Afleveringen
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In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, Kyle and CJ blind-rank the AI go-to-market use cases that are actually worth caring about. They break down AI lead scoring, sales research briefs, synthetic ICPs, micro-campaign agents, competitive intelligence copilots, AI CRMs, LinkedIn ghostwriting, and why some AI workflows feel more like vitamins than painkillers.
—
SPONSORS:
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
Lime’s S-1 Breakdown: The $1.8B Scooter IPO
https://youtu.be/aug8HSHwRnE
Why Founders Are Posting Sad Dinners
https://youtu.be/Zl6NSIHF2Gk
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro banter: wine, hangovers, and Lime scooters
4:04 Show intro
4:27 Game: blind rank 8 AI GTM use cases
5:04 Use case 1: VP/C-suite AI chief of staff
6:57 Use case 2: synthetic ICP / digital twin
10:32 Sponsors — Tabs | Lightfield | beehiiv
13:33 Use case 3: writing LinkedIn posts in your voice
16:40 Use case 4: research briefs ahead of sales calls
18:42 Use case 5: vibe coding your own AI CRM
21:05 Use case 6: inbound lead scoring
24:24 Use case 7: micro campaigns via AI agents
26:36 Use case 8: competitive intelligence copilot
28:33 CJ's final ranking revealed
29:27 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #AIStrategy #GrowthMarketing #SaaS #RevenueOperations
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In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, Kyle and CJ break down why AI spend is starting to look like the new cloud bill. They cover token usage, runaway experimentation, budget controls, and how finance teams can manage AI adoption without slowing everyone down.
—
SPONSORS:
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
How Zapier's CFO Automated His Entire Finance Team
https://youtu.be/XDaiLDfBob8
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Car crash in the Hamptons
5:04 Topic intro: the token maxing era is over
5:51 Investors caused the problem
7:00 CFO data: cloud costs up 45% MoM
8:03 Pylon's $1.4M token bill
9:28 Sponsors — beehiiv | Tabs | Lightfield
12:29 Tip 1: don't go all-in on one provider
13:28 Play them against each other
14:54 OpenAI is throwing free trials at people
17:00 Use the price cut rumors as leverage
18:34 Tip 2: audit by team and user
19:51 Budget AI like a benefits load
21:05 Tip 3: budget envelope over headcount
22:47 Carve out an experimentation budget
23:40 Tip 4: default teams to cheaper models
25:07 AI routing and model brokers
25:56 Tip 5: celebrate when people skip AI
27:25 Deterministic beats AI where it works
28:09 Quantify wins before scaling
29:36 Cloud cost management as the precedent
30:12 Should there be a Chief AI Officer?
31:21 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #AIStrategy #SaaS #ProductMonetization #FinanceLeadership
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, Kyle and CJ go dumpster diving through SEC filings to find out what happened to the once-common 130% net dollar retention rate. They break down Workday, SaaS retention metrics, disappearing disclosures, and why the market’s best expansion stories may be getting harder to find.
—
SPONSORS:
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
Navan’s CFO on the Capital Allocation Mistakes Companies Keep Making
https://youtu.be/siwzJSRXAvY
Escaping the AI Thirst Trap: Building Products That Actually Last | Des Traynor
https://youtu.be/LLtMIoppG3Y
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro: where did the 130% NDRs go?
1:10 Workday: the canary in the coal mine
2:18 SEC asks Workday for their NDR
3:04 Workday says: we'd rather not
4:02 It's not just Workday
4:49 The NDR peak: a guessing game
5:50 NDR was never calculated consistently
9:29 Sponsors — Lightfield | beehiiv | Tabs
12:29 Flavor 1: just stop reporting it
12:59 Flavor 2: vague language instead of numbers
14:24 Flavor 3: report once a year
15:29 157% to 117% in 12 months
16:07 How many are in the 130 club today?
17:23 Where the threshold actually matters
18:03 Median: 124% peak to 110% today
19:14 Why it dropped
20:46 The case for transparency
22:29 AI credits not showing up as NDR
26:00 10 NDR points = 1x valuation multiple
28:28 The trough of pain: who fell furthest
29:53 Companies that never reported at all
30:37 Shoutout to the ones still disclosing
30:51 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #SaaS #Investing #ProductMonetization #StartupMetrics
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In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, Kyle and CJ talk about the hidden stress of running your own business — from QuickBooks confusion and accountant panic to the constant feeling that everything falls on you. They unpack why entrepreneurship looks glamorous from the outside, but feels messy behind the scenes.
—
SPONSORS:
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
SaaS Has a Branding Problem
https://youtu.be/qWyjFTqnfhg
Why ‘Growth’ Isn’t Just a Fancy Word for Marketing | with Leah Tharin
https://youtu.be/CYGen_bLdp0
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Croatia, QuickBooks, existential angst
3:25 Sole proprietor → LLC → S corp
7:50 Why S corp matters after $150K
8:18 Running payroll on yourself
10:20 Sponsors — Tabs | Lightfield | beehiiv
13:20 Quarterly taxes and safe harbor
15:47 How to set your own salary
17:19 Missing your first payroll run
18:07 Getting banned from Meta ads
20:54 Platform risk: LinkedIn automation story
21:43 Reddit and YouTube instead
24:38 beehiiv Boost: $3 per subscriber
25:53 When the subscribers are spam
27:42 Insurance: too small for real companies
29:47 Insurance pricing tied to revenue
31:46 Getting paid: 94 days, 65 emails
33:33 Agencies pay even later
35:49 Procurement adds more heads to the snake
37:03 International tax on subscriptions
38:21 TaxWire for cross-border compliance
39:15 Net-net: no regrets
40:39 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #CreatorEconomy #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #SaaS
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In this (classic) episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, Kyle and CJ are joined by Emily Kramer, founder of the MKT1 newsletter and former head of marketing at Asana and Carta, to break down how modern B2B marketers should think about strategy, budgeting, and distribution. They unpack her iconic Fuel vs. Engine framework, why most marketing teams are drowning in RAM (Random Acts of Marketing), and what finance and marketing leaders consistently get wrong about annual planning. Plus, Emily shares her LinkedIn flywheel playbook and calls out which channels are hot — and which are not.
—
SPONSORS:
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow and monetize their audience without platform tax. With best-in-class deliverability, built-in automations, customization, and powerful analytics, beehiiv helps writers scale with full ownership of their audience. Trusted by serious newsletter operators, it’s designed for people who treat newsletters like a business. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
—
LINKS:
MKT1: https://www.mkt1.co/
Emily on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilykramer/
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/
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro & Replay
1:57 Meet Emily Kramer
2:55 Steph Curry or Taylor Swift?
3:51 What Is RAM?
5:35 Fuel vs. Engine
6:27 Diagnosing the Imbalance
9:22 Sponsors - beehiiv | Tabs | Lightfield
12:22 Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up
13:24 Making the Math Work
15:55 Gut-Checking Your Plan
17:33 People Spend vs. Program Spend
19:55 CMOs & Budget Trade-Offs
23:18 The LinkedIn Flywheel
24:20 Thought Leader Ads
26:09 Signal-Based Follow-Up
27:08 Who Should Post on LinkedIn?
30:18 Is LinkedIn Pay-to-Play?
32:42 Channels: Hot or Not
34:41 Business Blunders
38:16 Something We Tried: Supper Clubs
40:22 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #B2BMarketing #MarketingStrategy #LinkedInGrowth #SaaSMarketing
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In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, Kyle is joined by Ron Gabrisko, longtime CRO of Databricks, to break down how Databricks scaled from under $1M in sales to billions in ARR. They unpack the enterprise sales bet, why PLG alone wasn’t enough, and what founders misunderstand about selling to the biggest customers.
—
SPONSORS:
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
—
LINKS:
Databricks: https://www.databricks.com/
Ron on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-gabrisko-4a21a/
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/
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Databricks CRO
0:59 Getting to the first million ARR
1:40 Betting on enterprise early
3:40 What founders underestimate about enterprise sales
5:08 Comp plan evolution: commit to consumption
7:00 Explaining consumption comp to reps
8:24 Fast starts: bundling services to speed up usage
9:44 Sponsors — Lightfield | beehiiv | Tabs
12:44 Seasonality in a consumption business
14:46 Reinventing yourself at each phase of growth
16:46 Hiring at scale: Ron still DMs candidates
18:36 What Ron looks for in interviews
19:24 The first million-dollar deals
21:34 Hunter vs. Core: separating new logo from expansion
23:10 AI in go-to-market at Databricks
24:31 AI spend vs. people spend
25:38 What's overhyped about AI in sales
26:26 Business blunders: the $800 to $6,400 token bill
28:10 Business blunders: 9-9-7 grind culture
30:32 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #SaaS #SalesStrategy #AIStrategy #RevenueOperations
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In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, CJ and Kyle break down why AI may be more transformative for Main Street businesses than Fortune 500 companies. They unpack how AI changes the math for owners of pizza shops, landscaping companies, vet clinics, and medical practices by helping small teams sell more, serve customers faster, and keep more of the upside.
—
SPONSORS:
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
Who Gets Paid When Anthropic Raises at $965B?
https://youtu.be/kXd7QgJiNbo
Should You Stay or Leave Your Job?
https://youtu.be/2-HBLBHwWfA
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro banter: AI realtors and pizza shops
4:55 Best time ever to be a small business owner
6:01 The employee doesn't win with AI — the owner does
6:31 Franchisee as the sleeper AI play
8:57 Sponsors — Tabs | Lightfield | beehiiv
11:58 Dad's car dealership story
13:00 Three buckets: get customers, support them, manage money
15:55 Get more customers: landscaping
20:13 Support existing customers: the vet
21:40 Deterministic beats AI for routine tasks
22:03 Smart routing, not triage
23:48 Managing money: the Botox clinic
25:48 Patient intake forms are broken
26:19 Expense categorization and supply ordering
27:04 Scaling a service, not replacing it
27:55 Which Main Street business wins?
29:41 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #AIStrategy #SmallBusiness #GrowthStrategy #ProductMonetization
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In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, Kyle and CJ break down Anthropic’s massive fundraise, its confidential IPO filing, and who actually gets paid when AI valuations go vertical. They cover crossover funds, SPVs, management fees, employee secondaries, lockups, banker fees, and why the real money may be made before the company ever trades publicly.
—
SPONSORS:
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
SpaceX S1 Breakdown: The Numbers Behind the Biggest IPO in History
https://youtu.be/AARjbTO8FKo
Anthropic Is Catching OpenAI Faster Than Anyone Expected
https://youtu.be/HqzjybVek4M
Should You Stay or Leave Your Job?
https://youtu.be/2-HBLBHwWfA
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Germany's golf license
3:45 Why the raise and IPO filing happened together
6:08 Who led the round: crossover funds
10:11 Sponsors — beehiiv | Tabs | Lightfield
13:12 SPVs explained
15:06 SPV fee structures
18:02 AI IPOs as a management fee machine
20:06 Seed VC vs. late stage
21:04 Carry vesting: golden handcuffs
24:45 Have Anthropic employees made money?
25:32 OpenAI secondary: 75 people hit $30M
25:40 Anthropic's secondary at $350B
27:03 What "confidential filing" actually means
29:53 Banker fees: 3–5% of the float
31:00 Employee, investor, or banker?
33:00 Could anyone acquire Anthropic?
33:25 Fun fact: Germany's church tax
34:12 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #IPO #VentureCapital #AIStrategy #Investing
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In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, CJ and Kyle break down the five paths to building a $100M ARR business — from mice to elephants — and what new data from 1,043 startups reveals about which paths founders actually choose, why most companies stay with their first customer segment, and why deer hunters may be growing 3–5x faster.
—
SPONSORS:
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
SaaS Has a Branding Problem
https://youtu.be/qWyjFTqnfhg
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Swag, merch stores, and VC baby bibs
5:13 Topic intro: 5 ways to build a $100M business
7:43 The framework: flies, mice, rabbits, deer, elephants
8:51 Mouse hunting: $100/year, need a million customers
9:07 Rabbit hunting: the most common starting point
9:57 Deer hunting: where sales investment starts to make sense
10:09 Sponsors — Lightfield | beehiiv | Tabs
13:09 Company examples for each animal
15:46 The data: 1,043 companies from Chartmogul
17:16 Retention by animal: the leaky bucket problem
20:36 Starting animal doesn't affect early growth — but does later
21:12 Retention rates: mice 25%, deer 70%, elephants 100%
23:27 Retention imprints on your DNA — even 3 years later
24:25 The sweet spot: deer is the best starting point
26:31 Why elephant hunting early usually fails
28:10 70% of companies never change target customer
29:03 Most common migration: rabbit to deer
30:35 HubSpot: the rabbit-to-deer poster child
31:28 Takeaway: you are what you hunt
31:33 Business blunders: AI-generated LinkedIn comments
33:34 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #SaaS #ProductGrowth #StartupGrowth #RevenueOperations
-
In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, Kyle digs into who's actually hiring in GTM right now — and the data is full of surprises. SDR jobs are supposedly dying, yet AI-native startups are doubling down on them. GTM engineering is the breakout role. Customer support is being automated away. The full picture from 120K+ job posts.
—
SPONSORS:
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
Should You Stay or Leave Your Job?
https://youtu.be/2-HBLBHwWfA
When the marketing math doesn’t math | with Emily Kramer
https://youtu.be/sSuoV_YSrlw
Fantasy Startup Draft: The First 5 Hires We’d Make Today
https://youtu.be/usxbRdABi0I
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Coyote encounter
2:04 Show intro
2:28 Who's hiring in GTM?
4:44 SDR posts down 21% — but AI companies are hiring the most
7:30 AI native companies only 5% of GTM hiring
7:58 Jevons paradox and SDR efficiency
9:29 Why AI companies need more SDRs, not fewer
10:33 Sponsors — Tabs | Lightfield | beehiiv
13:34 Customer support down 67% at AI native companies
15:07 Customer success is holding steady
16:04 Solutions engineering: still in demand
17:39 GTM hiring overall down 15% YoY
18:21 Sales: still 40% of GTM, holding up
19:57 Marketing down 20% — but growth marketing up 8%
21:22 Fastest growing role: GTM engineer
22:13 RevOps is flat — and that's actually good
23:16 GTM ratios: 10 salespeople to 4 SEs, 4 marketers
24:06 Are GTM roles becoming more generalist?
27:04 Career advice: develop AI skills
28:44 Biggest surprise: RevOps not getting crushed
29:35 Biggest takeaway: marketers are leading AI adoption
31:44 Hull parking permit misspelling
33:03 RevSwap AI: revenue laundering platform
33:59 General Catalyst ad backfires
34:39 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #SaaS #GrowthMarketing #RevenueOperations #AIStrategy
-
In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, CJ and Kyle unpack the career anxiety spreading across tech. They talk about AI, private-company wealth, career leverage, title vs. cash vs. equity, and why the smartest move may be getting brutally clear on the game you’re actually playing.
—
SPONSORS:
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
A CFO Explains Secondaries
https://youtu.be/pENvBuXhGuk
Sam Jacobs of Pavilion
https://youtu.be/8X-JVOF-1A0
Bruno Annicq of Wellhub
https://youtu.be/dfjSjPAXEEk
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 SF trip and CFO dinners
1:27 A consistent feeling: am I on the right thing?
2:47 Anthropic secondary: 75 people hit $30M cap
3:06 Anecdote 1: CFO at 50M ARR SaaS
7:58 Anecdote 2: banker pivoting to defense tech
8:03 Cybersecurity: best and worst of times
10:40 Sponsors — beehiiv | Tabs | Lightfield
13:40 Graduation speaker gets booed for AI speech
15:10 The comparison trap: luck vs. merit in SaaS
17:54 What are you maximizing for?
18:29 Is leaving tech a real path?
21:07 Advice for the great reshuffling
21:51 Lever 1: maximize equity
22:51 Lever 2: maximize base cash
23:30 Lever 3: maximize title and opportunity
24:00 Lever 4: lifestyle and autonomy
24:52 CJ's career story: consulting at 58k
28:28 OpenView: pay cut for long-term growth
29:13 Is there career arbitrage right now?
29:48 Why join a fast-growing AI company
31:06 Hot AI startups pay well — but expectations are high
32:04 18 months to get in the club
33:26 How to pick the right AI company
34:19 Can you have a great job at a bad company?
35:03 Mediocre at a great company beats the reverse
36:18 Career at a twilight company?
38:38 If you had to choose: what do you join?
38:49 Best time ever to be a small business owner
39:45 AI at the pizza shop story
41:18 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #CareerGrowth #SaaS #AIStrategy #StartupGrowth
-
In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, CJ and Kyle break down SpaceX’s potential $1.5T IPO, Starlink’s subscription engine, xAI’s cash burn, and why the next wave of mega-IPOs could pull hundreds of billions out of the market. The question isn’t just whether SpaceX is worth it. It’s who has to fund the bet.
—
SPONSORS:
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
—
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/
—
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 SpaceX IPO at $2T?
0:57 Topic framing: the everything's-confidential S1
3:18 What SpaceX is: rockets, Starlink, xAI, X
6:42 Launch services: $4B, reusable rockets
7:03 Rideshare pricing: $350K, transparent pricing
8:26 Launch is a loss leader for Starlink
8:30 Starlink: $10B and 63% EBITDA margins
10:20 Sponsors — Lightfield | beehiiv | Tabs
13:20 Starlink plans: residential vs. roam
15:45 10M subscribers, path to 20M
16:26 X/Twitter and xAI: $5B, burning $1B/month
18:40 Data centers in space: the AI thesis
20:05 IPO process and Morgan Stanley
20:51 $1.75T valuation: Comcast in space
21:14 Will SpaceX buy Tesla?
22:26 Bundling vs. unbundling: why it works here
25:05 Forward multiple: 50–70x
27:35 S&P 500 inclusion boost
28:32 30% retail allocation: meme stock?
30:22 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #IPO #SpaceX #GrowthStrategy #Investing
-
In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, Kyle and CJ break down the strange economics of AI margins. They unpack why a 100% markup on token costs still does not look like SaaS, what companies should include in gross margin, why AI pricing is so cost-driven, and whether model costs, open source, or bring-your-own-tokens will reshape the whole category.
—
SPONSORS:
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
Disney World Is a Pricing Masterclass
https://youtu.be/LwTlFE10Yew
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Concert parking 3x premium
4:08 Show intro
4:31 Topic intro: AI founder's 100% markup
5:58 Lowest margin businesses
8:12 Luxury vs. discount retail margins
10:42 Highest margin businesses
11:04 Sponsors — Tabs | Lightfield | beehiiv
14:05 AI margin survey: 230 companies
14:55 Median target: ~50% gross margin
16:31 Anthropic, OpenAI, and Lovable data
17:01 LLMs vs. application layer
18:33 What belongs in gross margin
20:02 Free tier AI costs: COGS or S&M?
21:40 Token maxing era and Snowflake analogy
26:47 Will open source models be good enough?
27:52 Shrinkflation: swap models under the hood
28:44 BYOT: bring your own tokens
30:58 Do gross margins even matter?
33:15 Toast: bifurcated margin preview
34:05 Prediction: software and AI margins split 80/20
35:30 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #AIStrategy #ProductMonetization #Pricing #FutureOfSoftware
-
In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, Kyle and CJ break down the pricing genius of Disney World — from MagicBands and Lightning Lanes to free kids’ meals, “jumbo” pizza, Florida resident discounts, and why the Disney app is really a sales funnel. The lesson: Disney doesn’t just price a product. It prices the whole ecosystem.
—
SPONSORS:
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
AI Pricing Is Getting Weirder
https://youtu.be/MJ2TfipaHeo
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Disney trip cost
2:25 Show intro
2:48 Topic intro: Disney pricing lessons
3:39 Lesson 1: 3 days cheaper than 2 — the loss leader ticket
5:17 Lesson 2: Magic Band and friction removal
7:31 Typeform auto-upgrade analogy
8:35 Sponsors — beehiiv | Tabs | Lightfield
11:36 Lesson 3: Lightning Lane and dynamic pricing
16:37 Lesson 4: Character breakfast — kids eat free
19:49 Lesson 5: $44 pizza and packaging perception
22:06 Lesson 6: Exit through the gift shop
23:02 Lesson 7: Sell at peak emotional moments
26:04 Lesson 8: The trolley ride and onboarding dead space
29:12 Lesson 9: Florida resident pricing and segmentation
32:18 Lesson 10: The Disney app as monetization layer
35:06 Takeaway: everything is interconnected — optimize for LTV
36:26 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #ProductMonetization #Pricing #GrowthStrategy #UsageBasedPricing
-
In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, Kyle and CJ break down why AI pricing is getting less settled, not more. They dig into pricing and packaging shifts from Microsoft, GitHub, ServiceNow, Salesforce, SAP, Adobe, Canva, Anthropic, and more — from usage credits and AI passes to headless products and agent pricing. Plus: why large software companies are now leading the AI monetization curve.
—
SPONSORS:
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
Unpacking Spirit Airlines Complex Financial Model with CFO Scott Haralson
https://youtu.be/9GQNhV7F3rU
SaaS Has a Branding Problem
https://youtu.be/qWyjFTqnfhg
HubSpot, Intercom, and the New SaaS Pricing Battle
https://youtu.be/ajnwAw2RMMI
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Spirit Airlines shutdown
3:16 AI pricing is still changing fast
4:47 Salesforce goes headless: killing the seat?
10:11 Sponsors — Lightfield | beehiiv | Tabs
13:12 Microsoft: every seat becomes a seat + usage hybrid
15:04 GitHub Copilot moves to usage based
16:31 29% of companies now have AI credits
17:17 WTF is a credit?
20:13 Credits are vendor-friendly, not customer-friendly
22:48 ServiceNow: 50% of new revenue is non-seat
24:20 SAP shifts to AI consumption pricing
25:40 Adobe: outcome based pricing for CX
29:06 Canva AI pass: subscription add-on model
31:35 Anthropic lowers seat price, shifts to usage
34:22 What this means for investors
34:53 Survey: what pricing models investors actually want
37:04 Business blunders
37:08 Daycare silent auction dress code blunder
39:40 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #SaaS #Pricing #AIStrategy #ProductMonetization
-
In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, CJ and Kyle break down the creator monetization flywheel, from Disney’s original “Total Merchandising Concept” to Dude Perfect’s modern media empire. They unpack why trust sits at the center, how creators sequence new revenue pillars, and what their own flywheels could become across content, community, talent, consulting, products, and events.
—
SPONSORS:
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow and monetize their audience without platform tax. With best-in-class deliverability, built-in automations, customization, and powerful analytics, beehiiv helps writers scale with full ownership of their audience. Trusted by serious newsletter operators, it’s designed for people who treat newsletters like a business. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
—
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/
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Vacation and TSA global entry kids
2:16 Intro
4:21 Disney's 1957 total merchandising concept
8:01 Dude Perfect: stadium, show, and shelf
10:45 Sponsors — Tabs | Lightfield | beehiiv
13:46 CJ's mostly media empire sketch
17:02 Content vs. audience at the center
17:41 The content creator mullet
25:42 Kyle's flywheel: consulting, media, insights
32:35 Niching down into sub-brands
33:14 Multiplayer game or solopreneur?
34:16 Business blunders
34:19 Anthropic's AB test pricing blunder
35:41 CJ runs household finances through Claude
36:43 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #CreatorEconomy #ProductMonetization #GrowthStrategy #SaaS
-
In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, CJ Gustafson and Kyle Poyar are joined by beehiiv co-founder and CEO Tyler Denk to talk about why he shares the company’s revenue, burn, and cash so publicly, how beehiiv reset the business after nearly selling and cutting spend by 90%, how growth and onboarding differ across creators, brands, and media companies, and why more software companies are starting to think like media businesses.
—
SPONSORS:
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow and monetize their audience without platform tax. With best-in-class deliverability, built-in automations, customization, and powerful analytics, beehiiv helps writers scale with full ownership of their audience. Trusted by serious newsletter operators, it’s designed for people who treat newsletters like a business. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
—
LINKS:
Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-denk/
Company: https://www.beehiiv.com/
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
Building a CRM for the future
https://youtu.be/7OQ0kgU4zps
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 beehiiv MCP discussion
3:54 Building in public: revenue transparency
6:19 Acquisition interest: why Tyler stayed the course
8:46 Morning Brew origin story
9:06 Platform consolidation thesis
11:23 Sponsors — beehiiv | Tabs | Lightfield
14:23 Wide ICP challenge: PLG to enterprise
16:52 Podcast launch success
17:42 Multi product stickiness and churn
20:33 Ad network and SaaS flywheel
24:58 Ad revenue vs. subscription thesis
26:03 Boost feature for subscriber acquisition
26:58 Creator economy M&A wave
28:07 Hustle acquisition analogy
33:36 Creator Spotlight origin and evolution
34:20 Top 3 growth bets to 50M ARR
35:07 Bet 2: enterprise sales
36:20 Bet 3: ad network / ML investment
37:30 Bet 4: MCP as agentic infrastructure
37:43 Things we tried: Claude skill building
40:05 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #CreatorEconomy #Newsletter #SaaS #ProductGrowth
-
In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, CJ Gustafson and Kyle Poyar break down why “SaaS” may have become a dirty word, HubSpot’s shaky AEO launch, Legora’s big Jude Law swing, Elena Verna’s point that users now teach themselves software, and whether Allbirds is headed for the bleakest AI pivot in tech.
—
SPONSORS:
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow and monetize their audience without platform tax. With best-in-class deliverability, built-in automations, customization, and powerful analytics, beehiiv helps writers scale with full ownership of their audience. Trusted by serious newsletter operators, it’s designed for people who treat newsletters like a business. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
Pricing in the Real World: Babies, Bots, and Billing
https://youtu.be/T1cjFSZR0k0
Why Distribution Is the Only Moat Left
https://youtu.be/quGUbAbvUSw
Claude in Excel: The 5-Minute Setup
https://youtu.be/g0oV9aWYprk
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 SaaStock rebrands at its own funeral
4:17 Show intro
4:41 Are SaaS conferences dead?
8:16 HubSpot's AEO tool and Jason Lemkin's takedown
9:40 Sponsors — Lightfield | beehiiv | Tabs
12:40 Launching AI products: you have to come correct
14:58 AEO tools landscape
16:06 Incumbents vs. AI natives on price
19:42 Celebrity endorsements in tech: Lagora and Jude Law
23:05 The trend: Ramp, Salesforce, celebrity branding
23:27 Elena Verna: users discovering AI use cases themselves
25:53 Claude Cowork as a personal AI
27:45 The IKEA effect in AI
29:11 Allbirds pivots to AI: meme stock or real?
31:27 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #SaaS #AIStrategy #ProductMonetization #GrowthMarketing
-
In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, CJ Gustafson and Kyle Poyar break down why SaaS may be heading from nonstop price increases into an all-out price war. They unpack HubSpot vs. Intercom, what cloud, airlines, and streaming can teach SaaS, and how companies should decide when to fight, where to discount, and how to win without destroying their business.
—
SPONSORS:
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow and monetize their audience without platform tax. With best-in-class deliverability, built-in automations, customization, and powerful analytics, beehiiv helps writers scale with full ownership of their audience. Trusted by serious newsletter operators, it’s designed for people who treat newsletters like a business. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
Anthropic Is Catching OpenAI Faster Than Anyone Expected
https://youtu.be/HqzjybVek4M
Building a CRM for the future
https://youtu.be/7OQ0kgU4zps
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro banter: Olympic fees and resort fees
1:39 Show intro
2:02 Topic intro: era of price wars
3:00 Historical examples: cloud and SaaS
4:00 Streaming wars example
5:23 Airline basic economy example
6:18 HubSpot undercutting Intercom in half
8:41 ERP price war examples
9:56 Sponsors — Tabs | Lightfield | beehiiv
12:56 Whoop: subsidizing adoption
14:41 How to respond: what's the playbook?
15:15 Decide if you should fight the war
19:23 Win beyond price: talk track and value
20:20 Build a business case for customers
24:51 Pick your battles: customers and segments
25:40 Adobe bundling example
26:42 End game planning
28:16 Death spiral: the CFO's nightmare
29:18 Lightfield unit economics example
30:11 If all else fails: get acquired
30:20 Business blunders
30:43 Gartner magic quadrant blunder
31:44 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #SaaS #Pricing #ProductMonetization #GrowthStrategy
-
In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, CJ and Kyle break down Anthropic’s absurd revenue ramp, debate whether OpenAI’s ad forecast passes the sniff test, and talk through how teams are actually using Claude today.
—
SPONSORS:
beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow and monetize their audience without platform tax. With best-in-class deliverability, built-in automations, customization, and powerful analytics, beehiiv helps writers scale with full ownership of their audience. Trusted by serious newsletter operators, it’s designed for people who treat newsletters like a business. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run
Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.
—
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/
—
RELATED EPISODES:
Why Your Free Users Don’t Convert (And How to Fix It)
https://youtu.be/i5ZZiZEu8M4
Why SaaS Growth Always Slows (And How the Best Avoid It)
https://youtu.be/d-G5i6a1Dmw
Grindr’s $0 CAC Secret from the CFO Who Launched Disney+ | Vanna Krantz
https://youtu.be/ijFIMmtpLNw
ChatGPT’s $44 Billion Ad Play
https://youtu.be/PcZoKVdaGm0
—
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 ChatGPT vs. Claude
4:25 Show intro
4:49 Topic intro: Anthropic Q1
5:23 $30B run rate — $21B added in one quarter
6:07 Anthropic revenue timeline
7:38 Claude Code and Cowork driving growth
9:08 Anthropic vs. OpenAI business models
9:47 Sponsors — beehiiv | Tabs | Lightfield
12:48 ChatGPT free-to-paid conversion
15:37 $10M revenue per employee
16:35 OpenAI ad model update
17:02 OpenAI's $102B ad forecast
19:23 ARPU comparison vs. Meta
19:56 Ad model changes incentives
22:31 Go to market teams adopting Claude
23:10 Claude chat vs. cowork vs. code breakdown
26:21 Survey: top use cases
26:44 Go to market and prospecting use cases
29:48 Is Claude replacing tools?
31:33 Calendly rescheduling blunder
32:56 Corporate concert blunder
34:38 Credits
#MostlyGrowthPodcast #AIStrategy #Anthropic #SaaS #ProductMonetization
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