Rand Fishkin

Rand Fishkin, the founder and former CEO of Moz, reveals how traditional Silicon Valley "wisdom" leads far too many startups astray, with the transparency and humor that his hundreds of thousands of blog readers have come to love. Everyone knows how a startup story is supposed to go: A young, brilliant entrepreneur has a cool idea, drops out of college, defies the doubters, overcomes all odds, makes billions, and becomes the envy of the technology world. This is not that story. It's not that things went badly for Rand Fishkin; they just weren't quite so Zuckerberg-esque. His company, Moz, maker of marketing software, is now a $45 million/year business, and he's one of the world's leading experts on SEO. But his business and reputation took fifteen 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. Now 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 can fizzle quickly. Revenue and growth won't protect you from layoffs. And venture capital always comes with strings attached. Fishkin's hard-won lessons are applicable to any kind of business environment. Up or down the chain of command, at both early stage startups and mature companies, whether your trajectory is riding high or down in the dumps: this book can help solve your problems, and make you feel less alone for having them.

A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World

Lost and Founder

John Manoogian III

Solid, honest read about the ups and downs of the startup experience, warts and all. Very accessible reads for normals / non-startup people, with a somewhat bittersweet tone and lots of actionable advice.

Aamna

Supreme in its practical knowledge. I found in it the stuff I looked for in other startup books.

matej yangwao

** spoiler alert **
           Book is bit chaotic ;)
It tries to give you brief summary from each part of growing startup, what's should be your key values to finish with returns.
You'll find few misconceptions and assumptions, mind that.

First time founder? You'll carry lessons for sure. Third exit? Good recall that hard times ;)

≥Transparency is making a choice to reveal even the most uncomfortable truths with relentless candor.

≥That’s the thing with transparency: sometimes, the outcome is the same, but how you got there, and the downside risk, is remarkably different.

≥If you openly share some things but hide others, credibility will suffer. Your team will always wonder what you’re not sharing

≥passion and commitment is an asset

≥Great startups aren’t built by people who never gain competence beyond their particular field, instead by people with proficiency in financial strategy, task planning, human resources, conflict resolution, office management, fundraising, customer support, payment collections, business intelligence, and dozens of other functions founders rarely consider in the early stages.

≥This is the work entrepreneurs do in growing organizations: digging into problems, untangling conflict, freeing people from the mind-sets or structures that hold them back, crafting (and refining, over and over) the pillars and policies of how the company functions.

≥Keyword research uncovers what words and phrases people are searching Google for and in what quantities, and this will almost always uncover untapped opportunity. Move beyond the solution keywords, and look for searches that indicate problems, the number of monthly searches for “cityname+taxi” helped Uber figure out which cities to launch in.

≥It is probably no big surprise to hear that a company inherits its founder’s attributes, whether they are good or bad. Install a misogynist as CEO, and you’ll find that the company has misogynistic practices.

≥Back a founder with self-worth issues and they’ll often overcompensate through political power plays and a lack of sharing credit.

≥A founder’s strengths and passions will often become the organization’s strengths. Smart organizations should use this to their advantage by crafting a business model, a team structure, a product, and sales/marketing channels that lean on these strengths and minimize (but don’t ignore) the weaknesses. Tragically, most of us have a poor understanding of our own strengths and weaknesses.

≥Founders usually think that when investors put money into their company, there’s alignment in the outcome.

≥There is a need to take a little reality hammer and smash your founder’s delusion.

≥. It’s true in the beginning, but over time, their incentives change according to your performance versus the rest of their investment portfolio.

≥Startup culture creates a notable distinction between “aspiring entrepreneur” and “successful entrepreneur.” In the first category, people are still trying to accomplish their end goal, and in the second, they’ve achieved it at least once.

≥They make an inherent assumption, often based on real, personal experiences, that the best managers are the people who used to be the best ICs, thus proving their worthiness as leaders. A mediocre engineer will make for a poor engineering manager.

≥Characteristics or behaviors consistent across good managers are:
• A good coach.
• Empowers the team and does not micromanage.
• Expresses interest/concern for team members’ success and wellbeing.
• Is productive and results-oriented.
• Is a good communicator.
• Helps with career development.
• Has a clear vision/strategy for the team.
• Has important technical skills that help him/her advise the team.

≥Do not get caught up with the hype of superstar startups. Scaling your business will require hard work, to succeed, you need to get ready for it for the long haul. There is no shortcut to fame and fortune. To enjoy enduring success, imbibe honesty, and transparency. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, carefully consider your funding options, do not collect money from the wrong people.

Sarah Schumacher

A must-read for any founder in the tech space.

Chelsea Kang

Makes me want to stand up and give this book a standing ovation at the end. At times comforting, sometimes a very necessary scolding, and at all times relatable, both heartbreaking and heartwarming, Rand Fishkin has articulated the ups and downs of what makes the startup founder journey an undertaking for life. I have gleaned plenty of insights from this, and I will certainly be following many of the advice he's given! I'll liken this to a painfully honest and radically candid 1:1 coaching conversation with the mentor you could only wish you had. He has no answers, just experiences to share, and you make what you will of your own journey. May this book bless many other founders on their way!

Everyone knows how a startup story is supposed to go- a young, brilliant entrepreneur has an cool idea, drops out of college, defies the doubters, overcomes all odds, makes billions and becomes the envy of the technology world. This is not that story. 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. Now 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 culturewith 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.

Claire Knight

You may not always personally agree with Rand or have made different decisions, but this book is refreshingly honest. There is a lot to be learned from this amount of transparency.

Personally I applaud the focus on values and diversity.

'You won't find a more honest, raw and helpful look into the trenches of founding a tech startup than this book' Nir Eyal, author of Hooked 'Rand Fishkin is the real deal' Seth Godin, entrepreneur and author ----------- Everyone knows how a startup story is supposed to go: a young, brilliant entrepreneur has an cool idea, drops out of college, defies the doubters, overcomes all odds, makes billions and becomes the envy of the technology world. This is not that story. 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. Now 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. ----------- 'This is a truly courageous book. It's one part business-building guide and two parts Indiana Jones-style adventure memoir' Chris Guillebeau, author of Side Hustle and The $100 Startup 'Rand Fishkin is like the industry friend we all wish we had - funny, warm, and refreshingly honest about the rollercoaster ride that is founding your own company' Julie Zhou, VP of Product Design at Facebook

Lost and Founder A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World

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