Behind the Grind

Announcing a new series and I need your help

Author

Justin Gordon
January 12, 2025

Hey, Justin here, and welcome to Just Go Grind, a newsletter sharing the lessons, tactics, and stories of world-class founders! Unlock full access to premium content by becoming a paid subscriber.

Together with Leanware

Leanware, the tech team that feels in-house

Tired of miscommunications and delays due to time differences and cultural gaps? You deserve a tech partner who works at the same time you do, for the same goals, in a highly cohesive collaboration.

Our US time zone alignment means we’re available when you are. Cultural affinity ensures we understand your business values and objectives. We communicate in real-time, understand your business context, and work hand-in-hand with you.

Focus on your goals while we handle the tech, just like an extension of your team.

Connect with us today at leanware.co

An Important Ask

Hey Friend,

I’m writing this from Los Angeles, my home since 2018, which is currently engulfed by devastating wildfires.

It’s terrible and absolutely heartbreaking.

Thank you to all the friends and family who reached out to make sure I was safe (I am), I truly appreciate it.

Here are some places you can donate to help out:

Thank you 🙏 

An Exciting New Series

At the end of 2024 I announced a new series, The First Few, which dives into how successful companies acquired their first customers. I’m excited to keep that series rolling with new companies this year!

Is there a company you want me to cover? Reply to this email and let me know.

But that’s not the only new series I have for you.

I’m also launching Behind the Grind, a Q&A series where premium subscribers get to submit questions to amazing founders, investors, and operators.

Over the past few years, I’ve been fortunate to work at a venture capital firm, interview over 350 founders and investors on my podcast, and connect with amazing people through my Twitter audience. This, along with hosting dozens of events in Los Angeles and San Francisco, has allowed me to build quite the network in the startup world.

One of the incredible people I’m grateful to know is TJ Taylor, who I met through the Headline scout program.

TJ was one of the first employees at Raya where he was the Director of Community Development for more than five years, and also led community growth at Dispo. He’s got quite the experience growing consumer companies and he’s now raising his first venture fund for Hobart Ventures.

For this first Q&A, all the questions are coming from me, but if you send me some questions today I’ll see if I can sneak in a few more answers from TJ. Just reply to this email and we’ll try to make it happen.

Our next guests for Behind the Grind will be:

Premium subscribers can submit questions for any of our upcoming guests by simply replying to this email.

I’d love to eventually build this into a weekly series, but we’ll see how fast we can get these rolling.

I’m trying to make the premium subscription a no-brainer for you this year and my number one focus is making it as valuable as possible.

Have other ideas for new series or people to feature? Let me know!

The Just Go Grind Podcast is coming back soon, and I’m looking for a few awesome sponsors to partner with me.

If you’ve followed along in the past, you know the podcast is an interview show all about sharing the stories, tactics, and strategies from incredible founders and investors.

Here’s the deal:

  • Your brand gets highlighted in the podcast episodes, newsletter (22K+ subscribers!), and across social media.

  • Packages start at $5K for 5 episodes, giving you repeated exposure to a highly engaged audience.

It’s a great way to get your brand in front of an audience of ambitious builders and doers.

💥 Special Offer for Early Sponsors: I’ll include bonus mentions and exclusive content to give your brand even more value.

If this sounds interesting (or if you know someone who might be a good fit), hit reply or email me at [email protected]. Spots are super limited, let’s chat!

📚 Recent Founder Deep Dives

In the past two years, I’ve written dozens of deep dives on world-class founders, sharing how they built their companies. These typically take 20-30 hours to research and write. The most recent ones are below:

Best,

Justin

Founder of Just Go Grind

P.S. Hiring? Check out the team at Athyna

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