Hi Reader, Daria’s here.

Most of us still see a full-time job as the safe choice. You get a steady salary, a clear title and a plan for the next promotion.

But tech companies cut more than 150,000 jobs in 2024. In Gallup’s Q4 2025 survey, only 28% of U.S. workers said it was a good time to find a quality job. In mid-2022, that number was 70%.

When you work for one company, you have one client. If a business leader told you their company depended on a single client, you’d say it’s crazy. But somehow your career works the same way.

A portfolio career gives you more than one client. You keep your main role and add other sources of work and income, such as a board seat, an advisory role, teaching, consulting or speaking.

Many of my clients come in thinking they don’t have time for a second line of work, a personal brand or even networking. I get it. We are all so busy that a portfolio career feels like even more work. If you do it right, though, those activities help you in your current role. You learn a new skill on a consulting gig. You meet relevant people and introduce them to your employer. Most importantly, you build a safety net, and a base, for your next move.

Start with your value

A portfolio career starts with one question: what do people value you for?

Most people describe themselves by their job title. A title tells people your role inside one company. Your value is the problem you solve, and anyone who has that problem will pay for it.

Write down three problems you solved in the last two years. For each one, note:

What was at stake for the business
What people thanked you for
What changed because of your work

Look for the pattern. That pattern is what you can offer a board, a university, a scale-up or a client.

If you need help finding it, start with my article on finding your Ikigai.

Then make it visible

Once you know your value, other people need to know it too. Portfolio work rarely comes from job postings. It comes from people who know your work and know what you stand for.

Three ways to start:

Say it in one sentence. “I help [who] do [what].” Use it on LinkedIn, in introductions and in conversations.
Share what you know. A post, a talk or a guest lecture shows people how you think.
Reach out to one person outside your company every week, with no request attached.

You don’t have to quit your job to do this. You build it alongside your job, step by step, before you need it.

I wrote more about this in my latest Forbes Coaches Council article, 5 Skills Every Careerpreneur Needs. It covers the skills that help you treat your career like a business.

Ready to build your portfolio career?

Book a session with me. Together we’ll map your value, look at the options your experience opens up, and plan your first steps to sell and promote it.

👉 Book a call

Talk to you next Thursday

Daria

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