Lost and Founder
A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Lost and Founder
Buy Now for $23.31
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Rand Fishkin
-
Written by:
-
Rand Fishkin
About this listen
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 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 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 audiobook can help solve your problems, and make you feel less alone for having them.
©2018 Rand Fishkin (P)2018 Penguin AudioYou may also enjoy...
-
The Startup Checklist
- 25 Steps to a Scalable, High-Growth Business
- Written by: David S. Rose
- Narrated by: David S. Rose
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
The Startup Checklist is the entrepreneur's essential companion. While most entrepreneurship books focus on strategy, this invaluable guide provides the concrete steps that will get your new business off to a strong start. You'll learn the ins and outs of startup execution, management, legal issues, and practical processes throughout the launch and growth phases and how to avoid the critical missteps that threaten the foundation of your business.
Written by: David S. Rose
-
The Lean Startup
- How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
- Written by: Eric Ries
- Narrated by: Eric Ries
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 487
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 375
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 374
Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
An essential, but should have paid a voice actor
- By Harrison White on 2019-06-09
Written by: Eric Ries
-
Zero to One
- Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
- Written by: Peter Thiel, Blake Masters
- Narrated by: Blake Masters
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 979
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 768
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 765
The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent book for Entrepreneurs
- By FibreHead on 2019-07-12
Written by: Peter Thiel, and others
-
The Power Law
- Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future
- Written by: Sebastian Mallaby
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 16 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17
Innovations rarely come from “experts.” Elon Musk was not an “electric car person” before he started Tesla. When it comes to improbable innovations, a legendary tech VC told Sebastian Mallaby, the future cannot be predicted, it can only be discovered. It is the nature of the venture-capital game that most attempts at discovery fail, but a very few succeed at such a scale that they more than make up for everything else. That extreme ratio of success and failure is the power law that drives the VC business, all of Silicon Valley, the wider tech sector, and, by extension, the world.
Written by: Sebastian Mallaby
-
Traction
- How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth
- Written by: Gabriel Weinberg, Justin Mares
- Narrated by: Gabriel Weinberg
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 59
Most startups don't fail because they can't build a product. Most startups fail because they can't get traction. Startup advice tends to be a lot of platitudes repackaged with new buzzwords, but Traction is something else entirely. As Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares learned from their own experiences, building a successful company is hard. For every startup that grows to the point where it can go public or be profitably acquired, hundreds of others sputter and die.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Must read for any startup founder
- By Brandon on 2018-09-19
Written by: Gabriel Weinberg, and others
-
Who
- The A Method for Hiring
- Written by: Geoff Smart, Randy Street
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 4 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52
Geoff Smart and Randy Street offer a simple, four-step method for hiring with confidence, designed for everyone from the CEO on down. Who shows you how to avoid the most common pitfalls of hiring, how to identify "A Players" - people who can perform their job better than 90 percent of the candidates in their field - and how to make sure the best candidate will be excited to join your organization.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Making hiring wisdom go viral
- By MikeKwal on 2024-02-12
Written by: Geoff Smart, and others
-
The Startup Checklist
- 25 Steps to a Scalable, High-Growth Business
- Written by: David S. Rose
- Narrated by: David S. Rose
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
The Startup Checklist is the entrepreneur's essential companion. While most entrepreneurship books focus on strategy, this invaluable guide provides the concrete steps that will get your new business off to a strong start. You'll learn the ins and outs of startup execution, management, legal issues, and practical processes throughout the launch and growth phases and how to avoid the critical missteps that threaten the foundation of your business.
Written by: David S. Rose
-
The Lean Startup
- How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
- Written by: Eric Ries
- Narrated by: Eric Ries
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 487
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 375
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 374
Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
An essential, but should have paid a voice actor
- By Harrison White on 2019-06-09
Written by: Eric Ries
-
Zero to One
- Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
- Written by: Peter Thiel, Blake Masters
- Narrated by: Blake Masters
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 979
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 768
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 765
The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent book for Entrepreneurs
- By FibreHead on 2019-07-12
Written by: Peter Thiel, and others
-
The Power Law
- Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future
- Written by: Sebastian Mallaby
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 16 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17
Innovations rarely come from “experts.” Elon Musk was not an “electric car person” before he started Tesla. When it comes to improbable innovations, a legendary tech VC told Sebastian Mallaby, the future cannot be predicted, it can only be discovered. It is the nature of the venture-capital game that most attempts at discovery fail, but a very few succeed at such a scale that they more than make up for everything else. That extreme ratio of success and failure is the power law that drives the VC business, all of Silicon Valley, the wider tech sector, and, by extension, the world.
Written by: Sebastian Mallaby
-
Traction
- How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth
- Written by: Gabriel Weinberg, Justin Mares
- Narrated by: Gabriel Weinberg
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 59
Most startups don't fail because they can't build a product. Most startups fail because they can't get traction. Startup advice tends to be a lot of platitudes repackaged with new buzzwords, but Traction is something else entirely. As Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares learned from their own experiences, building a successful company is hard. For every startup that grows to the point where it can go public or be profitably acquired, hundreds of others sputter and die.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Must read for any startup founder
- By Brandon on 2018-09-19
Written by: Gabriel Weinberg, and others
-
Who
- The A Method for Hiring
- Written by: Geoff Smart, Randy Street
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 4 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52
Geoff Smart and Randy Street offer a simple, four-step method for hiring with confidence, designed for everyone from the CEO on down. Who shows you how to avoid the most common pitfalls of hiring, how to identify "A Players" - people who can perform their job better than 90 percent of the candidates in their field - and how to make sure the best candidate will be excited to join your organization.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Making hiring wisdom go viral
- By MikeKwal on 2024-02-12
Written by: Geoff Smart, and others
What the critics say
"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)
What listeners say about Lost and Founder
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emrah
- 2018-11-24
Must read if you are starting a business
The author shares the raw and untold story of most startups. from transitioning between services to products, the author lists many challenges and opportunities.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Raha Seyed
- 2019-09-02
Learned a lot -- enjoyed it
he doesn't get distracted explaining his failures which I really appreciated. It's easy in a book like this to focus on theoretical what if scenarios. because he doesn't do that, he is able to stay focussed on his goal which is steering future would be entrepreneurs away from his mistakes. I enjoyed the book I do recommend.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- T. Petryshen
- 2018-09-27
A refreshingly honest view of startup life
It's as though Rand is sitting next to you while he shares his story. He offers valuable advice important whether you're a first time founder or embarking on another go.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Khaled Nakawa
- 2019-07-30
A great book that takes existing concepts and reflect personal experience
The book deserves 5 stars for taking existing concepts and reflecting the author personal experience on them. This brings great unique value of the book.
It captures many key points starting with validating a potential market for new business ideas.
VC funding reality check specially in the private equity world. With a quick handbook of what needs to be done before engaging VC funding.
Brings outstanding point about quick convergence and the poor reflection on loyalty.
Also how important for corporate values to be truthful and avoid miss-labeling as they attract like-minded employees. Emphasizing the impact of miss presented values.
I don’t agree with the Author about his perspective of MVP with well established companies and how important it is to use EVP of which building a product that is basically fully mature and enhanced(Hearing the term EVP for the first time in the book). There was a reference to the lean startup which is one of the best books and personally I believe that is not fully understood.
MVP doesn’t necessarily means a sacrifice in features instead it could be a sacrifice in scalability or performance. Example doing some work manually in the background before spending time and energy to build certain capability. It is by giving the feeling of fully working product without actually building it. Eric Ries proposal isn’t to sacrifice viable features.
You have to remember that you as product owner decides what “Minimum” is while the customer is the one that decides what “Viable”. Building a product that lacks the features that qualifies “Viable” in the customers’ eyes means that you have’t built MVP. My message to Rand if you get to do the experience you had again maybe you want to try focusing on what makes the product viable to customer through initial feedback loop. This feedback loop can start before even building the product as that will help capturing it correctly. I know it is easier said than done however that is what it takes to build successful product.
The problem of building a fully mature product isn’t only that they would take longer time than MVP but also the fact that perfecting something doesn’t allow room for quick and dirty work arounds. That mindset will stop you from finishing the product on time and you will continuously be pushed behind schedule as new issues come up. Then you are two years in while showing up with a product that either the market doesn’t want or the product is late and competition has taken good share of the pie. Basically a product that is heavily built on LOFA “Leap of Faith Assumption”
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Richard
- 2020-02-06
A MUST Read for any start up or Founder
I seek mentors, not consultants, because they've walked the path and share their experiences. Rand reads and delivers an insightful business book for entrepreneurs. It's dripping with practical knowledge, experience and an honest transparency that I've not encountered often. He is inspirational in the guided tour of his life's journey.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2018-09-14
Unfiltered startup journey
Really enjoyed listening to this book over the summer. It gives some perspective on the sacrifices made by founders of highly visible startups. This account gives some perspective and good insights on when founder interests align or not with VCs. #Audible1
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- MattMorrison
- 2021-04-25
Loved everything about this book
Rand is incredibly vulnerable, direct, experienced and has so many gems to dish out throughout this book. Have a tough time imagining any entrepreneur not being able to get a lot out of this book. Easy 5 stars.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ian R Clark
- 2019-08-13
A must read for anyone interested in Startups
The best book I have read about tech startups. Well written and performed. A real eye opener.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nathanael Henry
- 2023-10-26
Great book
Narrated amazingly and a great read. Loved the part at the end about focus especially!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ben West
- 2019-09-08
Rand is the kind of tech founder we need more of
I was already interested in what Rand had to say about SEO and wasn't sure if I needed to read this book but it was refeshingly honest and charming and insightful. I hope a lot people thinking about raising money and startng a business read this book first. Even if that's not you right now (like me) you will still get a lot out of this listening experience. It was nice hanging out with Rand for a while and hearing his story. Exciting now for the next chapter with Spark Toro. Good luck Mr. Fishkin.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!