I lost Ksh 20,000 in one week.
Not because of a scam. Not because of bad luck.
Because of pride.
I’d spent months building a “brand.” I had a logo. A website. A fancy Instagram page.
I was selling “business coaching” — but I didn’t have clients. So I started buying ads. Ksh 5,000 on Facebook. Ksh 5,000 on Instagram. Ksh 10,000 on TikTok.
Zero results.
But instead of stopping — I doubled down.
I told myself: “If I just spend more, the algorithm will finally notice me.”
It didn’t.
My last Ksh 5,000 went to a “growth guru” who promised me 100 clients in 30 days. He ghosted me after I paid.
I was devastated.
For days, I didn’t leave my room.
Then I got a message from a friend:
“Why are you spending money to be seen — when you could be spending time to be helpful?”
I cried.
That night, I deleted my website. I unfollowed every “guru.” I turned off my ads.
And I sent one message to 10 people I knew:
“I messed up. I thought I needed to be perfect to help. But I’m just a person who wants to do better. If you’ve ever felt the same — reply ‘yes.’”
Five people replied.
One asked: “Can you help me fix my M-Pesa receipts?”
I said yes.
I didn’t charge her.
Two weeks later — she paid me Ksh 2,000.
That’s when I realized:
Today, I don’t sell coaching.
I help small business owners fix their books, their WhatsApp replies, their pricing.
And I never spend a shilling on ads again.
If you’re spending money to be seen — stop.
Start spending time to be helpful.
That’s where real growth begins.