We are up to episode four in our portfolio business series, and today we’re getting into the question I get asked more than almost anything else: how do you actually start this thing? What’s the first move? What does building out the streams actually look like in practice?
So many of you have reached out since I first started talking about this way of working. You get it, you want it, and it feels like the future of work to you. But something is still holding you back. If that’s you, even after listening to the first three episodes in this series, I want you to know that’s completely normal. The block isn’t a lack of desire and it’s not a lack of understanding. It’s that right now, you don’t have the architecture. The framework and structure to actually build from.
That’s exactly what this episode is for.
A Quick Note Before We Dive In
If you’re already a little further along (say you’ve got some one to one coaching happening alongside a group program or a digital product), this episode might not be your starting point. Head over to Instagram, DM me or comment on any of my posts, and the bot will send you my quick three minute quiz. It’ll show you exactly where you sit across the four stages of building a portfolio business, and give you a next step personalised to you.
If you’re newer to this and want to get the framework properly locked in, keep reading. This one’s for you.
First Things First: This Isn’t a Finished Plan
Before we even get into the three streams, I want to reset an expectation. A portfolio business is not a destination you arrive at. I’m not building toward 10 or 12 streams, and I’m not married to the five I currently run either.
I think about my portfolio as a series of experiments. Something I’m constantly designing, testing, dropping, and evolving. You do not need to have it all figured out before you start.
Honestly, it’s going to feel a bit edgy. A bit like an experiment. And that’s exactly why this model can be so hard to navigate solo. When we’re working alone, we tend to reach for certainty and safety far more than we reach for experimentation. Once you can make peace with that “flirt with everything, marry nothing” mentality (which, side note, might actually end up on the new PBA website banner), you’re ready to look at the three core streams.
The Three Core Streams
Quick distinction here. My portfolio map video (comment “portfolio” on any post and I’ll send it your way) breaks down the five different offer types or structures your streams can take. What I’m talking about today is a level up from that. This is the overall architecture of your ecosystem, and I like to think about each stream in terms of the need it meets for you.
1. Anchor Stream
This is your need for security. It’s the “I like to feed my kids and pay my mortgage” stream. Your anchor income gives you predictability and reduces that scarcity threat response, which matters more than people realise.
As someone with psychology qualifications, I’ll say it plainly: you are not going to take the experimental action this model requires if you don’t have that anchor locked in first. This is where a lot of people go wrong. They jump for the leverage income before they’ve secured their anchor, and the whole thing feels shaky from the start.
2. Leverage Stream
This one is about expression, scale and growth. It meets your need to feel like you’re expanding, stretching and genuinely competent. Think of it as your mastery stream.
3. Experimental Stream
This is your play stream. Zero obligation, lots of choice, and no pressure to keep it going. Sometimes these streams stick around and even graduate into leverage streams down the track. I’ve had that happen a few times myself.
Right now, one of mine is a cultural shift program I’m running with an organisation, working with their leaders and rolling out frameworks and workshops. It’s a fun, performance style stream that I probably won’t keep long term, but I was genuinely excited to create it for that particular team.
This could look different for you. A brand partnership you said yes to. A workshop for a specific industry. Dipping a toe into speaking, paid writing or paid podcasting. There are so many ways to play inside this stream, and that’s exactly the point.
Why the Order Matters
This isn’t just about diversifying your income by throwing a few offers at the wall and seeing what sticks. The sequencing genuinely matters.
Ideally, you’re moving from anchor, to leverage, to experimental or play.
Could you go straight from anchor to experimental? Sure, but that starts to feel more like a side hustle than an intentional structure. The real magic happens when you take your anchor income and get really intentional about pulling out the through line. What are the skills that are obviously your genius zone to everyone watching you, even if you can’t fully see it in yourself yet? Those are the skills we can leverage into a different, more expansive structure than however you’re currently offering them (whether that’s as an employee, a one to one practitioner, or in a retained consulting or fractional CFO or CMO style role).
When all three streams are firing together, something shifts. Not just financially (although that reward is real), but energetically. You get to do work you love, with people you respect and are inspired by, on a schedule that actually works for you. It’s genuinely the most freedom producing structure I know of.
So What’s the Actual First Step?
Before you even land on what your three streams will be, you need to get specific about:
- Your skills
- Your expertise
- Your values
And here’s the part that trips almost everyone up. Your most valuable skills are probably completely second nature to you. You might not even register them as skills, because you assume everyone thinks the way you do, or you write off your past experience as irrelevant.
It could not be less true.
Your past holds so much gold for building out your portfolio business. I see it constantly with my clients: these little windows where we bring together pieces of their experience they never thought were connected, and weave them into a through line that’s actually been playing out in their work all along.
Why Identity Work Is Best Done in Community
This is genuinely the place where people get most stuck, and it’s a big part of why I’m such an advocate for building this kind of business alongside other people doing the same thing.
Being in community with others building portfolio businesses gives you:
- Reflection from people who can see what you can’t see in yourself
- Exposure to what others are creating, buying and engaging with
- More confidence to try new things
- That identity validation we all need when committing to a through line
Shifting from “I’m a dietitian building a value ladder” or “I’m a consultant working project to project” or “I’m an accountant building a practice” into “I’m a portfolio business owner with a through line across five or six offers” is a genuinely big identity shift. And identity work is always easier done with others beside you than figured out alone in your own head.
You Don’t Need It All Figured Out
If everything I’ve shared today still feels a little unclear, that’s okay. Start simple. Grab a notebook, jot down what your three streams might look like, and just start flirting with some ideas.
But if you’re serious about building this model for yourself and want proper support to get there, I have something coming.
Introducing Portfolio Business Accelerator (PBA)
I’m bringing together a small group to build this out live with me, step by step, over eight weeks. Together, we will:
- Identify your strengths and your through line
- Nail how you introduce yourself and your work
- Create your offer
- Test it in the market
- Gather feedback and refine it
The right structure and framework behind this process makes an enormous difference, and that’s exactly what we’ll be building together.
We’re kicking off at the end of August. This episode is actually the first time I’ve spoken about it out loud publicly, so more details are coming soon. If you’re keen, comment “waitlist” or send me a DM, and we can have a chat about where you’re currently at. There may even be some resources I can point you to before we get to that stage, particularly around getting clear on your through line, your story and your identity piece, which is so often where people get tripped up.
Final Thoughts
I love talking about this stuff, clearly. Whether it’s through the quiz, this podcast series, or inside PBA itself, the more women I can support to understand and implement this model, the better. I believe with every cell in my body that this is the future of work. And if more women have access to more wealth, creativity and freedom, I think we’re heading in a pretty good direction.
Check the show notes for everything mentioned today. I’ll be back with you next week with another episode of Rising Femme.
Have the best week.
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