Podcast appearances and mentions of ben hillman

In this high-energy episode of Mostly Growth, CJ Gustafson, Kyle Poyar, and Ben Hillman dive into the hidden levers of SaaS growth and what truly separates startups that scale to $20M+ ARR from those that stall out. They explore eye-opening data from 6,500 companies, revealing how the best improve net retention, raise pricing, and re-engineer their revenue models over time. Alongside the metrics, there's plenty of playful chaos—like a naming debate over “Yoshinobu Yamamoto Gustafson,” a rapid-fire game of “Founder or Pop Star,” and CJ's accidental IPO embargo break. It's part insight, part inside joke, and 100% for SaaS operators and C-suite climbers.—LINKS:Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.comCJ 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/the-compounding-startuphttps://www.growthunhinged.com/p/the-odds-of-making-ithttps://www.superme.ai/kylepoyar?conversationId=VgDXTOl2Z89mW7UYXstU0bhttps://a16z.com/anatomy-of-an-enterprise-platform-company/https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hhi.asphttps://navan.com/https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/navan-ipo-s1-breakdownhttps://x.com/amendandpretend/status/1983588137453416763?s=46https://x.com/ryan_c_walsh/status/1983705182371475630?s=46https://www.reddit.com/r/TwinCities/comments/z6hxp8/how_much_are_people_paying_for_residential_snow/—RELATED EPISODES:Getting fired 4 times made me a founder | Sam Jacobs of Pavilionhttps://youtu.be/8X-JVOF-1A0Why Founders Are Posting Sad Dinnershttps://youtu.be/Zl6NSIHF2Gk—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 Preview and Intro00:01:55 Sponsors – Pulley & Metronome00:04:25 Dodgers Banter & Baby Naming00:05:38 Founder or Pop Star Game00:07:50 ChartMogul Data & Growth Levers00:08:30 Expansion, Upsell & Retention Discussion00:15:53 Testing Kyle's AI Avatar00:17:07 CJ's AI Self-Query & Beta Discussion00:18:04 AI Use Cases & Knowledge Retention00:22:03 Platform Debate & A16z Analysis00:24:29 Herfindahl-Hirschman Index Explained00:25:34 Platform Metrics & Valuation Upside00:26:48 CrowdStrike, Datadog & Multi-Product Expansion00:28:13 Core Systems of Record & AI's Impact00:29:49 Business Blunders – Navan IPO & Snowflake CRO00:34:07 Snow Removal Pricing & Insurance Logic00:35:56 Closing Remarks & Credits—SPONSORS:Metronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That's why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.comPulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows, without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: https://pulley.com/mostlymetrics—#MostlyGrowthPodcast #SaaSGrowth #StartupStrategy #B2BTech #RevenueRetention This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

Check out Mostly Growth and get episodes early. Available on all platforms.* YouTube* Spotify* AppleIn this episode, CJ Gustafson, Kyle Poyar, and Ben Hillman dive into the concept of “sloponomics”—a tongue-in-cheek look at the overwhelming flood of mediocre AI-generated content and what it means for creators, startups, and investors. They discuss how unique voices and genuine creativity will stand out in an AI-saturated landscape, the economic parallels between modern content creation and startup growth, and the tricky dynamics of building sustainable momentum in a world of noise. The trio also unpack the “$10K MRR” meme, pricing psychology, and the difference between chasing vanity metrics and building lasting value. With humor and real-world insight, they explore how AI, distribution, and early-stage investment are reshaping what success looks like in tech and media.Timestamps:00:00 Preview and Intro00:35 Being Mean to AI and Early Banter02:05 When You're Rude to AI: The Penn State Study04:57 Sponsor – Metronome06:02 The Rise of AI-Generated “Slop” Content07:15 The Creator “Haves and Have-Nots”09:00 Losing Credit to AI Models11:20 Feeding the Beast: 400 Posts Later13:13 “Slop Talk” and Human-Made Slop14:27 The $10K MRR Meme and Startup Momentum15:49 Pricing Psychology and Product Traction17:42 Hunting Mice, Buffalo, and Elephants20:19 Venture Funds, Bubbles, and Ecosystem Investing23:39 When Startups Invest in Startups26:25 Slack, Lattice, and the Platform Play30:39 Wrapping Up and Late-Night Insights33:12 The Hemingway Story and CJ's No-Instagram Lifestyle36:10 Electric Boats, Group Discounts, and Sign-OffEpisodes Referenced:Slop Talk (coming soon)⁠https://www.youtube.com/slackerstuff⁠Why Only 2% of Startups Make ItWhen startups burn cash faster than they learn | Ivan Makarov:⁠996 Culture, Exploding AI Bills & SaaS Chaos⁠Links:⁠https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/study-proves-being-rude-to-ai-chatbots-gets-better-results-than-being-nice-3269895/⁠⁠https://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit07/internet07_02.phtml⁠⁠https://futurism.com/altman-please-thanks-chatgpt⁠⁠https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/over-50-percent-internet-ai-slop⁠⁠https://www.axios.com/2025/10/14/ai-generated-writing-humans⁠⁠https://www.economist.com/business/2025/10/16/sloponomics-who-wins-and-loses-in-the-ai-content-flood⁠⁠https://x.com/madhuraaa_/status/1978390720881819884⁠⁠https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/eat-what-you-kill⁠⁠https://christophjanz.blogspot.com/2014/10/five-ways-to-build-100-million-business.html⁠⁠https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/how-to-build-your-early-gtm-strategy⁠⁠https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/startups-investing-in-startups-peak-bubble-behavior⁠⁠https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/10/10/are-barefoot-shoes-good-for-runners⁠⁠https://x.com/ivanomaksf/status/1978852000298320068?s=46⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/uber-offers-drivers-extra-pay-to-perform-tasks-that-train-ai-7116401/⁠⁠https://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/is-ltv-to-cac-the-nickelback-of-metrics⁠⁠https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/final-2024-25-network-tv-ratings-tracker-high-potential-1236312223/⁠⁠https://christophjanz.blogspot.com/2014/10/five-ways-to-build-100-million-business.html⁠⁠https://www.theinformation.com/articles/ben-horowitz-hires-jensen-vercel-starts-venture-fund⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/chasemytail/Today's podcast is brought to you by MetronomeYou just launched your new AI product. The new pricing page looks great. But behind it? Last-minute glue code, messy spreadsheets, and running ad-hoc queries to figure out what to bill. Customers get invoices they can't understand. Engineers are chasing billing bugs. Finance can't close the books.With Metronome, you hand it all off to the real-time billing infrastructure that just works—reliable, flexible, and built to grow with you. We turn raw usage events into accurate invoices, give customers bills they actually understand, and keep every team in sync in real time.Whether you're launching usage-based pricing, managing enterprise contracts, or rolling out new AI services, Metronome does the heavy lifting so you can focus on your product, not your billing.That's why some of the fastest-growing companies in the world, like OpenAI and Anthropic, run their billing on Metronome.Visit metronome.com to learn more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

Check out Mostly Growth and get episodes early. Available on all platforms.* YouTube* Spotify* AppleIn this episode of Mostly Growth, CJ Gustafson, Kyle Poyar, and Ben Hillman dive into the question on everyone's mind: are we in an AI bubble? What starts as a lighthearted riff on the U.S. Postal Service launching a podcast quickly spirals into a sharp, funny breakdown of today's AI hype cycle — from Nvidia, OpenAI, and AMD trading money and GPUs in a trillion-dollar feedback loop, to startups burning cash chasing “AI-powered” everything. The trio share real examples of when AI helps and when it backfires (including one newsletter that totally tanked), debate whether companies are over-optimizing for automation, and laugh through the absurdity of the hype while grounding it in practical insights on product, finance, and growth.Timestamps:00:00 Preview and Intro00:14 Are We in an AI Bubble?00:44 The AI Feedback Loop: Nvidia, OpenAI, and AMD01:00 Perplexity, We Caught You (Again)02:18 The USPS Podcast and the End of Original Ideas04:24 How the Team Actually Uses AI at Work06:07 CJ's DIY Dunning Saga08:38 When Automation Goes Too Far10:49 The Perplexity Gaslight Moment13:27 AI vs. AI: Outsmarting Resume Screeners16:09 What Recruiters Really Think of AI Resumes17:17 The Chief of Staff Hiring Story19:15 Is AI Adoption Already Slowing Down?22:42 The “Crossing the Chasm” Moment for AI Tools26:22 Bundling AI Like Streaming Services28:49 Everyone's Paying Everyone: The Circular AI Economy31:15 Betting Big on AGI and Data Centers34:09 The Margin: AI Erotica and Peak Absurdity35:23 OpenAI's Token Leaderboard and Other Blunders41:43 What Kyle Tried This Week: Building an AI Agent44:52 Wrap-Up and OutroEpisodes Referenced:5,762 Job Applications. Zero Offers.Episodes Referenced:5,762 Job Applications. Zero Offers.Why Only 2% of Startups Make ItThe War for Talent is just getting started | Joe FloydLinks:https://usps-mailin-it.simplecast.com/https://i.imgflip.com/a92oy5.jpghttps://tabs.inc/webinar/tabs-agenthttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/business/ai-chatbot-prompts-resumes.html?_bhlid=1b5906cdc6781a738a150d9c32f846ebf11fc318https://substack.com/home/post/p-175615945https://ramp.com/data/ai-index?utm_source=econlab.substack.comhttps://medium.com/@samuelvandeth/crossing-the-chasm-162802d1cf27https://x.com/TrungTPhan/status/1922669292929024017/photo/1https://x.com/zerohedge/status/1977902195472322620?s=42https://topline.beehiiv.com/p/the-era-of-haves-and-have-notshttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpd2qv58yl5ohttps://www.linkedin.com/posts/cj-gustafson-13140948_imagine-getting-called-into-your-cfos-office-activity-7381681514532458496-NOqa/https://fortune.com/2025/10/01/red-lobster-ceo-damola-adamolekun-comeback-plan-bankruptcy/https://fortune.com/2024/11/13/red-lobster-ceo-damola-adamolekun-says-endless-shrimp-is-never-coming-back/#https://www.relay.app/Today's podcast is brought to you by MetronomeYou just launched your new AI product. The new pricing page looks great. But behind it? Last-minute glue code, messy spreadsheets, and running ad-hoc queries to figure out what to bill. Customers get invoices they can't understand. Engineers are chasing billing bugs. Finance can't close the books.With Metronome, you hand it all off to the real-time billing infrastructure that just works—reliable, flexible, and built to grow with you. We turn raw usage events into accurate invoices, give customers bills they actually understand, and keep every team in sync in real time.Whether you're launching usage-based pricing, managing enterprise contracts, or rolling out new AI services, Metronome does the heavy lifting so you can focus on your product, not your billing.That's why some of the fastest-growing companies in the world, like OpenAI and Anthropic, run their billing on Metronome.Visit metronome.com to learn more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

Check it out! If you missed the LIVE broadcast at the Red Cedar Speedway car show you can find it all here. Featuring guests such as Jesse Glenz, James Giossi, John Johnson, Ben Hillman, Justin Zirngible, and many more!Support the show

On this week's episode, Josh has the chance to catch up with Ben Hillman, president of the chef-inspired burger joint Hi-Pointe Drive-In and co-founder of Chicken Out all through his family's private equity company, Lewis & Clark Capital. For someone in his early thirties, Ben has his hands in a lot of cookie jars and has found success with a very people-first philosophy. It's exciting for Josh to talk with young leaders so focused on developing and growing their people even in the midst of the fast-paced restaurant industry. They talk about a ton of stuff including site selection, closing underperforming locations and staying close to your teams.

Welcome to "Just Show Up," a podcast where I, Ben Hillman, share my personal journey of self-discovery, creativity, and personal growth as I navigate through the ever-evolving landscape of life. After a two-year hiatus, I'm back and ready to tackle the challenges ahead, from working on exciting projects at my job to cultivating a fulfilling personal life. Each week, I will recap my experiences, discuss what's coming up, and provide valuable insights and advice to help you face your own struggles and triumphs. If you're looking for an honest and relatable podcast that will inspire you to show up, face your fears, and embrace the unknown, "Just Show Up" is the perfect place to start. Join me on this incredible journey as I learn, grow, and share my story with you. Ben discusses his recent feelings of melancholy and the importance of working on personal projects alongside his professional work. He talks about his current job at Paddle, where he creates podcasts and videos, and how he still yearns to work on his YouTube channel. Ben shares his realization of feeling like he's "playing house" in his adult life, as well as the satisfaction and contentment he's found with his current situation. He touches on his anxiety disorder and the methods he uses to cope with it, including focusing on one task at a time through the use of to-do lists and productivity software like Notion. Finally, Ben sets goals for the upcoming week, which include creating a trailer for a new podcast, preparing a website launch, and keeping other ongoing projects on track.

Mike & Ben are quite the power duo here in St. Louis. You may know of staple fast-casual restaurants like Sugarfire, Hi-Pointe, and Chicken Out. These guys are professionals at creating unique concepts and scaling to different markets around the area. With goals of expansion and a key focus on building a strong team, this team is just getting started. In this episode we talk with Mike & Ben about entrepreneurship, building a strong team, creating quality concepts, and more. Support the show

This week I chat with TV Presenter,Interior Designer and DIY expertBen HillmanGuest: Instagram BenhillmanTVSponsor: To take advantage of the generous 15% discount from my sponsor Thorndown, please visit http://bit.ly/TVCarpenter. Discount code: TVCarpenterContact me: www.theTVcarpenter.comMusic: "What's the Angle" by Shane Ivers

Our guest is the musician and artist Ben Hillman! Andy talks with Ben about what working musicians who rely on regular gigs for their income are doing/can do to make ends meet as scheduled live performances are canceled and postponed due to COVID-19. Listen to and purchase Ben's music at BigBenHillman.bandcamp.com. Subscribe to Ben Hillman's YouTube channel here. Contact Ben via email at bigbenhillman06@yahoo.com.

On this episode, we dive into how Mike Troiano views the importance of brand. Mike, in addition to working for Coca Cola and Taco Bell, was able to grow Actifio's revenue 80% per year from 2012 to 2017 as CMO, elevating the company from an obscure technology to a unicorn.

JT Peters hosts Ben Hillman, the head of Marketing for SureCam, a company that makes network-connected dashcams for truck drivers.  Ben explains why all truckers should use dashcams and discusses the future of the technology. You can learn more at https://www.surecam.com/.     Truck Driver Power: creator of the best utility app for professional truck drivers, EVER! Find us online (http://www.truckdriverpower.com) or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram @TruckDriverPowr.

On this episode of Protect the Hustle, Patrick Campbell and Ben Hillman talk to Paul English and how he uses simplicity and straightforward design to tackle the world of travel first with B2C giant Kayak.com and now B2B darling Lola. If you share this episode on twitter with the hashtag #ProtectIt, we’ll hook you up with some nice ProfitWell swag.

On this episode of Protect the Hustle, Patrick Campbell and Ben Hillman interview Brian Halligan, Co-Founder and CEO of HubSpot, the leader in marketing automation software. On this episode, we talk to Brian about the process of scaling up, staying motivated with lofty goals, and tackling big meaty problems. He also shares the story of getting the "Wolf" guitar made famous by Jerry Garcia.

Hustle used to mean something. Hustle meant shoe leather and elbow grease. But somewhere along the lines, it changed. Hustle became nothing, a tossed aside relic dismantled by the charlatans and hucksters of our generation. This is not ok. Those protecting the hustle are still out there, hidden from view. These folks are in the trenches building the future. It’s our job to bring these people to light and put hustle back on the pedestal where it belongs. On August 6th, we’re launching our new show - Protect the Hustle, which is the culmination of interviewing those protecting the hustle all over the world so you can learn from their lessons in the trenches.