Horizontal scaling in consulting seems to be what you're so put off by, but I think at most lower levels, vertical scaling is still very possible.
For me, at least for the forseeable future, I'm pretty solidly convinced that I can earn more money by studying and improving my tech skills than I could ever earn by taking a side-job that actually pays me dollars in my hand.
Maybe one can "max out" and just know enough to get their job done, but I'm not there yet -- I frequently find myself ditching other opportunities for making short-term cash in favor of learning something new. That's why I would favor "building" over running a less profitable software business.
For me, at least for the forseeable future, I'm pretty solidly convinced that I can earn more money by studying and improving my tech skills than I could ever earn by taking a side-job that actually pays me dollars in my hand.
Maybe one can "max out" and just know enough to get their job done, but I'm not there yet -- I frequently find myself ditching other opportunities for making short-term cash in favor of learning something new. That's why I would favor "building" over running a less profitable software business.