The Visibility-to-Retainer Path explains how a portfolio career becomes repeatable work
The Visibility-to-Retainer Path. Eileen’s account of Jeffrey Tan shows how visible expertise and trusted relationships can turn independent work into a more stable portfolio. Building a portfolio career after full-time employment depends less on a sudden leap than on making your expertise visible, creating a stable base of income and drawing on relationships built over time. Jeffrey Tan’s move from executive to independent adviser shows how those elements can work together—though his first venture did not work out.
From full-time executive to independent adviser
“They flew me there in first class. Come to think of it, the flight took longer than the work.”
Jeffrey was telling me about his latest assignment as a senior adviser to a government in the Middle East. The country was moving away from its decade-long dependence on the energy trade and building its foundations to become a leading global trade and supply chain hub, a process accelerated by the recent conflict in the Middle East. It needed someone who understood global trade, ports, shipping, logistics, supply chains, digital trade and the complicated web of people and systems connecting them, and tapped Jeffrey to be an adviser.
This was the first time I had seen Jeffrey in two years. The last time we met, he was preparing to leave salaried employment after spending most of his career in large organisations. He knew he was ready to build something of his own, but was less certain what that would look like.
His first attempt was a Sino-Singapore joint venture. It did not work out.
Two years later, he advises governments and companies, trains teams in the Middle East and China, and helps businesses enter markets where he has spent years building relationships.
On some assignments, a day of his time is now worth more than a month of his former salary.
Visible expertise helps clients find and trust you
Jeffrey began posting regularly on LinkedIn after leaving his job. He shared his certifications, speaking engagements, awards and professional appointments.
It was not simply self-promotion. In his view, the posts demonstrated what he knew, and every visible piece of evidence made the next opportunity a little easier to earn.
Within weeks, he secured his first training engagement. The session went so well that participants began recommending him to other organisations. More invitations followed, including assignments in the Middle East and China, where his ability to work in both English and Mandarin gave him an added advantage.
Within six months, companies were approaching him.
“The client is usually already convinced by the time they ask to speak to me,” he said.
His LinkedIn profile may be where people find him, but the trust behind it was built over decades. Jeffrey has contributed to the Singapore Computer Society for about 16 years and spent much of that time leading its Supply Chain Management Chapter. He is now its President.
He advises people to join trade associations not merely to collect names or attend the occasional dinner, but to build a reputation as a subject-matter expert long before they need it. For practical guidance on making LinkedIn posts substantive, read How to write a LinkedIn post with substance.
Retainers create a stable base for independent income
Leaving a steady job was unnerving, particularly as the father of two children. A portfolio of promising projects did not initially feel as secure as a salary arriving on the same date every month.
Jeffrey therefore built several related sources of income. Alongside his steady training revenue, he began placing some clients on retainers. A retainer did not simply buy a fixed number of hours. It meant he continued thinking about the client between assignments, making introductions and watching for opportunities that might help them enter new markets.
Training and retainers gave him a stable base, while consulting offered the larger upside. Each stream reinforced the others: a training engagement could lead to an advisory conversation, an introduction could uncover a larger project, and a speaking engagement could bring him to the attention of a government or company that needed precisely his combination of experience.
Jeffrey had built a fractional career long before it was fashionable.
Trusted specialists let solo advisers take on larger projects
Jeffrey once told a former boss that a project could not be done because there was not enough money. His boss replied:
“Don’t tell me you can’t do it because of money. Tell me how much you need, and I’ll find the money, even if it means taking on debt.”
Jeffrey remembers the conversation because it changed how he thought about resources. The question was no longer whether he could personally do everything. It was what people, funding and partnerships would be required to produce the result.
Today, when an assignment requires more than one person can deliver, Jeffrey assembles a team of experienced specialists from the network he has built over many years. He selects them for the skills required, remains accountable for the overall strategy and brings their work together into one solution. This lets him take on larger projects without sinking money into a permanent team.
Build an independent reputation before leaving employment
It would be easy to look at Jeffrey’s life today and conclude that he got lucky.
But he had been laying the groundwork for years across PSA, IMDA, YCH Group, A.P. Moller – Maersk and other organisations. He made the effort to deepen ties whenever he entered a new market, contributed to a professional association, spoke at an industry event or helped someone without expecting an immediate return.
By the time he left full-time employment, he was not starting from zero. He was turning two decades of experience, relationships and credibility into a different way of working.
For leaders considering a similar move, Jeffrey’s story is a reminder to build a reputation independent of an employer through visible, quality work.
Prepare for independent work by exploring how to make your expertise visible through useful LinkedIn writing, define success beyond one salary number and build useful relationships with senior people.
Frequently asked questions
How did Jeffrey find his first independent clients?
After leaving his job, Jeffrey posted his credentials and professional activity on LinkedIn. Within weeks, he secured a training engagement; participant recommendations then helped bring further invitations and, within six months, company approaches.
What role did retainers play in his portfolio career?
Retainers complemented training revenue by providing a steadier base. They also reflected ongoing work between assignments: thinking about clients’ needs, making introductions and watching for relevant market opportunities.
How does Jeffrey handle work that needs more than one person?
He brings together experienced specialists from his long-built network according to the skills required, while remaining accountable for the overall strategy and integrating the work into one solution.
As told to Eileen Soh by Jeffrey Tan.
Jeffrey Tan is a supply chain and digital transformation leader with more than two decades of international experience across trade, ports, maritime, logistics and technology. He is President of the Singapore Computer Society’s Supply Chain Management Chapter and advises governments and businesses on digital trade, smart ports, supply chain & digital transformation and international expansion. He welcomes conversations with governments and companies exploring work in these areas. Check out his LinkedIn.
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