From Exposure to Equity: Knowing the Real Value of Your Business

Too often, entrepreneurs are invited into opportunities with the promise of “exposure” - speaking slots, unpaid collaborations or advisory roles that showcase their talents but rarely translate into financial gain. While visibility is important, exposure alone cannot sustain a business. Real value comes when exposure is converted into equity: ownership, financial reward or tangible growth.

Understanding the difference is critical for any entrepreneur or SME leader.

The Problem With “Exposure”

Many businesses and professionals accept unpaid roles or underpriced contracts in the hope of building networks or credibility. While this can open doors, it often leads to exploitation:

• Time and resources drained without measurable return.

• Ideas leveraged by others who profit, while the contributor is sidelined.

• Value overlooked, leaving businesses trapped in cycles of underpayment.

What Equity Really Means

Equity is about claiming the true worth of your contribution:

• Financial equity: Being paid fairly for services, expertise or products.

• Ownership equity: Securing shares or long-term stake in ventures you help to build.

• Strategic equity: Converting visibility into contracts, procurement opportunities or partnerships.

Equity ensures that your value is not only recognised but rewarded in ways that strengthen your business for the long term.

How to Move From Exposure to Equity

1. Define Your Value Clearly: Be specific about the expertise, product or service you bring to the table. Document it. Price it. Own it.

2. Negotiate Beyond Visibility: Exposure should always be linked to tangible benefit – whether payment, data access, introductions or equity in future revenue.

3. Track Return on Investment: If you accept exposure opportunities, measure outcomes. Did it lead to paying clients, partnerships or growth? If not, reconsider.

4. Know When to Walk Away: If your contribution is repeatedly undervalued, it may be time to step back and refocus on opportunities that match your worth.

Why This Matters in South Africa

For previously marginalised entrepreneurs, undervaluing work is not just a business risk - it perpetuates generational inequities. Transformation policies like B-BBEE create space for SMEs to claim equity in supply chains, but businesses must also assert their own value to fully benefit. Exposure alone cannot undo structural exclusion - equity and ownership can.

My Perspective

I have seen how entrepreneurs exhaust themselves chasing networks and validation, only to realise their worth is being exploited. Exposure has its place, but equity is what builds wealth, resilience and legacy. For African businesses, the future lies in boldly moving from visibility to ownership.

Exposure can open doors, but equity builds businesses. Entrepreneurs who know their worth, price their value and negotiate for equity create sustainable growth instead of short-term visibility.

At Kulima Capital, I support SMEs and leaders in structuring opportunities that turn visibility into tangible, lasting impact. As a world-class African millennial, Masters-level, entrepreneurially experienced female advisor, I help entrepreneurs protect their value, secure equity and design strategies that honour the true worth of their contributions.