Letter from the Editor

2025 seems to be a treasure trove of cinematic anniversary milestones. Among them, the 70th of "Rebel Without a Cause," where James Dean stood in a red jacket on a lonely Los Angeles street and made cinematic history in a story about a troubled youth giving voice to a generation.

That same spirit lives in the founders we feature in this issue. They aren’t fighting against the system so much as they’re refusing to be shaped by it. They’re rewriting the script on what it means to build, lead, and succeed as a startup founder.

Every era of entrepreneurship has its rebels. Not the loud ones who chase headlines, but the quiet ones who stay rooted in purpose when everyone else is chasing valuation. (Actually, some of them are loud too. 😊)

The Cost of Losing the Plot

Startup culture has always loved inspiring and aspirational stories. It's indicative in the term used to describe private companies that reach a billion-dollar valuation. Unicorns are mythical and endlessly pursued. However, the truth hiding under that sparkly horn is that chasing the myth often comes at a cost.

Both Rand Fishkin and Chase Jarvis have lived that story. They followed the playbook that promised validation (i.e. venture rounds, hypergrowth, big exits) and found it hollow. Rand admits he once raised capital just to feel “legitimate” in a world that equated money with meaning. Chase describes realizing that success built on someone else’s definition never feels like success at all.

It’s easy to get lost in that noise. To confuse momentum for purpose. To keep sprinting toward a finish line that was never yours to begin with.

Rebuilding the Definition of Success

After stepping away from the company that made him famous, Rand founded SparkToro as an antidote to that mindset. His goal wasn’t to grow fast, but to grow right. The company is profitable, balanced, and intentionally small, built around a team that works thirty-hour workweeks and prioritizes community over capital.

Across the founder stories in this issue, you’ll see the same pattern: entrepreneurs choosing fulfillment over frenzy. Rand choosing a new way of building wealth that doesn's sacrifice health. Chase Jarvis re-centering his work on creativity and meaning. Even G2 co-founder and CEO Godard Abel's steady climb with G2 shows that patience, not hype, is the real competitive edge.

Each made a conscious decision to measure success differently. Not by what they could raise, but by what they could stand for.

The New Model

Buckminster Fuller said that real change doesn’t come from fighting the old, but from building something new.

That’s what these rebels are doing. They’re creating companies that are profitable and purposeful, structured and human. They’re designing businesses that are built to last, not to flip.

Either way, it’s the same quiet act of defiance: purpose over pressure.

What Rebels Teach Us

Rebellion, at its core, isn’t necessarily about breaking rules. It can also be about returning to what’s real.

The founders in this issue aren’t running from the system; they’re redefining it. They’ve learned that success without meaning is empty and that growth without intention is just motion. Purpose is what turns ambition into legacy.

In "Rebel Without a Cause," James Dean’s character, Jim, cries out, “You’re tearing me apart!” It was a plea for understanding. An exclamation of exhaustion from the high expectations placed on Jim.

Founders today are making a similar plea: to build on their own terms and create long-standing companies with integrity and find joy in the work itself.

So here’s to the rebels with a cause, building with heart, not hype. To those founders dedicated to staking their claim by improving the world with the services and platforms they create, all the while maintaining a life-giving balance that values both human and community sustainability. That’s the rebellion worth leading.

Sincerely, Ron Dawson Executive Editor, Scaling Smarter Magazine