Arum Lansel - Fractional HR
From 10 Service Areas to One Clear Message—And $200K in Year One
Arum Lansel had every advantage: years of venture capital experience, a killer network, and the kind of varied expertise that should've made consulting a slam dunk.
Three months in? Zero paid work.
"I had a laundry list of 10 different service areas," she recalls. Strategic planning. Board development. Change management. HR. Foundation work. Donor advising. The works. "I thought my network would just come flowing in because people know me and like my work."
Instead? Endless coffee meetings. Tons of "we're so glad you're in the field!" Promises to "keep you in mind." But no actual money.
Classic consultant mistake: trying to be everything to everyone means you're memorable to no one.
When Arum started doing Fractional work she was ready to face the brutal truth. That messaging work we hammer on? The stuff about getting specific about the problems you solve? Yeah, she needed all of it.
The turning point? Noticing that in every conversation, people perked up when she mentioned HR. "I know lots of executive coaches and strategic planning consultants," she realized, "but there are fewer people who are experts in HR for nonprofits."
So she did what terrifies most consultants: She niched down.
From 10 service areas to one: HR for small nonprofits. From three client types to one. From "I can do anything" to "I solve your people problems."
The shift was immediate. Suddenly people knew exactly what to come to her for.
11 months in:
Four fractional clients at $4,500/month each (that's $18K monthly just from fractional work)
Three to four short-term projects running simultaneously
On track to hit her "lofty" $200K goal in year one
The confidence to charge MORE upfront because "it's a lot more work for me in the first few months"
But here's the kicker: Remember all those other service areas she "gave up"? Strategic planning projects are finding her now. Because when you're known for something specific, people trust you with everything else.
"The fractional is definitely where the money is," she says. "It's more stable. I have these three or four really stable clients that are going to be with me for the long run. Then I supplement with short-term projects that are just added income on top."
The woman who started with a website listing every possible nonprofit service now has three crystal-clear offerings: fractional HR leadership, short-term HR projects, and advisory retainers. Clients self-select into the right option because the messaging is so damn clear.
Her advice to others? "Finding the thing that's going to let you stand out—where there's actual demand and not huge supply—makes it much, much easier. You can niche down really small to get going, but you don't have to stay there."
Proof that in consulting, less really is more. And that $18K months start with saying no to the wrong things.