An Ode to Consistency

Hey friends,

This is the newsletter issue number #199.

I sent number 1 between February and March 2023.

Back then it was called The Fractional Rainmaker, and it lived on matteopapaluca.com.

Zero subscribers, no idea what I was doing. I wrote it anyway, every Saturday, and I never skipped one. Not one.

Today it goes to over 1,000 founders, clients and ex-clients - a small but strong circle.

This week, I want to talk about the one thing that explains everything I’ve built so far: consistency.

Out of all the things I got right with Inscaler, consistency is the one that mattered most.

Why?

Where I started

In 2023, nobody knew who Matteo Papaluca was. Really nobody.

I spent years in Ireland. Hardly anyone in Italy knew me. I was abroad from 28 to 39, the years when you actually grow up as a professional.

Then I moved back, worked two years in Italy, and after that I launched Inscaler.

In the startup and fractional world, I was a name nobody had heard before.

No network to call, no audience, nothing.

Where I am now

I’m almost four years into Inscaler. This year, I broke my own revenue record. Up nearly 15% from last year, all by myself. That was a big milestone for me.

I don’t have a platform that grows 3x or 5x.

I sell my time and my work, and a week has only so many hours.

Still, the business keeps growing every year.

For the first time, I’m starting to work with a waiting list. For example, I’m full until January 2027.

I book myself 4 months in advance. (Incredible to say or even think just 6 months ago).

And this is despite all the noise: consultants, fractionals, lead gen agencies - they pop up everywhere, qualified, unqualified, you name it.

What happened in between

When people tell me, “Matteo, you’ve done great,” I always think the same thing.

I just kept doing the same things every week for almost four years. That’s it.

The newsletter is the best example I have.

It brought in over €50K in contracts.

It came slowly, indeed.

People read me every Saturday for weeks, sometimes months. Then one day, they replied.

I keep a note on my phone with these messages. Some of my favourites:

• Pietro sent me a WhatsApp to say he reads it while he washes his car.
• Nicolò, a CEO, called it “the only newsletter I read regularly every Saturday morning”.
• Miguel said it goes with his coffee every Monday morning.
• Antonio replied to issue #130: “I always like your Saturday emails. How about a call? Maybe we can work together from September.” (contract won 2 months after).

Same thing, other jobs

But here’s the thing. This goes way beyond the newsletter.

It can be an inspiration or just an example for you to take on whatever you have in front of you.

If you’re in sales at an early-stage startup, keep dialling. Reach out to 50 people a day. You’ll talk to one; you’ll close one. Just do it - every day.

If you’re a founder building something, you can’t do it hiding in a corner. Go out, talk to your audience. Post about your journey, who you are, what you’re doing.

Or, if you’re tired of your full-time job and thinking about consulting or fractional work, forget about overnight success, selfies, pictures of kittens or dogs.

Don’t look at influencers with millions of followers.

Look at normal people who build from scratch. Do what they do. Maybe avoid the mistakes if you can.

I’m not one of those influencers (indeed!)- I’m just a normal guy who built this business from zero, from scratch, when nobody even knew my name.

What I can show you is my own numbers.

And the most important number is: 199 Saturdays.

Almost 4 years.

Week in, week out. Sending out this email.

Next Saturday is number 200.

I’ll be here ✌️. See you soon, my friend.

– Matteo