Rand Fishkin: "Humble and Kind”
This Week's Guest: Rand Fishkin
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Grab a coffee and have a seat, because we’re sharing Melinda’s conversation with Rand Fishkin, cofounder of SparkToro and founder of Moz, as they dig deep on the kinds of topics you’d want to ask him, too. From the state of the world to the real struggles that founders face (but don’t often discuss), we get to hear a truly candid conversation between two founders and SEO enthusiasts. How has founding a company changed from 15 years ago? How can you drive people to the content on your own site, but still “play the game” of the social media algorithm to gain traffic? And what’s a company’s responsibility when it comes to taking a stand on social or moral issues in today’s world?
Most of us who have watched our share of Whiteboard Fridays from Moz have probably appreciated a certain generosity and spirit that comes through these helpful tutorials. That “peeking behind the curtain” feeling comes through again as Rand talks about his new venture, SparkToro, and its ability to uncover information about your audience in ways you never have before.
We named this episode “Humble and Kind” after the Tim McGraw song, because Rand not only lives these virtues in his work and personal life, he feels we should all expect them from ourselves and in our workplaces. Enjoy this balanced, insightful episode with one of today’s biggest names in marketing.
Show Notes
BOOKS AND ARTICLES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Rand’s 2018 Book: Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World
Rand’s marriage proposal commercial and appearance on Oprah with wife Geraldine
The Whiteboard Friday series on Moz
James Damore, Google engineer fired for writing manifesto on women's 'neuroticism,' sues company
WebCertain TV April 11, 2019: Rand Fishkin talks digital marketing trends in 2019
“When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people”.
- Abraham Joshua HeschelInterview with Barry Schwartz on rustybrick: Rand Fishkin Of SparkToro On Early Days At Moz, SEO Community, VC Funds & More (Part One) and Part Two
More About Our Guest
Cofounder & CEO of SparkToro, Author, and Founder of Moz
An SEO Moz Whiteboard Friday from 2008
Rand Fishkin is the cofounder and CEO of SparkToro. He’s dedicated his professional life to helping people do better marketing through his blogging, videos, speaking, and his book, Lost and Founder. When Rand’s not working, he’s most likely to be in the company of his partner in marriage and (mostly petty) crime, author Geraldine DeRuiter.
In 2004, Rand created the SEOmoz blog, which, over the next decade, became the world’s most popular community and content resource for search marketers. In 2007, Rand became CEO of SEOmoz, Inc (now called Moz), the software company he co-founded with his mom based on the blog’s success. Over 7 years as CEO, Rand grew Moz from 7 employees to 134, revenues from $800K to $29.3mm, and traffic from 1 to 30mm annual visitors. He raised two rounds of funding ($1.1mm in 2007 and $18.1mm in 2012), led three acquisitions, and, in 2013, re-branded the company from SEOmoz to Moz, shifting focus from exclusively SEO tools to broader web marketing software. Rand stepped down as CEO in February of 2014 during a rough bout with depression and left the company 4 years later. He remains chairman of Moz’s board. Rand may be best known for his popular blogs and regular Whiteboard Friday series, watched by tens of thousands of marketers each week. Rand is also a frequent keynote speaker at marketing conferences around the world, averaging ~100 days on the road each year and 30-40 speaking appearances. In 2018, Rand founded SparkToro (an under-development software company focused on audience and influencer intelligence) and published, with Penguin/Random House, Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World.
Find Rand on LinkedIn and Twitter.
RAND’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS for our listeners:
April Dunford's "Obviously Awesome"
Liz Fosslien & Molly West Duffy's "No Hard Feelings"
