---
aliases: ["Q1 2024"]
Is A: Quarter
Created at: "2024-01-01"
Belongs to: "[[2024]]"
Has: ["[[24q1-launch-sponsorship-packages]]", "[[24q1-redesign-newsletter-template]]", "[[24q1-plan-cycling-season]]", "[[24q1-set-investing-framework]]", "[[24q1-podcast-season-1]]"]
Status: Done
---
# Q1 2024

## Focus

The first quarter of 2024 was about laying foundations. After a strong 2023, the goal was to professionalize the business side of Refactoring — move from ad-hoc sponsor deals to structured packages, refresh the newsletter design, and finally launch the podcast that had been in planning for months. On the personal side, I wanted to get the cycling season mapped out early and put a real investing framework in place.

## Highlights

- Launched [[24q1-launch-sponsorship-packages]] with three tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze) — immediately booked two Gold sponsors for Q2
- Shipped [[24q1-redesign-newsletter-template]] with a cleaner layout, better mobile rendering, and improved CTA placement — [[measure-open-rate]] ticked up ~1.5pp
- Recorded and released the first four episodes of [[24q1-podcast-season-1]], crossing 2k downloads in the first month
- Mapped out the full [[24q1-plan-cycling-season]] including target events: Nove Colli in May and Maratona dles Dolomites in July (goal: [[2024-complete-two-gran-fondos]])
- Built out [[24q1-set-investing-framework]] — monthly DCA into a global ETF portfolio, emergency fund topped up
- Newsletter crossed 37k subscribers by end of March, up from ~35k at year start
- [[person-matteo-cellini]] closed the first two sponsor deals under the new packages within weeks of launch

## Reflections

Q1 felt like the quarter where things started clicking into place on the business side. The sponsorship packages were long overdue — I'd been doing custom deals for every sponsor, which was eating time and leaving money on the table. Having a clear menu made everything faster: [[person-matteo-cellini]] could sell without looping me in on every detail, and sponsors appreciated the transparency.

The podcast launch was nerve-wracking. I'd been procrastinating on it for almost a year, finding reasons to delay. But once the first episode went live and the feedback started coming in, I wondered why I'd waited so long. The format — 20-minute deep dives on one engineering leadership topic — resonated immediately. Production quality was rough in the first couple of episodes, but it improved fast.

On the personal front, planning the cycling season early was a game changer. Having Nove Colli and Maratona on the calendar gave structure to my training weeks. The investing framework was less exciting but equally important — automating contributions meant I could stop thinking about it and focus on building the business. All in all, a solid start to [[2024]].
