Coming in 2027
No one taught you how to be a consultant.
You were great at the work. Then you were expected to run a firm, win clients and prove what you delivered. There Is Always a Solution: Editing Your Practice to Scale is the playbook for that part of the job.
71of 86
run every function of their business alone
2of 86
say their approach is working very well
0of 86
turn first to outside help
From the 2026 Consulting Almanac, a survey of 86 independent consultants.
Dear Reader,
My Mini Cooper is named Elsa and the day I drove her to Baltimore she was packed to the roof. I set my phone on top of her, forgot it was there and pulled onto the highway. It smashed onto the road behind me. I ran the event anyway and then the board told me everything that had gone wrong with it. I got home and cried for two days.
That summer, I wrote my own retreat. I went back through every job, every failure and every success. I found that I had spent years trying to sit in a seat that was never built for me. I was happiest doing systems work. When I went out on my own, I knew how to do the work. What I did not have was a way to run the practice.
If you are reading this, I would guess you know that feeling. You were a great practitioner and no one taught you how to be a consultant. Twice in my career, someone handed me the playbook. This book is me handing it to you.
Inside the Book
- Introduction. No One Taught You How to Be a Consultant
- Part One. The Premise
- Part Two. Diagnosis
- Part Three. The Pivot
- Part Four. Execution
- Part Five. Continuity
- Part Six. Instrumentation
- Part Seven. Variation and Limits
- Closing. Asserted, Not Yet Proven
Every chapter ends with a tool you can use that week.
About the Author
Erin Peshoff is the Founder of Vivid Operational Advisors. Over 28 years in nonprofit advancement as a fundraiser, a consultant and the systems thinker in the room, she has advised more than 200 organizations.
Copyright © 2026 Erin Peshoff Consulting, LLC