How CJ Gustafson Grew Mostly Metrics to 60k+ Subscribers & Multi‑Six‑Figures in Revenue

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Newsletter & Email Growth: Growth In Reverse

Chenell Basilio and Dylan Redekop

54 episodes

1 day ago

Growth In Reverse is the must-listen podcast for anyone serious about growing an email list and turning a newsletter into a thriving business. Hosted by Chenell Basilio and Dylan Redekop, two leading voices in the newsletter space, this show pulls back the curtain on how today’s top newsletter operators actually grow and make money. Episodes include deep-dive teardowns of the strategies behind the most successful newsletters. You’ll hear how creators like Justin Welsh, Codie Sanchez, Sahil Bloom, and other creator founders are building loyal audiences and turning subscribers into revenue. Learn how they attract traffic, increase conversions, boost retention, and scale without burning out. Whether you're launching your first newsletter or refining your growth engine, Growth In Reverse gives you proven tactics you can use right away. From onboarding systems and referral programs to sponsorships and paid products, this podcast helps you grow faster and smarter. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start applying what works, tune in and learn how the best are building newsletters that last.

All content for Newsletter & Email Growth: Growth In Reverse is the property of Chenell Basilio and Dylan Redekop and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

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How CJ Gustafson Grew Mostly Metrics to 60k+ Subscribers & Multi‑Six‑Figures in Revenue

Newsletter & Email Growth: Growth In Reverse

53 minutes

3 months ago

How CJ Gustafson Grew Mostly Metrics to 60k+ Subscribers & Multi‑Six‑Figures in Revenue

The Growth Vault is LIVE: https://growthinreverse.com/vault

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“During my last year as a CFO, I made more money from my newsletter and podcast than my full-time job." — CJ Gustafson, Mostly Metrics

We sit down with CJ Gustafson, former tech CFO and now full-time creator of two newsletters—Mostly Metrics and Looking For Leverage—and a podcast called Run The Numbers. CJ is masterful at taking financial and business concepts and making them wildly entertaining.

CJ shares how he went from consulting and private equity to running a high-revenue content business, why he thinks about content like product development, and the systems he’s built to keep ideas flowing. If you’ve ever wondered how to blend expertise, humor, and growth strategy into a newsletter people can’t stop sharing, this episode is packed with insights.

PS - We recently hosted CJ in the GIR Pro community where he shared more BTS of his newsletter 👀🔥

→ Take your newsletter to the next level with GIR Pro >>

KEY TAKEAWAYS

How CJ built Mostly Metrics into a leading finance newsletter with personality
The unusual career path that prepared him for creating content CFOs actually read
How CJ uses humor (and dog pics) to make complex topics approachable
How he's building out the “media mullet” business model
How CJ replaced his CFO salary with newsletter and podcast revenue—and why it happened faster than expected
CJ's revenue streams that drive a multi‑six‑figure media revenue engine
How he uses AI and transcripts to mine hundreds of hours of interviews for writing ideas
CJ's favorite—and most important—newsletter metric
The single biggest growth hack for his podcast audience
His daily creative routine for producing high-value content without burning out

LINKS MENTIONED

Mostly Metrics newsletter
Run The Numbers podcast
Looking For Leverage newsletter
CJ on LinkedIn
Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questions
Get Chenell's brand-new course: The Growth Vault — newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.
Growth In Reverse PRO Community
Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here.
Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/

FOLLOW ON SOCIAL

Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | Substack
Dylan: LinkedIn | Bluesky

OUR NEWSLETTERS

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Thanks to Tim Forkin for editing these episodes.