Going full-time and the first-year surprise

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:

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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

https://youtu.be/uubf_8al95w

Do vanity plates bring serious business?

https://youtu.be/Cm1rubFb-kg

Pricing in the Real World: Babies, Bots, and Billing

https://youtu.be/T1cjFSZR0k0

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00 Preview and Intro

00:01:12 Sponsors — Pulley | Metronome

00:03:32 Action Figure Swag and Year-in-Review Setup

00:05:07 Going Full-Time and the First-Year Reality Check

00:06:44 Writing Schedules, Creative Work, and Time Optimization

00:08:36 Writing Speed, Craft, and the Myth That Time Equals Quality

00:10:11 Perfectionism vs. Throughput in Newsletter Writing

00:12:23 Creator Burnout, Motivation, and Engagement Anxiety

00:13:28 Playing the Long Game vs. Obsessing Over Metrics

00:15:02 Best Work of the Year and High-Leverage Content Bets

00:17:15 Big Research Reports as Career-Defining Projects

00:18:39 When Memes Outperform Deep Work

00:19:12 LinkedIn Algorithms vs. Content Quality

00:20:11 Writing for the Feed vs. Writing to Think

00:21:23 Optimizing LinkedIn Profiles for Credibility

00:23:07 Subscriber Growth, Audience Quality, and Churn Reality

00:26:40 Reports and Research as Growth Engines

00:27:57 Tactical “How-To” Content That Actually Converts

00:29:41 Tactical Value Beats Sounding Smart

00:30:00 Building a Team and Scaling Beyond a Solopreneur

00:31:25 Simplicity vs. Scale in Early Business Decisions

00:34:57 Avoiding Boredom and Shiny Object Syndrome

00:36:32 Balancing Writing, Consulting, and Energy

00:37:14 Making the Leap Financially as a Creator

00:38:21 Subscriptions vs. Advertising as the Real Business Model

#MostlyGrowthPodcast #creatorEconomy #newsletterGrowth #solopreneurLife