> Management-wise I struggle with giving critical feedback to people as their "boss".
Don't be a boss. Ask for "Lead [...]" in your job title, and get your colleagues to do what you tell them because of technical seniority, not hierarchical seniority.
As for your path: convince your company to let you develop a product with an Open Source license. Tell them it will provide them with free advertising, increase their notoriety in the industry, and mean they'll get other companies to work on their project for free.
Contact other companies and promote your project, this is simply a trojan horse for building a great contact list. This then leaves you free to move on to freelance down the road by charging for features, but fixes and support. It also allows you to find work really easily.
Don't be a boss. Ask for "Lead [...]" in your job title, and get your colleagues to do what you tell them because of technical seniority, not hierarchical seniority.
As for your path: convince your company to let you develop a product with an Open Source license. Tell them it will provide them with free advertising, increase their notoriety in the industry, and mean they'll get other companies to work on their project for free.
Contact other companies and promote your project, this is simply a trojan horse for building a great contact list. This then leaves you free to move on to freelance down the road by charging for features, but fixes and support. It also allows you to find work really easily.