At the end of 2023, among the 18 business creators we could measure, Patrick Bet-David (Valuetainment) has the most-subscribed YouTube channel, with about 5.15M subscribers, ahead of Ali Abdaal and Jay Shetty. Here is the dated, sourced ranking, and what their Shorts teach a consultant or coach who publishes vertical videos.
How we ranked them
One criterion for all four years of the series: subscribers of the creator’s YouTube channel, where they also publish their Shorts. The figure is read on the web.archive.org capture of the channel closest to 31 December 2023. Every figure in the table links to its capture and gives its date: they do not all fall on 31 December, some a little before, others a little after.
Three limits, stated upfront. First, YouTube only shows rounded numbers, so read every figure as “about”. Second, these are the subscribers of the whole channel (long videos, podcasts and Shorts), not of Shorts alone: YouTube does not publish that. Third, the ranking covers the 18 business creators whose channel we could read on at least one usable capture; other well-known names, such as Tony Robbins, Codie Sanchez or Sahil Bloom, have no readable capture of their channel and are therefore not ranked.
We kept creators who teach business, sales, marketing, leadership, money or productivity. We left out creators a platform has expelled, and we included no creator we knew to face criminal proceedings. The criterion is the number of subscribers, not the quality of the advice.
The top 10 business creators in vertical video, end of 2023
| Rank | Creator (channel) | Platform | What they teach | Channel subscribers (capture) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Bet-David (Valuetainment) | YouTube | entrepreneurship and capitalism, for entrepreneurs, founders and leaders | about 5.15M (27 Dec 2023) |
| 2 | Ali Abdaal | YouTube | productivity, personal development and building an independent business | about 5.04M (31 Dec 2023) |
| 3 | Jay Shetty | YouTube | purpose, as author and host of the On Purpose podcast | about 4.73M (21 Dec 2023) |
| 4 | Graham Stephan | YouTube | real estate, personal finance and investing | about 4.58M (18 Dec 2023) |
| 5 | Steven Bartlett (The Diary Of A CEO) | YouTube | entrepreneurship, through an interview podcast | about 4.51M (1 Jan 2024) |
| 6 | Gary Vaynerchuk (GaryVee) | YouTube | marketing, social media and life as a CEO | about 4.28M (25 Dec 2023) |
| 7 | Iman Gadzhi | YouTube | building an online advertising agency, told from the inside | about 4.09M (8 Jan 2024) |
| 8 | Tom Bilyeu (Impact Theory) | YouTube | finance, technology and mindset, through interviews | about 3.93M (22 Dec 2023) |
| 9 | Lewis Howes | YouTube | success, through interviews with business leaders and athletes | about 3.26M (10 Jan 2024) |
| 10 | Thomas Frank | YouTube | productivity and study methods | about 2.95M (28 Dec 2023) |
The 11th, Grant Cardone, had about 2.49M subscribers (capture of 19 Dec 2023). Alex Hormozi, whom many expect here, then had only about 1.85M YouTube subscribers (capture of 15 Dec 2023).
Who are they, and what do their Shorts teach?
The channel descriptions and Shorts titles quoted come from 2026 captures: they describe recent habits, not necessarily those of the ranking’s year.
Patrick Bet-David (1st, channel Valuetainment). His channel presents itself as the source of information on entrepreneurship and capitalism, for entrepreneurs, founders and leaders. He hosts the PBD Podcast, made of interviews with business leaders, athletes and political figures. We could not re-read his channel’s Shorts tab. Takeaway: say who you are talking to. His description names his viewers, entrepreneurs and leaders.
Ali Abdaal (2nd). A doctor turned entrepreneur, he teaches productivity, personal development and financial independence. His Shorts carry numbered titles (“My 3 creator rules”) and sometimes quote a guest (“from Professor Cal Newport”). Takeaway: a number in the title bounds the promise.
Jay Shetty (3rd). Author and host of the On Purpose podcast, according to his description. We could not re-read his Shorts tab. Takeaway: a podcast can feed a channel, but does not make it grow on its own, as the next year will show.
Graham Stephan (4th). A real estate investor, he shares real estate, personal finance and investing. His Shorts start from concrete cases (“How Much It Costs To Live In Miami”). Takeaway: a case with figures needs no explanation.
Steven Bartlett (5th, The Diary of a CEO). Forbes describes his show as a business podcast launched in 2017 as a side hustle. The channel’s Shorts carry capitalised titles, often questions (“ARE STUDENT LOANS A MASSIVE SCAM?”). Takeaway: a blunt question as a title works as a hook.
Gary Vaynerchuk (6th). A serial entrepreneur, he documents his life as a CEO on his channels. His Shorts answer a question (“How do you deal with creative burnout”). Takeaway: answering an audience question in a minute is a format you can repeat.
Iman Gadzhi (7th). His channel tells the building of an online advertising agency, including, by his own description, his failed beginnings. We could not re-read his Shorts tab. Takeaway: telling your failures is part of the content.
Tom Bilyeu (8th, Impact Theory). He covers finance, technology and mindset through conversations with, in his words, “some of the brightest minds”. Takeaway: a guest brings both a subject and an audience.
Lewis Howes (9th). His School of Greatness publishes interviews with business leaders, athletes and scientists. His Shorts are numbered (“#1 Limiting Belief Most People Have”). Takeaway: file a clip under a single statement.
Thomas Frank (10th). He teaches productivity and study methods, three or four videos a month. His Shorts give one tip and one action (“If you’re procrastinating right now, do this”). Takeaway: one tip, one action.
A note on where the clips come from
At least five of these ten channels rest on interviews or podcasts, according to their own descriptions or to Forbes and Wikipedia: Patrick Bet-David, Jay Shetty, Steven Bartlett, Tom Bilyeu and Lewis Howes. We did not open each Short to check which episode it comes from; we only note that channels built on long conversations also publish short clips titled like hooks.
What moved?
This is the first ranking of the series, so there is no previous year to compare with. The next one, at the end of 2024, shows The Diary of a CEO taking the lead.
What it means for you
None of these creators wins because they film better: the clips that carry their channels are answers to a question, cases with figures, or one-action tips. A consultant or coach has the same raw material in conversations with clients.
What next?
Most of these channels rest on long conversations from which they cut short clips: your calls are the same raw material. For the length and framing of those clips, see how long a short should be and the 9:16 vertical video format. Dailies Studio turns your calls into vertical shorts and publishes them on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn and TikTok: see what it is.
Sources
Pages read on 15 October 2026.
- web.archive.org captures of the channels, one per creator: Patrick Bet-David (27 Dec 2023), Ali Abdaal (31 Dec 2023), Jay Shetty (21 Dec 2023), Graham Stephan (18 Dec 2023), Steven Bartlett (1 Jan 2024), Gary Vaynerchuk (25 Dec 2023), Iman Gadzhi (8 Jan 2024), Tom Bilyeu (22 Dec 2023), Lewis Howes (10 Jan 2024), Thomas Frank (28 Dec 2023).
- Channel descriptions: the 2026 captures linked in the text; Shorts tabs: captures from 9 June to 22 September 2026 linked in the text.
- Forbes, Top Creators lists 2025 and 2026: Steven Bartlett and his interview show.
- Wikipedia, Patrick Bet-David: his podcast and guests.