How to anchor your positioning as a portfolio careerist

A five part framework for communicating who you are and what you do.

It was 8:05am on Tuesday and I was two coffees deep, having just jumped off a mentoring call with one of my new clients. We’d spent 65 minutes talking about portfolio career positioning: what it is, what it isn’t, why it’s hard, how to fix it.

“The marketing side of my brain needs to craft a perfect, clean-cut positioning statement, but the other part of me wants to run a mile in the opposite direction when I think about putting labels on what I do”, he vented.

The tension was real my friends. Figuring out your portfolio career positioning is, as it turns out, a total head fuck. Positioning is all about specificity (the one thing you’re known for) and portfolio-ing is all about breadth (doing more than one thing). For most people, this DOES NOT COMPUTE.

I’ve been thinking about this paradox nonstop since I wrote ‘The Five Types of Portfolio Careerists’ in August, wondering whether it’s possible to reconcile the irreconcilable. Whether I can find an answer to the most FAQ I get. How I can help others find a thread and the confidence to put themselves out there.

I’ve been noodling on positioning framework for the last couple of months and while it’s not perfect, in the spirit of throwing stuff into the world and seeing how people respond, I’ve decided to share it today. Hope it helps!

Positioning, explained

Positioning is defined as the process by which a brand or product (in other words, you) are perceived by the market. It’s important because when you work for yourself, people need to know who you are, what you do and how you might be valuable.

In a traditional career path your positioning is attached to your position; in other words it’s your job title and the company you work for. You’re a Product Marketer at Apple. The Head Merchant at Sephora. The Founder of Studio X.

Traditional careers: positioning = position

But in the world of portfolio careerists, generalists and multi-hyphenates, things are more nuanced. We hold many positions at once and it’s not as simple as slapping up a title on LinkedIn and calling it a day. Positioning is multi-faceted. Often fluid. It must be built, brick by brick, over time.

Portfolio careers: positioning ≠ position

So if your positioning isn’t tied to your position, what is it tied to? How do you communicate what you do so that others understand? How do you become known for something? How do you stand out from the crowd?

The positioning framework for portfolio careers

I think about positioning as the anchor for all of your comms. It can be formed around many things, but for portfolio careers I think it’s best tied to:

The 5 positioning anchors for portfolio careerists.

1. The problem

Also known as the problem you help clients or customers solve.

Positioning can be anchored by a common problem you solve regardless of the types of clients you serve. Rather than focusing on who you serve and what you do, think about the common challenges your clients face.

Take me as an example. I have a broad range of customers (startups, founders, aspiring and established portfolio careerists) but have positioned myself around solving a shared problem; people not knowing how to successfully launch and grow a business. I speak about this incessantly: I post about it on LinkedIn and Tiktok, write about it here on Substack and talk about it on panels. Even though my work manifests in different ways - consulting, advising, mentoring, writing, speaking - the core problem I exist to solve stays the same.

To see if problem-focused positioning is right for you, ask yourself:

• Is there a common problem my clients face, regardless of who they are?

• Is there a consistent challenge that I’m well equipped to help others solve?

2. Your capabilities

Also known as what you’re skilled at.

Your positioning can also be anchored by your special sauce; a set of capabilities cultivated by your expertise, experience, knowledge and skills.

If I wanted to build my positioning around a core capability, I’d probably lead with the fact I’m a strong Operator. If you peeked behind the curtain of my life and business you would LitEraLly DiE. Everything is templated, systemised and organised down to a tee. I see patterns, create efficiencies, and have created ways of working that allow me (and my clients) to be prolific. If I chose to lead with this message, instead of talking about how I help founders and portfolio careerists launch and build their businesses, I’d lead with the operational problems I’ve helped them solve and the systems I use in my day to day. I’d have my full psycho proudly on display.

This positioning strategy works best if you have a core capability that consistently shows up in your work. Ask yourself:

• What am I good at?

• What’s one thing I do that no one else does quite the same way?

• What do people come to me for?

• Is there a capability or skill that I apply to everything I do?

3. Your philosophy

Also known as your values or guiding principles.

Your positioning can also be anchored around a core philosophy that influences your actions and decisions. Leading with values and becoming known for your approach is a good strat because it attracts clients and customers you vibe with.

Again, take me as an example. I value messy progress over perfection, action over strategy, doing over thinking, trying and failing over waiting. I believe that indecision is worse than a wrong decision and that momentum is EVERYTHING. If I chose to build my positioning around this philosophy, I’d talk about how I work with startups to break things and reassemble them. I’d share case studies of this approach across many types of projects. I’d share results and clarify how my philosophy works in action.

If you’re values-led then this positioning approach could work well. Ask yourself:

• What values or principles do I care deeply about?

• How do they influence the way I operate?

• Is this something I can become known for?

4. Your process

Also known as your methodology for diagnosing problems and finding solutions.

Positioning can be crafted around your unique process or methodology. This is all about the how and the when.

If I chose this anchor, I’d lead with the message that experimentation drives everything I do. I'd share my methodology for solving any problem: developing a hypothesis, conducting discovery research, collecting qualitative and quantitative data, rapid prototyping, testing and iterating based on results, and taking quick but strategic action. I’d talk about the importance of adaptive roadmaps and loose plans. I’d drive home HOW I do things. Not who I serve or what I solve.

If you love rigour then this might be the way to go. Ask yourself:

• What unique approach do I take with customers and clients?

• What steps do I consistently follow in my daily work?

5. The solution

Also known as the results and impact you create.

Becoming known for your outputs - the tangible results you deliver - is the pièce de résistance! It’s the strongest anchor of all.

As I expand my portfolio career offer stack, I plan on evolving my positioning to focus on the results I help others achieve; whether that’s guiding someone through moving from full-time into self employment, expanding their income streams, landing a dream client or confidently building a strong presence online. I’ll start sharing these case studies (and many more!) as I continue going deeper into the portfolio career vortex.

If you drive consistent results across all of your clients, this might be a solid anchor. Ask yourself:

• What results do I drive for myself and others?

• What impact have I had on those I’ve worked with?

• What value do I consistently deliver?

Cast your anchor

There are millions of ways you could position yourself. After all, you’re a complex human being that’s a product of millions of years of evolution, and millions of experiences, lessons, moments, highs, lows, beliefs, thoughts and feelings.

But if you try and position yourself as a million things you’ll position yourself as nothing. That’s why you need an anchor; one core message that grounds the rest. If your customers struggle with the same types of challenges, lead with the problem. If you live and die by a methodology that’s uniquely yours, lead with your process. If you have a unique blend of skills and experience that no one else does, lead with your capability. Let everything else follow.

Over time, as you speak more, post more, connect more and create more, you’ll become known. You’ll feel seen. You’ll be in demand.

Sure…you won’t be known as a Product Marketer at Apple, the Head Merchant at Sephora or the Founder of Studio X.

But you will be the Captain of your own life.

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• This is not a perfect framework, brand/marketing peeps please don’t come for me

• Think of your positioning as a gateway

• It should evolve as your portfolio changes

• Leading with one core message doesn’t mean you don’t talk about everything else

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