The Page 2 Podcast: An SEO Podcast

🎤 Rand Fishkin on Building Moz, Launching SparkToro, and the Hard Truths of Startup Life - Episode #1

Episode Summary

In the debut episode of The Page 2 Podcast, host Jacob Stoops interviews Rand Fishkin—the mind behind Moz, author of Lost and Founder, and co-founder of SparkToro. What starts as a conversation about SEO’s early days quickly evolves into a raw, honest discussion on what it really takes to build something meaningful in tech.

Episode Notes

Jacob Stoops sits down with Rand Fishkin, Co-Founder of Moz and Sparktoro, to talk about everything ranging from his time at Moz, to the beginnings of Sparktoro, his new book 'Lost and Founder', as well as his thoughts on a number of subjects including funding, venture capital, content marketing, personal branding, gender-equality, and more.

Rand opens up about:

• The scrappy beginnings of Moz with his mom (and massive early debt)
• Turning blog traffic into a SaaS business—and lessons from the pivot
• Surviving VC pressures, layoffs, and internal leadership transitions
• Why he left Moz and how SparkToro flips the funding model
• The dangers of hustle culture, impostor syndrome, and defining your own success
• Gender equity, workplace inclusion, and why empathy must lead

Whether you’re an SEO pro, a startup founder, or just someone chasing sustainable success—this episode is packed with vulnerability, perspective, and no-BS insight from one of the most respected voices in marketing.