Ever wonder what it’s like to be the founder of a successful startup?
In his new book “Lost and Founder,” Rand Fishkin, former CEO and Co-Founder of Moz gives you his honest, sometimes humorous look at what it’s like to build a company from the ground up. Spoiler alert: it’s not always smooth sailing!
Rand started Moz in 2004 with his mom Gillian Muessig, and while the company is now a $45 million per year marketing software business, his new book details the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and offers advice to aspiring professionals so you can avoid some of the pitfalls he experienced in his journey. Rand’s advice for starting a business with a parent, or any partner for that matter: “Anticipate all the things that could go wrong.”
From Whiteboard Friday episodes and renowned blog posts to speaking on some of the world’s biggest stages at conferences and events, if you’re in the SEO or marketing world, you know Rand and you value his advice. We’re fortunate here at Seer because Rand and our founder Wil Reynolds go way back, and even participated in a CEO Swap in 2013.
Rand stopped by for a special book release event at our San Diego office. He talked about the book and his experience, signed copies for lucky attendees, and even shared one of the most intimate, personal chapters.
Not only did participants get to meet the author, they were treated to a special Q&A session between Wil and Rand.
“I’m really excited to be able to help more and more people get a chance to meet Rand and see first hand how willing he is to spend time with people, help them, talk with them,” Wil says. “I was also pumped to have it in a smaller venue where he is more accessible without some crazy line 100 people deep.”
Besides recounting his memories from Moz, Rand also spoke about his latest venture, SparkToro, a software company whose mission is to help people improve their marketing by connecting them with publications, people and sources.
Special thanks to Rand for sharing the evening with us! If you haven’t gotten your copy of “Lost and Founder” yet, it’s available on Amazon. If you’ve read the book, we’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts in the comments below!
If you missed this event, make sure to check out our events page so you can be in the know of all the cool things happening at Seer!