least half their feed. In the top 20, Ben Kelly comes closest at 49%, ahead of Jordan Lee (29%) and Codie A. Sanchez (22%).

At the other end sit Alex Hormozi (2%) and Rachel Mitchell, Ryan Yockey and Dan Martell (3% each).

Focus does not decide the premium here. Ryan Yockey earns +169% on a 3% share and Ben Kelly +45% on 49%, while Codie A. Sanchez, at 22%, takes the steepest discount (-40%).

In all, 11 of the 20 earn less on Business Development than on their other posts, and 9 earn more.

The top 20 is mostly American and British: 8 creators are based in the United States and 7 in the United Kingdom, with 2 each in Canada and France and one in Sweden.

Country by country rankings: the United States, the UK, Canada, France, the full series.

For the neighboring themes, see our ranking of the top LinkedIn sales creators and the top LinkedIn lead generation creators. And if showing up in these creators' comment sections is part of your plan, an engagement feed keeps it to a five-minute daily habit.

How we ranked the top LinkedIn Business Development creators

All of this is MagicPost's own research. We went through 13,143 Business Development posts from the last 12 months and ranked 256 creators by median likes on their Business Development posts.

Only creators with at least one post in the last 60 days are ranked. The method:

• Floors: at least 5,000 followers and 10 Business Development posts in the window; deleted posts excluded.

• Median rather than average: no single viral post can buy a place.

• Business Development posts only: our own classifier tags each post's theme, and only Business Development posts count.

• Business Development posts analyzed: the posts our dataset holds per creator, sometimes fewer than they published.

• Per creator: share of feed, premium over their own median, yearly trajectories, engagement rate and comment ratio.

Sixteen of the twenty medians rest on 10 to 29 Business Development posts, so a few posts can move the lower ranks. Rankings refresh as the data does. No placement here was sponsored; every rank comes straight from the median.

Study them, then study yourself. With MagicPost you can analyze any Business Development creator the way we just did (median engagement by theme, share of feed, premiums, trajectory) and benchmark your own profile against the pool. The data on this page is the product.