Do vanity plates bring serious business? | Mostly Growth

Nov 29, 2025

In this playful Thanksgiving chat, the hosts reminisce about emo-punk concerts and dive into the quirks of vanity license plates as business magnets. They dissect the pitfalls of misleading Y-axis charts and argue against ineffective Spotify Wrapped campaigns. The conversation shifts to how YouTube is reshaping entertainment, plus game theory tactics in shows like The Traitors. Finally, they share insights on pricing strategies, advocating for value-based pricing over hourly rates, all while keeping the laughs coming.

45:24

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ANECDOTE

Full‑Circle Concert Moment

CJ drove up to Boston to see All Time Low and felt the surreal moment of aging fans together.
He noticed parents bringing young kids to concerts, making the experience full-circle and nostalgic.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Vanity Plate Confession

Kyle spotted CJ's vanity license plate reading 'mostly' and mocked the douche factor.
CJ admitted he expensed it and joked about doing the douchiest thing possible.

insights

INSIGHT

Why 'Y‑Axis Crimes' Spread

Founder charts that reset to zero each period are misleading and impossible to show decline.
Kyle warns that social engagement fuels 'Y‑axis crime' because likes reward shallow, meaningless charts.

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Mostly Drinks: Thanksgiving episode setup

Concert nostalgia and parenting

04:02 • 5min

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Business blunders: vanity license plates

08:38 • 4min

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Y-axis crimes and misleading charts

12:11 • 3min

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Spotify Wrapped copycats won't work

14:45 • 2min

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YouTube as the future of podcasts

16:51 • 2min

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Game theory lessons from The Traitors

18:56 • 4min

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Monty Hall explained and intuitions

22:30 • 4min

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Newsletter perks and community discount model

26:10 • 3min

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Structuring discounts and affiliate splits

29:02 • 4min

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Gating perks and raising prices smartly

32:33 • 30sec

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Gluten-free nights and niche offers

33:03 • 2min

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Outbound pizza and local growth tactics

35:31 • 2min

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Pricing advice: stop charging hourly

37:40 • 5min

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Personal experiments and food recommendations

In this Thanksgiving-week Mostly Growth episode, CJ Gustafson and Kyle Poyar ditch the serious finance talk for a looser, drinks-in-hand conversation with Ben Hillman, bouncing between CJ’s nostalgic emo-punk concert adventure, the curse of vanity license plates, and the epidemic of “Y-axis crimes” in founder charts. They riff on Spotify Wrapped copycats, YouTube becoming living-room TV, kids’ YouTube empires, and the game theory behind The Traitors and the Monty Hall problem before shifting into real-world pricing: newsletter perk economics, the pitfalls of hourly consulting, and why value-based packaging always wins. The episode stays playful but still sneaks in sharp insights on growth, psychology, and how weird the business world can be when you actually pay attention.

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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/

Brian Balfour: brianbalfour.com

Brian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbalfour/

Slacker Stuff: https://www.slackerstuff.com/

Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slackerstuff/

https://x.com/parikpatelcfa/status/1992706757073023191?s=46

https://www.wired.com/story/null-license-plate-landed-one-hacker-ticket-hell/