Paying It Forward: The Compound Interest Behind Business Growth”

💡 “Play iterated games. All returns in life — in wealth, relationships, or knowledge — come from compound interest.”— Naval

Most businesses chase ROI in straight lines: spend $1, get $2 back. Launch a promotion, track the sales bump. Measure, optimize, repeat.

But the best businesses? They don’t play that game. They give without counting. They pay forward — and let the returns multiply in ways no spreadsheet can predict.

A few weeks ago, my friend and I drove two hours toward Johnson Lake. Winding roads, endless trees, and not a single public washroom. You know the situation.

Then we spotted it — The Local, a quiet antique shop by the roadside.

Me at The Local

Inside the store

I hesitated at the door.

“Um… may I use your washroom?” I asked, bracing for the polite refusal. Most businesses guard that space for customers only.

“Of course. Go right ahead!” the woman at the counter said, smiling. No hesitation. No calculation. Just yes.

On my way out, I lingered politely. That’s when I noticed a small sign: Iced Coffee.

“Could you make an iced mocha?” I asked.

“Sure can.”

We chatted for five minutes. By the time I left, I had a chilled mocha in one hand and a hand-drawn list of nearby lakes in the other.

The Local's Coffee Corner

Back in the car, I told my friends: “The washroom is spotless. The ladies are so kind — they even gave me a list of lakes. And yes… they make iced mocha.”

Car doors flew open. One by one, my friends went inside. Everyone ordered mochas. I grabbed two bags of gourmet salt. By the time we left, we’d spent close to $50 — in a shop we never planned to visit.

All because one woman said yes.

One yes became five mochas.

One small kindness multiplied into a wave of transactions.

And now, here I am, writing about them.

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That moment reminded me of another business I admire: Call Me Jake, a Thai food delivery client.

They never ran the usual “Buy $30, get a free Thai milk tea.”

Instead, they gave — freely. A sample dish here, an extra dessert there.

Call Me Jake's dishes

“Why?” I once asked.

“Because we know the food is good,” they said.

“We just want people to try. We want to build connection, not just transaction.”

It worked. Customers came back weekly. They told their friends. Friends told their friends.

Some stopped being just customers and became true supporters — even friends. In three months, earnings grew from $3,000 to $10,000 — sometimes $12,000.

But the real return wasn’t just revenue.

It was loyalty. Community. Reputation.

Businesses often think ROI comes from promotions. Discounts. Points. Short-term tricks.

But the best returns come from generosity.

Here’s the twist: there’s no spreadsheet cell for “clean washroom goodwill.” No column for “extra appetizer that sparked lifelong loyalty.”

Yet that’s exactly where compound interest shows up.

One yes becomes five mochas.

One free dish becomes a loyal base.

A simple gift becomes reputation, word-of-mouth, community.

That’s compound interest in business — and no discount code can buy it.

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The best ROI doesn’t always start with dollars.

Sometimes it starts with a smile, a sample, or a simple yes.

The kind of generosity that compounds — into trust, into loyalty, into growth.

Have you ever had a business surprise you with generosity — and it completely changed how you saw them?