One day, I found myself at an event, eating mini “bacalaítos” while someone pitched me a business idea involving crypto and real estate. I went home, took off my heels, and asked myself: What exactly did I get out of this?

Not a lead. Not a client. Not even a useful contact. Just a $25 valet ticket and a wasted evening. That night made something very clear: If you don’t define what you’re hoping to get from an investment, of time, money, or energy, you can’t measure if it was worth it.

What ROI Really Means

ROI stands for Return on Investment. It’s a simple way to figure out whether something you invested in gave you something valuable back.

The formula is basic:

ROI = [(Income – Investment) / Investment] * 100

Let’s break that down:

• You spend $1,000 on a marketing campaign.
• It brings in $4,000 in revenue.
• That’s a $3,000 gain.

ROI = [($4,000 – $1,000) / $1,000] * 100% = 300%

• That’s a strong return Sometimes ROI comes in the form of peace of mind, visibility, quality connections, saved hours, or strategic clarity. That’s valid,as long as you know what you’re measuring. The important thing is that you define the result you’re aiming for, before you invest anything.

How to Actually Use ROI Without Overcomplicating It

This is where most business owners and C-level teams miss the mark. They think ROI is something their accountant deals with once a year. It’s not. ROI should be part of your decision-making, every day.

-Know What You Want Before You Say Yes

Before you pay for a training, sponsor an event, hire a coach, or invest in new software, ask:

• What’s the result I expect from this?
• How will I know if it worked?
• What would make this a good use of my resources?

If the only answer is “because it looks good” or “because everyone’s doing it”, think again about it before investing.

-Track What Happens

It doesn’t need to be fancy. Just document:

• What you did
• What it cost
• What you got back (leads, revenue, clarity, contacts, time saved)

Sometimes you don’t see ROI right away, but you should at least be able to tell if something is moving the needle.

-Review and Adjust

This is where most people drop the ball. They invest and move on, no review, no adjustment. Then they’re surprised when six months later, cash is tight, and they don’t know why. ROI helps you figure out what’s working, what’s not, and where to double down.

What does this look like in real life?

You bought that fancy reporting tool everyone raved about… But no one ever used it. ROI? Negative. Not because the tool was bad, but because you never implemented it properly.

You paid $3,000 for a leadership course. If you finished it, applied it, and made smarter business moves, hello, positive ROI. But if it’s still sitting in your inbox, you already know.

You joined a women’s business group. You went to five events, made two solid collaborations, landed one new client. That’s measurable ROI.

You paid to be featured in a fancy article. Did it bring in leads? Or was it just heart emojis from your aunts and high school classmates? If you did it for recognition, that’s fine, but own it. That was your ROI. Just don’t confuse it with business growth.

ROI is not always about chasing money. But you need to be honest about what you expected, and whether it actually happened.

Your Cafecito Takeaway

Measuring ROI isn’t about being obsessed with numbers. It’s about making smarter decisions with limited resources. It’s totally fine to invest in visibility, relationships, growth, or giving back. But if you’re not measuring what comes back, what are you really doing?

Before you spend another dollar or minute on something that sounds exciting, ask yourself:

• What am I really hoping to get out of this?
• How will I measure it?
• If it doesn’t pay off, what will I change next time?

Not everything you try is going to work, and that’s fine. ROI helps you cut the noise and focus on what actually drives results.