How Luca Rossi Built Refactoring to $300K ARR
Refactoring shares tips on software engineering, teaching builders how to write better software while maintaining a good work culture.
Who is Luca Rossi?
Luca Rossi is the founder and writer of the Refactoring newsletter. Before starting Refactoring, Luca worked full-time as the Head of Engineering at Translated, one of the world's largest and most influential translation companies. Prior to that, he co-founded Wanderio, an online travel agency in Italy. Luca holds an M.Sc. in Computer Engineering from the University of Rome Tre.
What problem does Refactoring solve?
How did Luca come up with the idea for Refactoring?
Luca struggled to find valuable content to help him grow as an engineer, manager, and individual. Although he enjoyed reading, he couldn't find anything that truly resonated with his work.
Consequently, he chose to create the type of content he had always desired to read, with a focus on developing processes, meeting deadlines, managing a team, and personal growth.
This newsletter is my attempt to write the content I have always wanted to read. How to build processes, meet deadlines, manage an engineering team, and grow personally in the process. β Luca Rossi (Source)
How did Luca build the initial version of Refactoring?
Luca Rossi started his newsletter in 2020 during the first lockdown in Italy. Since he couldn't leave home and his startup's activities stopped, he had more free time.
He began thinking about his experiences as a CTO for ten years and decided to write down his thoughts. Luca was already a fan of reading newsletters, so he thought it would be a good idea to share his own ideas and get feedback.
In September 2020, he had a few articles ready and started publishing them on Substack. He began with biweekly and then switched to weekly posts, sharing what he had learned as a CTO. This project grew quickly, even more than he expected.
What was the growth strategy for Refactoring and how did they scale?
Communities, social media and some paid ads have been key customer acquisition channels.
Communities
- Luca researched where his ideal audiences were, reviewed what they talked about, and joined conversations.
In the early days, I connected 1:1 on Linkedin with every single reader, and reached out to them. People were genuinely thankful for this, I met many friends, and figured out better what I could write to help them. β Luca Rossi (Source)
Social Media
- Luca writes daily on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Substack Notes
- He spends time replying to comments and discussing his posts
So, even if I schedule my content and prepare it carefully in advance, I strive to behave as a human, by being responsive and helpful. β Luca Rossi (Source)
Paid Ads
- Luca ran Twitter ads and acquired new (free) subscribers at an average cost of about β¬2.5 each.
Ads have been helpful for growth, but they are a double edged sword: you want to track new subscribers carefully to make sure you are bringing in people who actually open emails and click on links. β Luca Rossi (Source)
What's the pricing strategy for Refactoring?
The pricing plans are $15 per month or $150 per year.
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More about Refactoring:
Who is the owner of Refactoring?
Luca Rossi is the founder of Refactoring.
When did Luca Rossi start Refactoring?
2020
What is Luca Rossi's net worth?
Luca Rossi's business makes an average of $25K/month.
How much money has Luca Rossi made from Refactoring?
Luca Rossi started the business in 2020, and currently makes an average of $300K/year.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
