Personal development. No question. I'll always spend money on the things that grow my mind -- courses, workshops, coaching, mentorship -- because if I lost everything tomorrow, I know I could rebuild it with the knowledge I've gained. No one can take away what's in your brain. The way you think, how you lead, how you make decisions -- that's the real asset. I've made investments that didn't give me the outcome I wanted, but they gave me the perspective and resilience I needed. And that's something no spreadsheet or savings account can give you. When you build your mind, the money always finds its way back. That's why personal development is a non-negotiable in my budget -- always.
As CEO I am always keen to invest in staff wellbeing - your people are your biggest assets, they can make or break your business. As a small business, this makes the 7 people we employ incredibly important, and we treat them so. We spend monthly on therapists, health coaches and monthly socials such as hikes or yoga classes. This approach has also gone a long way in reducing staff turnover to zero and increasing productivity - essentially, everyone wins.
One area where I'm always willing to splurge is hiring and retaining top-tier talent. At Empathy First Media, investing in brilliant, self-driven people accelerates everything: client results, innovation, internal efficiency. We've seen over and over that one elite strategist or engineer can outperform three average hires. Talent compounds faster than any other investment.