---
aliases: ["Q2 2024"]
Is A: Quarter
Created at: "2024-04-01"
Belongs to: "[[2024]]"
Has: ["[[24q2-hire-editor]]", "[[24q2-build-podcast-landing-page]]", "[[24q2-10-pillar-articles]]", "[[24q2-spring-gran-fondo]]", "[[24q2-sponsor-crm]]"]
Status: Done
---
# Q2 2024

## Focus

Q2 was the execution quarter. With the foundations from Q1 in place, the focus shifted to scaling content production and building systems that could run without me doing everything. Hiring an editor was the biggest unlock. On the cycling side, Nove Colli was the target — months of base training coming to a head.

## Highlights

- [[24q2-hire-editor]] completed — brought on a freelance editor who now handles first-pass editing on every newsletter issue, saving me 4-5 hours per week
- Published [[24q2-10-pillar-articles]]: long-form pieces on topics like "Staff Engineer vs. Manager" and "Technical Debt Prioritization" — two of them hit 50k+ views
- Built and launched [[24q2-build-podcast-landing-page]] with episode archive, show notes, and Apple/Spotify links — podcast downloads crossed 5k/month
- Completed Nove Colli ([[24q2-spring-gran-fondo]]) in 7h42m — not my best time, but finished strong on the climbs
- Shipped [[24q2-sponsor-crm]] in Notion — tracking pipeline, renewal dates, and revenue per sponsor in one place
- Newsletter hit 42k subscribers by end of June, right on track for the [[2024-reach-50k-subscribers]] goal
- [[person-paco-furiani]] started handling more operational tasks — invoicing, sponsor logistics, calendar management
- [[measure-sponsorship-mrr]] reached EUR 8.2k, up from EUR 5.5k at start of year

## Reflections

This was the quarter where I started to feel the leverage of having a small team. With [[person-matteo-cellini]] handling sponsor relationships and [[person-paco-furiani]] taking on operations, I could actually focus on writing and recording. The editor hire was transformative — I went from spending Sunday evenings frantically editing to having a polished draft waiting for me on Monday morning.

The pillar articles strategy paid off more than expected. Instead of chasing weekly topics, I invested in fewer, deeper pieces that could rank on search and get shared. "Staff Engineer vs. Manager" alone brought in 800+ new subscribers organically. This shifted my thinking about content strategy: depth over frequency.

Nove Colli was harder than I expected. The heat in Romagna in late May was brutal, and I bonked on the fourth climb. But crossing the finish line in Cesenatico — exhausted, sunburned, grinning — reminded me why I do this. Already looking forward to Maratona in July. The cycling and the business run on the same fuel: consistent effort over months, then showing up on race day. [[2024-complete-two-gran-fondos]] is halfway done.
