Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Things You (Probably) Don’t Know About Rand Fishkin

If in Hollywood the most talked celebrity recently is Kim Kardashian (and her upcoming baby), in the SEO world, the hottest nerd to have hit piqued our curiosity is Rand Fishkin. Now if you’ve been to an alien SEO planet, you might be wondering Who is Rand Fishkin?

Fishkin, SEOmoz’s CEO and founder, claims to be crazy about all things tech, including SEO, inbound marketing and entrepreneurship. He is also known as a highly-esteemed speaker at various SEO conferences, a passionate blogger and frequent flyer together with writer wife Geraldine.

                                             Image From: http://www.seomoz.org/img/upload/randfishkin-500px.jpg

But aside from the obvious (and the frequently published bio), here are ten interesting facts about the nerd of everyone’s dreams:

•    He has never bought a car

With all the money this guy makes and the celebrity status he’s basking in, you’d probably think that he has a limo, or maybe a shiny Porsche or a Ferrari hidden in his garage. Truth is, the only vehicle he’s ever had is a scooter, which he purchased in 2008.

•    He fancies art

Whenever he’s not speaking at conferences, visiting national landmarks or doing work-related stuff, Fishkin muses at visual arts, specifically that of the 19th and 20tth century. His favorites include French impressionist Georges Seurat and American landscape artist Winslow Homer.

•    The guy once dreamed of becoming a dog

He confesses that as a child, one of his lifelong dreams was to be a canine, because of how loyal and friendly dogs are, and well, because everyone adores a dog.

•    He didn’t actually descend from a Fishkin

As an immigrant in America, Rand’s great-grand dad had to adopt his employer’s last name, which is, you guess it right – Fishkin.

•    He dropped out of college

For four years till 2001, he studied at the University of Washington but dropped out to pursue a job in his mother’s PR firm. Not too long after, he founded SEOmoz and became one of the youngest CEOs in SEO history.

•    He used a TV commercial during his proposal to Geraldine

What he did was pay for an entire commercial which aired during Geraldine’s favorite TV show. Talk about creativity!

•    His darling wife might just be cooler than he is

Geraldine is a feisty traveler who blogs about their husband-and-wife travels and gastronomical ventures (and then some) at www.everywhereist.com. She describes her blog as a “big, long, cuss-filled love letter” to Rand, whom she follows ‘round the world. If you have been to her site, you’d know how awesome, brilliant, witty and funny this gal is. And if you haven’t, well, it’s time you should.

•    He wears yellow shoes as a trademark

Apparently, the yellow pair of shoes we always see him in is his personal fashion statement. In fact, he has had several pairs of it and is currently on a hunt for one more as they have already been out of production at Puma.

•    He shaved his beard for charity

The SEOmoz team recently raised more than $4,000 for Movember, a fund-raising event dedicated to male health issues. Shaving his beard was part of the program. In addition, he’s also active in other charitable groups such as Vittana.