The 4 Streams of Product Career Optionality...& How to Build Yours Without Burning Out!

In my last post, I shared the personal story of moving from corporate delivery roles into a mix of contracting, advisory, and content creation. The response was incredible, and many of you asked:

“But what does that actually look like? How do you structure it?”

So today, I’m pulling back the curtain.

This is how I’ve structured my career for flexibility, autonomy, and long-term sustainability. I call it the Four Streams of Optionality and it’s designed to help you build freedom without burning out.

1. Contracting: The Cashflow Engine

Contracting was the first lever I pulled. It gave me breathing room to experiment while keeping income steady.

If you’re a delivery lead, product owner, PM, or transformation coach, there’s demand out there for experienced operators who can step in fast. Contracting lets you stay inside meaningful delivery while avoiding the politics and long-term commitments of perm roles.

Why it works:

• 3–6 month gigs with clear scope

• Market-aligned day rates

• Ability to test different domains or industries

Tip: Don’t just take any role. Look for gigs that complement your long-term positioning. Partner with trusted recruiters who get the kind of impact you deliver.

2. Fractional Leadership: Strategic Leverage

Think of this as consulting with impact. Fractional leadership roles allow you to embed with an exec team as a part-time CPO, Head of Product, or Delivery Lead, without the full-time drag.

You’re not just filling a gap. You’re creating strategic value.

This stream is higher trust, higher leverage, and can often grow into long-term partnerships.

Examples:

• One-day-a-week product leadership for a scaleup

• Interim Head of Delivery to stabilise a portfolio

• Strategic input into board-level roadmapping

Why it works:

• You’re paid for outcomes, not hours

• More time to build other streams

• Builds powerful case studies for future advisory work

3. Advisory & Coaching: Paid for Perspective

The more experience you gain, the more valuable your perspective becomes. Advisory roles let you guide founders, execs, or delivery teams on strategy, product-market fit, transformation, and governance.

This stream often starts with:

• A 90-minute diagnostic session

• A short-term health check or product audit

• Retained advice over a few months

Over time, this becomes a powerful income stream with minimal time commitment. And if you enjoy coaching, it’s one of the most rewarding ways to work.

Tip: Package your knowledge. Define what kind of problems you help solve. Don’t just be “available”... be valuable and positioned.

4. Content & Education: Long-Game Leverage

This is the slowest-burning but highest-ROI stream.

By creating content (like this post), teaching frameworks, or building digital products, you turn your IP into assets. You stop trading time for money and start compounding reach, credibility, and inbound interest.

Your content doesn’t need to go viral. It just needs to be consistent, useful, and true to your voice.

Current focus:

• Daily LinkedIn posts

• APM blog + newsletter

• Building first digital product (coming soon)

Later:

• Courses, workshops, playbooks

• Community or membership model

• Podcast or YouTube channel

Why it works:

• Positions you as a trusted voice

• Builds audience and opportunity

• Creates leverage you own

Putting It All Together: Your Optionality Flywheel

You don’t need all four streams running at once. In fact, trying to do everything at the same time is a recipe for burnout.

Start with one. Get traction. Then add another when it makes sense.

My flywheel today looks like this:

• Contracting funds the system and keeps skills sharp

• Fractional work adds leverage and deeper relationships

• Advisory brings in high-trust clients with minimal time

• Content builds my future and fills the funnel

Over time, content and advisory become the dominant streams. But without the foundation of delivery (contracting + fractional), I wouldn’t have the credibility to stand on.

Final Thoughts: Design Your Next Chapter

Career optionality isn’t chaos. It’s designed freedom.

You still get to do meaningful work. You still lead teams and solve real problems. But you do it on your terms, with room to breathe and evolve.

If you’re mid-career and wondering what’s next, start here:

• Audit your current income streams

• Explore where you want more flexibility or variety

• Begin testing one new stream alongside your current work

And if you’re curious how I structure my time, client mix, or monetise my content — let me know. I’m building this playbook in public.

Let’s design a career that adapts as fast as the world does

Coming next: I’ll share how I manage time across these streams without burning out (and what I’ve learnt the hard way).