This week marks the final part of my short series on The Hard Truths of scale.
Part 1 was about letting go of our model.
Part 2 was about realising scaling isn't always where you start.
This last one is about cost - another hard truth
At Living Goods, we were always conscious of cost and affordability.
From the start, we designed towards a cost target — what would be sustainable at scale, whoever paid: whether that was philanthropy, government, or both.
That mindset meant we didn’t do everything we wanted to.
We made trade-offs.
There was never enough money - not in what funders provided, nor in what government budgets could stretch to.
But our aim was never to be cheap.
It was to be cost-effective and affordable - built for scale from day one.
Looking back more than 15 years ago - I think we were pretty early adopters of this discipline.
But even then, we didn’t think deeply enough about what was affordable for government — what their current spend was, what our model would add or save.
Still, that cost lens defined how we worked. Always thinking ROI.
We made deliberate trade-offs, stayed evidence-driven, and treated every investment as a foundation for sustainability.
We did invest in conducting through a third party and alongside government - Kenya’s first Investment Case for Community Health, which showed a 1:10 return on investment.
That evidence laid the groundwork for a landmark shift years later — when President Ruto announced that Community Health Volunteers would become Community Health Promoters: paid, equipped, digitally enabled, and supervised.
Implementation isn’t perfect, but this was a defining policy change for Kenya and the continent — made possible by years of advocacy and partnership across many organisations, Living Goods included.
Because being cheap enough is not the same as being cost-effective.
True affordability requires understanding every cost driver, aligning with real budgets, and committing for the long game.
That’s what real scale takes:
Designing not just to work, but to last.
💭 This week’s reflection:
How often do we design for what’s ideal, instead of what’s affordable and sustainable?
What would change if affordability was our design starting point, not an afterthought?
Warmly,
Liz
Strategic Advisor | Former CEO | Founder, Volante
Based in Kenya, available globally
PS: This is the final part of The Hard Truths of Scale series.
- ❤️ Part 1: Falling Out of Love with Our Model
- 🌍 Part 2: Scaling Isn’t Always Where You Start
