I wanted a reliable second income stream and absolutely did not need a second job.
The idea I sent to a friend was a loose consultancy network. It would be different from individual consulting where somebody pays me to code or complete one defined task on a strict schedule. I already had a startup job that could fill every available hour. Adding another boss and another calendar was not the plan.
A small group could bring different skills into a company together. We could assess an organization, recommend a technical strategy, help with team design, or step in while an early-stage company figured out what it needed. My useful parts were product, technical organization design, technical strategy, cloud and data-center design, and the engineering lifecycle.
The work had to come in small chunks and stay flexible. A short, difficult engagement made sense. A second operating role did not.
I was already spending nights on a smarter-home company idea. This was a different kind of side hustle. It did not need hardware, inventory, or a giant product launch. It needed a website, a few people with complementary experience, and some writing that showed how we thought.
The money mattered, but so did the chance to meet more small companies. Good advisory work could build a network and a reputation at the same time. If somebody later wanted to go out on his own, the work might make that jump a little less reckless.
My friend had the same immediate concern: neither of us needed another job. That was encouraging. We agreed to get together and talk through whether the network could stay useful without eating the rest of our lives.
It was still a sketch. Website, people, blog posts, small pieces of work. That was enough to keep kicking it around.