Mostly Growth on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MostlyGrowth
Mostly Growth on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-growth/id1842238102
Mostly Growth on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3KDtaLaXx1obFp5PUhZ6V3
In this year-end episode of Mostly Growth, CJ Gustafson, Kyle Poyar, and Ben Hillman reflect on what it actually takes to build a modern media business around newsletters and podcasts. They unpack CJ’s first year going full-time, comparing creative intuition versus metric-driven operating styles, and discuss what content truly drives growth. The conversation also covers distribution dynamics, the emotional reality of unsubscribes and burnout, and closes with a candid look at monetization, team building, and the tradeoffs between simplicity and scale.
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SPONSORS:
Pulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows, without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: https://pulley.com/mostlymetrics
Metronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That’s why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.com
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LINKS:
Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com
CJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/
Growth Unhinged: https://www.growthunhinged.com/
Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/
Slacker Stuff: https://www.slackerstuff.com/
Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slackerstuff/
https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/deep-research-for-gtm
https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/2025-state-of-b2b-gtm-report
https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/presenting-the-state-of-the-agentic-financial-stack
https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/the-great-ai-arr-illusion
https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/presenting-the-2025-tech-stack-report
https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/download-the-annual-planning-bible
https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/how-to-sell-annual-plans
https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/get-recommended-by-chatgpt
https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/gtm-vibecoding-ideas
https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/how-to-use-ai-agents-for-marketing
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RELATED EPISODES:
We get roasted for swag and drop some GTM gold
Do vanity plates bring serious business?
Pricing in the Real World: Babies, Bots, and Billing
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Preview and Intro
00:01:52 Sponsors — Pulley | Metronome
00:04:12 Action Figure Swag and Year-in-Review Setup
00:05:47 Going Full-Time and the First-Year Reality Check
00:07:24 Writing Schedules, Creative Work, and Time Optimization
00:09:16 Writing Speed, Craft, and the Myth That Time Equals Quality
00:10:51 Perfectionism vs. Throughput in Newsletter Writing
00:13:03 Creator Burnout, Motivation, and Engagement Anxiety
00:14:08 Playing the Long Game vs. Obsessing Over Metrics
00:15:42 Best Work of the Year and High-Leverage Content Bets
00:17:55 Big Research Reports as Career-Defining Projects
00:19:19 When Memes Outperform Deep Work
00:19:52 LinkedIn Algorithms vs. Content Quality
00:20:51 Writing for the Feed vs. Writing to Think
00:22:03 Optimizing LinkedIn Profiles for Credibility
00:23:47 Subscriber Growth, Audience Quality, and Churn Reality
00:27:20 Reports and Research as Growth Engines
00:28:37 Tactical “How-To” Content That Actually Converts
00:30:21 Tactical Value Beats Sounding Smart
00:30:40 Building a Team and Scaling Beyond a Solopreneur
00:32:05 Simplicity vs. Scale in Early Business Decisions
00:35:37 Avoiding Boredom and Shiny Object Syndrome
00:37:12 Balancing Writing, Consulting, and Energy
00:37:54 Making the Leap Financially as a Creator
00:39:01 Subscriptions vs. Advertising as the Real Business Model
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #CreatorEconomy #IndependentCreator #NewsletterBusiness #YearInReview
