Mentorship results
How Erin Peshoff built a $227,000 pipeline and replaced her income in about four weeks
Erin Peshoff, Vivid Operational Advisors · Nonprofit operations and systems
At a glance
- 26 yearsof nonprofit experience
- 189outreach touches
- 22 callsbooked in one week
- $227,000pipeline of proposals
- 2 retainersplus a $7,500 project
- About 4 weeksto replace her income
Twenty-six years in, and still not the expert in the room
Erin had spent 26 years in nonprofit fundraising and technology. She'd held senior roles, worked at two consulting firms, and already started a business of her own on the side. On paper, she was ready.
But her in-house job was wearing her down, and the same moment kept repeating. “One more time I got off a phone call and felt not the expert in the room anymore.” She knew it was time to bet on herself.
The missing piece wasn't expertise
Erin didn't need anyone to teach her nonprofit operations. She needed help with the part most experienced consultants struggle with: getting in front of clients consistently. “I can sell a client once I'm on the phone,” she said. “It's getting to that point.”
She'd even built her own plan, and still came up short. “I still didn't have enough structure.” That's what brought her to the Mentorship.
Ten conversations a day
With a plan from the Business Roadmap in hand, Erin went all in on outreach. She gave herself a goal of 10 conversations a day and kept her message simple and generous: “I'm thinking about launching this thing, I have this idea, would love to hear how that resonates, would love to hear what you're doing, and how I can help you.”
She tracked every touch and gave every call a next step. It added up to 189 touches, and 22 calls booked in a single week.
What all those conversations taught her
The calls did more than fill her calendar. They changed how she described her work. “It helped me rethink what my offering structure looked like... and how to phrase it in their words.”
She narrowed her ideal client and built three clear offers: a 90-minute intake session, a 4 to 6 week sprint, and fractional support starting at $3,750 a month. Through it all, the program kept her steady. “It's a place to go, it's structure, it's tools... there's consistency, too, with the Wednesday calls, even if I can't go, I just know it's there.”
Four weeks later
When her job ended, Erin wasn't starting from zero. She was already in motion. Within about four weeks she had a $227,000 pipeline of proposals, two retainers ($5,000 and $4,000), a $7,500 project, and her previous income replaced.
The biggest change she named wasn't a number. “It's grounded me so much.” And she's clear about why it worked:
“It works if you work it. You have to do it, and you can't make excuses, and you have to set the time aside.”
Erin Peshoff
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