Consulting is hard, it's hard to keep your pipeline of projects full so you have consistent work. First try looking for a remote contract position as a softwar

Consulting is hard, it's hard to keep your pipeline of projects full so you have consistent work. First try looking for a remote contract position as a software engineer. This will get you back to work. You could even try to get a contract working 30 hours per week to give you blocks of time for your side project building. After that you can look at building your network for future consulting gigs. Your best projects will come from people you know and referrals. Build open source projects in the framework or stack that you use, get to know people in the community for your framework or stack. Create a blog to share interesting things you learn. Connect with MeetUps and groups for your framework and stack. Attend local business events where you can talk to business owners about their problems and issues. Be ready to suggest how a custom web/mobile application can help them solve their problem(s) and print money. I think working a contract position would be a good fit for you to have income, not be an employee and build your business. Check out the book Getting Stared in consulting by Alan Weis.