Lessons - The Truth About Venture Capital Nobody Tells You | Rand Fishkin - Author of 'Lost and Founder'
Success Story with Scott D. Clary
Success Story Media
4.6 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 2 November 2025
⏱️ 17 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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In this "Lessons" episode, Rand Fishkin, author of Lost and Founder and founder of SparkToro, shares a brutally honest look at the venture capital system and how it shapes the modern startup world. He breaks down why VC funding, though glamorized, often leads to unsustainable growth and high failure rates, and explains how founders can build lasting, profitable businesses outside that cycle. Learn how alternative funding models empower entrepreneurs to retain freedom, balance, and creative control, and why redefining success beyond hustle culture can lead to a healthier, more equitable vision of capitalism.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Indeed is a success story partner. |
| 0:01.8 | Now, here's your tech hiring tip of the week from Indeed. |
| 0:03.9 | 73% of tech workers say flexibility is one of their top priorities. |
| 0:08.8 | So if your job posting doesn't mention flexible hours or remote options, |
| 0:12.8 | you're basically invisible to three out of four candidates. |
| 0:16.1 | Keep that in mind. |
| 0:17.0 | Look, hiring tech talent right now, it's tough. |
| 0:19.6 | You are competing for people with super specific skills. |
| 0:22.3 | Everyone wants hybrid work and the salary expectations are through the roof. It's a lot. |
| 0:26.5 | That's why Indeed actually makes sense. They're the number one place where tech people go to |
| 0:30.9 | apply for jobs. We're talking three million tech professionals in the U.S. and 86% of them |
| 0:36.5 | have applied through Indeed. It's not just some |
| 0:39.2 | job board where you post and pray. They've got tools like smart searching and their tech network |
| 0:43.7 | that uses AI to connect you with people who actually have the skills that you need. Companies using |
| 0:48.3 | the tech network saw over four times more relevant applications. That's huge. More qualified people, way less time wasted. |
| 0:55.8 | Whenever I've needed tech talent in the past, Indeed is the only platform I choose. And if I needed |
| 1:00.0 | to hire top tier tech talent today, I'd still go with Indeed. Post your first job and get $75 |
| 1:05.2 | off at Indeed.com slash tech talent. That's indeed.com slash tech talent to claim this offer. Indeed. Build for what's now and |
| 1:14.5 | what's next in tech hiring. In this lesson's episode, explore how the culture of venture capital |
| 1:19.5 | shapes modern entrepreneurship and why it often limits sustainable growth. Discover why most |
| 1:24.0 | startups fail under hyper growth expectations, understand how alternative funding |
| 1:27.8 | models can build profitable and lasting businesses, and uncover how redefining success beyond |
... |
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