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
Mostly Growth