8. How do we know what’s working when there isn’t an obvious or immediate ROI (like building an email list)?

ROI: “Is this doing what I hoped it would do?”

In business, a lot of the things that matter most don’t create instant, measurable ROI. They grow over time, like:

• relationships

• reputation

• visibility

So the more useful framing for things like an email list is:

ROI is the proof that an investment is doing what you hoped — whether that’s money now, or the visibility and capacity that make money possible later.

Define the outcome then give it a timeframe

When ROI isn’t immediate or exact, clarity comes from two things:

1. Define the outcome you expect (the purpose of the investment)

2. Decide the timeframe before you evaluate success

These steps help keep you grounded and not relying on guesswork.

How to decide what’s “working”

1. Define the outcome you expect (the purpose of the investment)

Financial return is a lagging indicator, so it shows up after you’ve taken action.

So instead of watching for revenue, look for the early signals that usually show up first:

• more visibility or engagement

• more email subscribers

• more inquiries

• better-quality leads

• more conversations

These early movements tell you whether something is headed in the right direction.

That’s your “early ROI.”

2. Decide the timeframe before you evaluate success

This keeps you from relying on guesswork or abandoning something too soon.

Once you have the outcome and early signals, choose:

• when you’ll reevaluate (30 days? 60? 90?)

• what you expect to see by then (more subscribers? better leads? more engagement?)

• what would tell you it’s not working (no movement at all? wrong kind of leads?)

These will be the criteria you’ll look at during your check-in.

A few examples:

• “If subscriber growth hasn’t shifted after 90 days, I’ll adjust my approach.”

• “If inquiries don’t increase after two months, I’ll pause this channel.”

This gives you clarity around when to stay the course or make a change.

The Takeaway

When ROI is not immediate, you need to create clarity by:

• defining a clear outcome, and

• deciding a timeframe for checking in

Once you set the outcome and the timeframe, you’ll know whether something — email lists, memberships, conferences, tools, marketing — is working long before the money shows up.