Lost and Founder

A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World

By: Rand Fishkin

Narrated by: 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.

Critic reviews

"This is a truly courageous book. It's one part business-building guide and two parts Indiana Jones-style adventure memoir. And if you've ever wondered if the 'timeless wisdom' you often hear about startups is bullsh*t, here's the proof." -- Chris Guillebeau, author of SIDE HUSTLE and THE $100 STARTUP

"You won't find a more honest, raw, and helpful look into the trenches of founding a tech startup than this book. Rand Fishkin shares the rare hard-won insight no one else dares tell you." -- Nir Eyal, author of HOOKED

"Most books on founders and entrepreneurship sell a Silicon Valley perspective. Yet the inclusive, egalitarian vision of tech that Rand shares is the one that will truly dent the world." -- Nilofer Merchant, author of THE POWER OF ONLYNESS

"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

"Rand Fishkin is the real deal. This book is an honest, generous and useful look at what actually happens when you build a company, including the downs as well as the ups... I wish I had read it thirty years ago." -- Seth Godin, entrepreneur and author

Rand Fishkin - Whiteboard Fridays - MOZ - revealed

As an entrepreneur myself, who's growing his business, this book came in at the right time. I wish Rand's story with MOZ and what MOZ is today came from a happier fruition. When I was studying SEO I watched every single whiteboard Friday video from Rand, I always said to myself... "This dude ROCKS that Mustache" It was because of a bet he made to his team. "I won't shave my mustache until we become profitable again" ; \

Loved the book! I learned a lot of what not to do's as we grow our service business into a product or an M/A.
This could be a GREAT movie -- To great success Spark Toro,

-- AY

True to the title, this is very sincere & honest

True to the book's title, the author tells one of the most believable, honest, and sincere stories of startup life I have ever heard. This has vaulted to the top of some of my favorite books, not just the category of which it represents. This is a must read and I highly recommend it, especially the audiobook version as the author narrates the story exceptionally well.

I will definitely be re-reading and referring back to this once I start down the beautifully scary world of startup-hood. I look forward to the day I can get on Rand's calendar and meet him in person to discuss more of his honest learnings and lessons with building companies. Cheers!

Un libro excelente para ver la realidad

Te permite entender que no todo es lo que lees en los medios. Podes ver la verdad que esta detrás de un verdadero emprendimiento.

Heartfelt, honest and real. Thanks Rand!

When I started reading this book I didn't expect the journey I was about to embark on would be so meaningful on a multitude of levels. Frankly, all other books I've read and enjoyed on similar subjects never attempted to take me there. I've been running my own startup for the past 6 years and I've read many many books on startups, entrepreneurship, leadership and biographies of the top people in industry including our founding fathers all with the desire to learn and grow and become a better founder, employer, manager, person. All were great in there own way. I learned so much from their amazing stories. But Rand's book, “Lost and Founder” touched me in a way that's almost impossible to explain. His honest and open account of what it's truly like to be a founder with all that that entails is raw and real and should be required reading for anybody thinking of starting a business or perhaps even thinking of being a better more authentic person.

It is amazing personal story

The book is explaining a real experience for startup. It is amazing story and full of useful tips.