How It All Fits Together
I don't build separate ventures. I build an integrated ecosystem where each piece reinforces the others.
Most people see my portfolio and ask: "Why so many things?"
The answer is simple: Everything I do is complementary. Each venture shares the same core expertise (AI governance, automation, enterprise operations) and feeds the others with credibility, insights, and validation.
Here's how it works.
The Integrated Portfolio Model
Foundation
Enterprise Credibility
TMX Group · BMO · BlackBerry
20+ Years Infrastructure Operations
💼 Consulting & Services
- • AI Governance Advisory
- • n8n Automation Consulting
Revenue Model: Hourly/project
🚀 Products (Pre-Launch)
- • AgentRadar (98% complete)
- • MCPCodex (97% complete)
Revenue Model: Seeking seed funding
✍️ Thought Leadership & Community
- • Ethical AI Insider (newsletter)
- • Medium articles
- • Open-source projects
- • mikeholownych.com
Revenue Model: Lead generation + affiliate income
↕️ Mutual Reinforcement ↕️
Each component makes the others stronger
The Components
TMX Group
Enterprise Foundation
What It Provides:
- ✓ Financial stability (allows building without desperation)
- ✓ Enterprise credibility ("manages operations for a stock exchange")
- ✓ Market insights (daily exposure to real problems)
- ✓ Network access (enterprise buyers and beta testers)
- ✓ Operational grounding (what actually works at scale)
How It Feeds The Others:
- → Consulting clients trust TMX credibility
- → Product features validated by enterprise problems
- → Newsletter content grounded in reality
Ethical AI Syndicate
Primary Venture
Components:
- • AgentRadar (98% complete) - AI-enabled ethical real estate intelligence platform (built from deep family connection to RE industry: in-laws Gerry & Dorothy DeClute, Rick & Rochelle DeClute of DeClute Realty, Tyler DeClute, and Ford Thurston—all in real estate)
- • MCPCodex (97% complete) - AI code generation with compliance guardrails
- • Ethical AI Insider - Newsletter
- • Executive AI Advisory (ethical & compliance-focused)
What It Provides:
- ✓ Scalable product leverage (software scales beyond time)
- ✓ Funding opportunity (seeking seed investment)
- ✓ Consulting revenue (immediate cash flow)
- ✓ Market validation (consulting proves demand)
How It Feeds The Others:
- → Consulting clients become beta testers
- → Product development fuels content
- → TMX role provides consulting credibility
mikeholownych.com
Side Hustle / Personal Brand
What It Provides:
- ✓ n8n consulting revenue (project + hourly work)
- ✓ Affiliate income (DashNex and tools)
- ✓ Lead generation (consulting + beta signups)
- ✓ Content distribution (blog, tutorials)
- ✓ Personal brand (expertise independent of roles)
How It Feeds The Others:
- → Automation expertise informs MCPCodex
- → Consulting validates product problems
- → Blog drives newsletter subscribers
- → Affiliate provides supplemental income
Thought Leadership
Content & Community
Components:
- • Ethical AI Insider newsletter
- • Medium technical articles
- • GitHub open-source projects
- • LinkedIn building-in-public
What It Provides:
- ✓ Lead generation (content drives signups)
- ✓ Trust building (demonstrates expertise)
- ✓ Community goodwill (open-source contributions)
- ✓ Market validation (engagement signals fit)
How It Feeds The Others:
- → Newsletter subscribers → clients + beta testers
- → Articles establish credibility
- → Open-source demonstrates technical depth
- → Engagement validates product ideas
Why This Model Works
The Compounding Effect
Each Component De-Risks The Others
TMX job ends? → Still have consulting revenue + products in development
Consulting dries up? → Still have TMX income + products launching soon
Products don't get funded? → Still have TMX + consulting + content revenue
One product fails? → Learnings feed other products + consulting pivots
Each Component Validates The Others
- TMX role → Proves I can manage enterprise operations at scale
- Consulting → Proves businesses will pay for my expertise
- Products → Proves I can build (97-98% completion as solo founder)
- Content → Proves I can communicate and attract audience
Each Component Feeds The Others
TMX credibility → Consulting clients
Consulting engagements → Product validation
Product development → Content topics
Content → Newsletter subscribers → Beta testers
Beta testers → Case studies → Investor credibility
Traditional vs. Portfolio Approach
| Traditional Founder | Portfolio Entrepreneur (Me) |
|---|---|
| Savings or seed round | TMX salary + consulting ($8-15K/mo) |
| Assumptions | Paying customers |
| 6-12 months to build | Already 97-98% built |
| Cold outreach | Enterprise network + content audience |
| All-or-nothing | Multiple revenue streams |
| Burn through cash | Can be patient, build right thing |
Key Insight:
Traditional approach = desperation risk
Portfolio approach = strategic patience
I can afford to build the right thing—not just the thing that gets the next round.
The 3-Year Vision
Year 1 (2025-2026): Validation & Launch
- ✓ Maintain TMX role (enterprise credibility + stable income)
- ✓ Launch AgentRadar and MCPCodex into closed beta
- ✓ Grow consulting revenue to $10K+/month
- ✓ Grow newsletter to 1,000+ subscribers
- ✓ Close seed funding round ($500K-$1.5M)
Year 2 (2026-2027): Scale & Focus
- → Scale products to $10K+ MRR (monthly recurring revenue)
- → Transition from TMX role to full-time on Syndicate (if products hit milestones)
- → Hire 2-3 team members (eng, GTM)
- → Sunset low-leverage activities (keep only high-ROI consulting)
- → Double down on what's working
Year 3 (2027-2028): Leverage & Expansion
- → Scale winning product(s) to $50K+ MRR
- → Series A fundraise or profitable growth (choose based on metrics)
- → Build team to 10-15 people
- → Establish Ethical AI Syndicate as recognized brand in AI governance
- → Exit options: Acquisition, IPO, or sustainable business
Designed Optionality:
When data shows what's working, I'll double down. Until then, I'm running experiments with downside protection.
Common Questions
"Isn't this just doing too many things?"
No—it's doing ONE thing (helping orgs implement AI & automation) through MULTIPLE channels.
The expertise is the same. The audience is the same. The value prop is the same. I'm just capturing value through multiple formats: consulting (sell time), products (sell packaged expertise), content (give away expertise to build trust), corporate role (apply expertise).
"Why not just go all-in on the products?"
Because products are risky, and I'm de-risking through revenue diversity.
Consulting validates product ideas before I build. TMX income means I don't need VC funding desperately. Content builds audience while products are in development. If products fail, I still have valuable consulting business.
I'll go all-in when the data tells me to—not based on startup mythology.
"How do you manage your time?"
By being ruthlessly selective about what I build and who I work with.
- • TMX role: 40 hours/week (M-F, 9-5)
- • Product development: 15-20 hours/week (evenings/weekends)
- • Consulting: 5-10 hours/week (selective, high-value clients only)
- • Content: 3-5 hours/week (batched, systematic)
Total: ~65-75 hours/week. Sustainable because I love what I do, every hour compounds, and I have clear boundaries.
The Bottom Line
It's Not Complexity—It's Strategy
One Mission: Help organizations implement AI and automation with enterprise-grade reliability
Multiple Vehicles: TMX Group, Ethical AI Syndicate, mikeholownych.com, Thought Leadership
Shared Foundation: Same expertise, same audience, same problem
Mutual Reinforcement: Each venture makes the others stronger