Book Review: Rand Fishkin - Lost & Founder

Hey Steemians

I recently knocked out another awesome read, probably one of the most interesting reads since I picked up Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers. As a startup founder myself, you're always getting unsolicited opinions but never real advice. I call it getting pointers from people who don't get points or assists. Opinions are free and with anything that's free you are able to get plenty of it at scale, everyone is willing to give you their opinion on something. But advice, something that as tangible meaning and actionable points, these people aren't always willing to give out in fear that its some sort of glorified IP or they have an inherent right to keep these learnings to themselves.

Its because of this that there are so many myths in business, particularly in the startup tech field. These opaque teachings and lack of transparency has helped create a barrier to entry a barrier that many startups can't get over, they make the same mistakes previous startups did and burn through cash and dreams in the process.

This is a particular issue Rand addresses in his book as it says on the cover is a painfully honest guide into the World of startup culture. Rand really holds nothing back and shares with you his hopes, dreams, successes, failures and definitive moments during his time as a CEO and Co-founder of a tech startup.

Who is Rand Fishkin?

How dare you even ask that question? Well, he might not be a household name like the Zuck or Elon but in the field of digital marketing and particularly SEO he is our Jeff Bezos, he one of the biggest personalities and I feel pioneered being an SEO rockstar lol.

Rand Fishkin, the founder and former CEO of Moz, is one of the world's leading experts on SEO. Moz is now a $45 million a year business, but Fishkin's business and reputation took 15 years to grow, and his startup began not in a Harvard dorm room but as a mother-and-son family business that fell deeply into debt.

What is lost and founder about

In this book Fishkin pulls back the curtain on tech startup mythology, exposing the ups and downs of startup life that most CEOs would rather keep secret. For instance: a minimally viable product can be destructive if you launch at the wrong moment. Growth hacking may be the buzzword du jour, but initiatives to your business can fizzle quickly. Revenue and profitability won't protect you from layoffs. And venture capital always comes with strings attached.

In Lost and Founder Fishkin reveals the mostly awful, sometimes awesome truth about startup culture with the transparency and humour that his hundreds of thousands of blog readers have come to love. Fishkin's hard-won lessons are applicable to any kind of business environment and this book can help solve your problems and make you feel less alone for having them.

I really enjoyed the book as I could relate on a personal level with many of the issues and early challenges he faced and learned plenty about critical business practices. He explains all of these with great detail and is not afraid to share exact figures and details to help get his message across.

The topics I found most interesting were his detailed take on:

• Investing
• Startup methodology
• Building and scaling

As well as providing his set Rands cheat codes amassed from being a tech founder and CEO for over 10 years.

Is this book for you?

If you're a startup owner or small business owner I encourage you to read this book, especially if your expertise leads towards the tech field. It is a great primer for getting your head in the game, making sense and compartmentalising your business into manageable sectors. I think any startup owner be it in the idea phase, starting out, bootstrapped, seed funded, series A or B would find this book insightful and helpful.

Have your say

What do you think of this Silicon Valley startup culture? Is it creating a world of unsustainable business practices? Is it glamorising the incorrect views around business? Do tech companies and companies, in general, need to provide more transparency? Do you have any books along these lines you would like to recommend? Let me know your thoughts.

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