This is the second article in the series on building a portfolio career. In the previous one I talked about the desire but also the necessity to create your own path. In this one I want to share the honest story of how to create a second revenue stream alongside a 9 to 5. Why, how, what it really takes, and where it can go.
The desire for creative freedom
I have always had many interests.
Sports but equally aesthetics, interior design, and fashion. Chess and technology and mathematics but also history and languages.
I studied law but pivoted to business because it felt more like me.
I have worked in some of the most regulated industries and actually inside a regulator, but equally I have always had projects and business ventures running on the side.
And that, if anything, is why I have never agreed with the idea that you pick one path and one corporate title and that becomes your whole identity.
I do enjoy the system, the logic, and the structure that comes with corporate roles, but I equally need a creative outlet where I have control over the outcome.
That is why I have always found myself doing more things alongside the main thing. Not because I have to but because I truly enjoy the combination.
Some might say you can find an employee role where all of these come together. Maybe. But when you do not find it, you can also create it.
And that is exactly why two years ago I co-founded a marketing agency for financial services firms, health clinics, and real estate and hospitality businesses based in Switzerland.
So here is the story of why and how I did it and the honest reality of it. Because I think someone needs to tell how these things actually evolve and what the expectations should really be.
Also, I find that there is very little European perspective on doing this.
All I seem to find are stories of US based freelancers who made 48k on the side of their 9 to 5 in the first month. If that is true, amazing. But my experience is quite different and I suspect the reality for most Europeans building something from scratch is too.
I hope this one helps anyone thinking about starting some kind of consulting or service business from scratch in Europe.
Hi, I am Maria and Così is my publication on building businesses, career, ambition, style, and life as it actually happens.
Articles every Wednesday and / or Sunday, from Zürich and around the world.
