The Rise of the Portfolio Career:

In the past, careers followed a familiar script: pick a major, land a job, climb the ladder, retire.

Today? That model is outdated.

Welcome to the era of the portfolio career—a modern work model where you blend multiple income streams, skillsets, and passions into one intentional career path. And it’s not just a trend, it’s the future of work.

This concept, inspired by a powerful piece by Hanna Larsson, is especially relevant to creators, consultants, and solopreneurs who want more freedom and autonomy. Let’s break it down.

What Is a Portfolio Career?

A portfolio career is the opposite of putting all your eggs in one basket. Instead of relying on a single job, you build a blend of activities that create financial stability and personal fulfillment.

It could look like this:

• 20 hours/week consulting for a SaaS brand

• Running a paid newsletter

• Offering coaching or courses

• Selling digital products

• Advising startups

This model lets you diversify income, minimize risk, and do work that lights you up.

Why Portfolio Careers Are Exploding

1. Economic Uncertainty
   In a volatile economy, relying on a single employer is risky. A portfolio career spreads the risk across multiple revenue streams.

2. Technology Makes It Easier
   Platforms like LinkedIn, Substack, Gumroad, and Zoom make it simple to monetize expertise and scale trust at speed.

3. People Want More Control
   We’ve outgrown the 9-to-5 grind. Creators want autonomy, flexibility, and alignment between work and purpose.

4. AI is Shifting the Workforce
   As AI automates more tasks, human creativity and personal brand become our greatest assets.

5 Steps to Build Your Own Portfolio Career

1. Clarify Your Zone of Genius
Start with what you're naturally good at—where your strengths, skills, and passions intersect. This will become the anchor of your career.

Action Tip: Ask yourself, “What do people always ask me for help with?”

2. Build a Personal Brand
You don’t need to be everywhere—just be clear, consistent, and visible where your ideal audience hangs out. For most, that’s LinkedIn.

Action Tip: Start posting 2-3 times per week. Share insights, teach what you know, and document your journey.

3. Monetize One Stream First
Don’t try to launch everything at once. Focus on one monetizable offer (like coaching, consulting, or a digital product) and validate it with real buyers.

Action Tip: Ask your network what challenges they’re facing, and offer a solution tailored to them.

4. Build Supporting Systems
Start creating repeatable processes around client onboarding, content creation, invoicing, and lead gen. This will help you scale without burning out.

Action Tip: Use Notion or Airtable to create SOPs and templates for key tasks.

5. Stack Revenue Streams Intentionally
Once your first stream is running smoothly, add a second. Maybe it’s a paid newsletter, affiliate revenue, or cohort-based courses.

Action Tip: Each stream should align with your long-term mission, not just be a cash grab.

Weekly Growth Tip: Start Your Portfolio Career with This 7-Day Sprint

✅ Day 1: Identify your strengths and what you love doing.
✅ Day 2: Write a one-sentence value proposition.
✅ Day 3: Post your first thought leadership piece on LinkedIn.
✅ Day 4: Make a list of services or products you could offer.
✅ Day 5: Have one discovery call with a potential client.
✅ Day 6: Set up a simple landing page or booking link.
✅ Day 7: Reflect on what energized you most and what you can scale next.

Free LinkedIn Growth Workshop

📌📌 I'm hosting a free 1.5-hour workshop on March 29th at 9:30 AM Central Standard Time on growing your personal brand and thought leadership on LinkedIn.

Everyone who signs up and attends will receive my new 23-page guide, 12 Golden Nuggets to Building Your Online Business – packed with insights on personal branding and earning on LinkedIn.

Click here to register for the workshop:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2hKxa1MvTAWwzAoRCyU6zw