During my house-hunting a few weeks ago, I came across an apartment that I liked, although it was still being renovated. I proceeded to make a deposit and asked whether the apartment would be ready by the time I moved in—five days later. I was assured that it would be, as its renovation was going to be prioritised.

It is now two weeks since I moved into my new apartment, and it is still not fully ready for occupation.

The day I arrived, the unit was indeed largely ready for habitation, save for minor repairs, which were later completed. However, the apartment had not been cleaned. All the dust and paint residue on the floors and doors from the renovations were still present. Since I had already left my old residence, however, I had no choice but to move in as it was.

Since then, I have had to divide my time between my other commitments and cleaning the apartment. So far, I have managed to clean about 90 per cent of the space.

This rather unpleasant experience got me reflecting on businesses in Uganda and why many seem unable to sustain a consistent clientele that is willing to pay a premium for the products or services offered.

My experience at my new residence mirrors the reality of many businesses where entrepreneurs expect—and feel entitled to—customers’ money simply because they have provided the bare minimum. In my case, the house I had paid for existed. So why should I complain? If you are asking yourself the same question, I wrote this for you.

A friend once said, “Where value is perceived, price becomes irrelevant.” The creation of value is something many business owners in Uganda do not seem to appreciate. How do you move a tenant who has paid three months’ rent in advance into an apartment that has not even been cleaned?

Even indigenous companies with an international presence appear to struggle with this concept of creating value for clients. A case in point is Uganda Airlines, which has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. According to clips shared on social media and articles published recently, several passengers found themselves stranded at Entebbe International Airport, with no aircraft available to transport them and no communication explaining what was going on.

The absence of an aircraft can be excused—such situations occur worldwide. However, the absence of communication is inexcusable. How do you expect people to hand over millions of shillings to your airline if you cannot even send simple notifications about flight cancellations or delays? What would that cost an airline?

Value in a product or service begins with the product or service itself, but it does not end there. That is why we have packaging, customer service, after-sales support, etc., all to create a pleasant experience for the customer. Entrepreneurs need to actively engage their customers and find out what else they can offer, beyond the core product or service, to make the experience pleasant and memorable.

A story is told of a baby powder–making business whose sales had plateaued. The company allegedly conducted market research and could not immediately identify a significant issue with the product itself. Then someone observed something simple but powerful: the holes in the powder shaker were too small. If the holes were made slightly bigger, more powder would come out more easily. So they increased the size of the perforations in the cap.

The result? People used more powder each time, finished the bottle faster, and bought replacements sooner. Sales and profits increased—without changing the formula, price, or advertising.

The guiding question for ascertaining what value you need to create is simple: if there were two businesses offering the same product or service as you do, why would anyone choose yours and not the other?

If there were two identical houses available for me to move into—one cleaned and one not—which one do you think I would have chosen?