During the early years, SEO was the gas that drove the Internet engine. If you wanted your website or your business to go anywhere, the only way it could move was with the proper SEO strategy. It’s not as important as it once was, but there was a time when keyword placement, rankings, taglines, and on and on, were all part of a successful online effort. They were essential and no one was more connected to those things and how to leverage them than today’s guest.
Rand Fishkin is considered by most to be one of the pre-eminent voices in SEO. He built an incredible business that focused on this service, walked away, and built SparkToro, an audience research software entity, which is moving in that same direction. He’s currently the Co-Founder and CEO of SparkToro and joins us to share interesting insights into his business journey, where he got things wrong, what he learned, and how he’s using those things in his current business, working each day to get business and life right. It’s not all about money, it’s about passion and finding your definition of success!
In this episode:
(3:51) - Rand talks about what he wanted to do when he grew up.
(4:40) - Batch file editing for software starts his journey.
(5:30) - Rand discusses life at the University of Washington.
(7:00) - The lack of business skills dooms the web design business.
(8:10) - Realizes he loves visual arts, but that’s not where his talent resides.
(8:55) - Managing people and teams did not drive Rand.
(9:30) - The importance of understanding your superpower.
(12:35) - Rand discusses why he was so passionate about SEO.
(13:25) - Falling in love with fighting against Google.
(14:35) - The legitimization of SEO comes about, and Moz is a leader.
(16:10) - Customers trusted Moz and that was part of their success.
(18:03) - Rand touches on his difficult relationship with his parents.
(19:38) - Rand and his team realize explosive growth.
(20:30) - Rand outlines the debt snowball his business was facing.
(22:00) - Erik relates how it’s never as easy as it looks.
(24:00) - Not all entrepreneurs have a safety net.
(25:26) - Rand ponders the reality of entrepreneur backgrounds.
(27:59) - Rand reveals that wealth is not a cure-all.
(29:49) - Human and professional relationships are built on vulnerability.
(30:30) - Once you reach a certain wealth status, life changes, and not always for the good.
(31:57) - What every billionaire says to their therapist.
(32:34) - When the business stops growing, the impact it has on the businessperson.
(33:05) - Rand discusses the danger of tying your happiness to wealth.
(33:44) - Erik says most people would be happy with less than more money.
(34:32) - Advice to people looking to be tech entrepreneurs.
(37:30) - Why service businesses are dying.
(38:36) - The lack of human connection is part of the problem in the workplace.
(39:00) - Erik discusses anxiety and the challenges that come with it.
(41:50) - The ineffectiveness of one-stop-shop software developers.
(42:30) - Rand leaves Moz and suffers from depression.
(43:20) - Rand turned down offers and started SparkToro to prove Moz wasn’t a fluke.
(46:22) - The concept of Chill Work is revealed.
(47:20) - Balance in business and life, without assumptions driving you.
(47:55) - The right mindset leads to a quality life.
(48:56) - Rebuilding after the new version of Twitter.
(49:19) - The familiarity with the mental challenges of growing a business helps Rand.
(50:14) - Rand gains confidence with the product.
(50:55) - Be brave enough to define success for yourself, on your terms.
(52:20) - The importance of finding happiness in what you do.
Our Guest
Rand Fishkin is the Co-Founder and CEO of SparkToro, the makers of fine audience research software. He’s dedicated his professional life to helping people do better marketing through his writing, videos, speaking, and his book, Lost and Founder. When Rand’s not working, he’s usually cooking a fancy meal for the love of his life, author Geraldine DeRuiter. If you bribe him with great pasta or fancy cocktails, he’ll pull back the curtain on big tech’s dark secrets.
Resources and Links
Hawke Media
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hawkemedia.com/
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Rank Fishkin
sparktoro.com/...
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Негізгі бет Rand Fishkin: Founder of Moz and Creator of an SEO Empire
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