The Messy Middle: What Month 4 of Funemployment Actually Looks Like
This is the first in a series about what it really takes to build a portfolio career in Partnerships and BD — no brand name behind you, in one of the most disruptive moments in tech.
Yesterday, I received a flood of birthday wishes that genuinely warmed my heart. Thank you! Each message was a reminder of the people who truly matter. It got me thinking. Four months into what I call Funemployment and this feels like the right moment to write honestly about where I am.
Month one has a certain momentum to it. Freedom feels like a choice. What started as high energy and possibility now reads differently. Not worse - just more honest. By month four, this is what it actually feels like - the messy middle. And I think it's worth writing about.
The World Didn't Cooperate
My role leading Financial Services Partnerships and market expansion was de-established in February 2026 into one of the stranger moments in tech.
AI is reshaping every function. Hiring is cautious. Job descriptions have become wish lists. I've seen roles asking for market expansion across SE Asia and Europe simultaneously, as if geography is a filter. The conflict in Iran rattled markets and broader economic uncertainty made companies hesitant to commit.
And yet the demand for Partnerships and BD has never been louder. Every org is pushing for growth, expanding ecosystems, and venturing into new markets. The irony is the ask has gone up, not down. Roles are on steroids: more markets, more mandates, more launches. What was once a three person job is now listed as one. I know this because I have lived it.
A wise man once told me: "Don't look for a job. Look for work."
That framing matters here. A portfolio career doesn't exist in a vacuum. The external environment shapes how quickly project work converts, how responsive the market is to consulting pitches, and how long your runway needs to be.
What Month 4 Actually Looks Like
Here is what I didn't expect: how much I would miss the structure.
When you leave a company, you lose more than a monthly paycheck. You lose a built-in reason to be in the office on a weekday, the rhythm of colleagues, shared meals, the sense of community, and the scaffolding that a company provides.
Building without a logo behind you means every conversation is both a pitch and an audition. There is no well-known brand equity to leverage. No team to share the weight of a hard week. Just you and how clearly you can articulate the value you bring.
And yet.
These four months are also where I:
Completed an Agentic AI course and received an inbound meeting from an AI company that same week
Completed a Canva Pro course sharpening how I show up visually
Signed up for Coursera - because if the market is shifting, keep on learning
Started a market expansion portfolio role in construction Fintech; a large, underleveraged sector where Partnerships instincts translate directly
Was approached by a US GTM agency for an Australia project engagement — unsolicited
Am in talks to spearhead Enterprise BD for an AI agent platform
I choose every single meeting I attend, select projects I can genuinely learn from, and work with people who energise the work.
The Money Side
I'll write more specifically about the money side in the next post. But here is what I have experienced so far. A portfolio career is not financially straightforward in the early months. Consulting engagements takes time to close. Retainers require trust-building that cannot be rushed. Every engagement has to justify itself from scratch; there is no organisational momentum carrying you forward.
Know your numbers. Your actual monthly burn, your runway, which bucket each income stream belongs to, what enough looks like at each stage. That clarity is the foundation.
I am fortunate to come in with savings, an investment portfolio, a trading discipline I had been actively building, and a partner still in full-time work. More importantly, I came in with a clear-eyed view of what I needed to generate and by when. That is what makes this a deliberate choice — not a drift.
What I Know at Month 4
This isn't my first career transition. But it is my most interesting one because the landscape is shifting under everyone's feet, not just mine.
The professionals I respect most are not the ones with the cleanest trajectories. They are the ones who made a considered bet on themselves during a period of genuine uncertainty, built something real in the process, and came out the other side with a sharper sense of the value they bring.
That is what this period is. Character-defining.
I am building toward something in Partnerships, in Agentic AI deployment, in the kind of strategic BD work that actually moves the needle.
If you are on a similar path or if you are considering one; I hope this is useful. Just an honest account from someone in the middle of it.
Pam Chuang is a Partnerships and BD leader with experience across SaaS and Fintech in APAC. She writes about strategic partnerships, GTM, AI and building a portfolio career in tech.
