In my early career (way before founding nlightencx), my position in the corporate world was such that I was responsible for managing both revenue and expenses. It was an exciting, pressure-filled time, but it taught me a lesson I’ve never forgotten:

“If I spend X ZAR on Y… will it create value, or will it just be a cost?”

That question became my personal compass. It shaped how I thought about sales, strategy, and leadership.

Today, as a founder in the Customer Experience space, I still use it to guide every decision.

Here’s the thing: We often confuse price with value. Especially in business, it’s easy to pick the cheapest option. But I’ve learned the hard way: those “savings” often cost you more in the long run.

Poor tech choices, misaligned partners, service gaps, these things erode trust. And trust is everything in delivering consistently good to great experiences for your clients or customers.

So here’s my advice to other leaders:

• Don’t buy based on budget alone
• Ask if it helps you keep your customer promise and creates potential customer/client loyalty
• Choose partners, not just providers/vendors
• Measure impact, not input

Because value isn’t always immediate or visible, but it’s always felt.

I’ve carried this mantra with me for over 35 years. We still ask it before every  time we are about to buy/invest in spending in our business:

“Will this create value, or is it just a cost?”