Let’s be honest most people don’t actually know why they open their business at 8am and close at 5pm. They just found everyone doing it and said, “Ahh, okay, this must be the correct adulting timetable.”
But have you ever really asked yourself: Why 8? Why 5? Who decided these hours? And why are we still obeying them like commandments written on a granite tablet?
Let’s talk. Let’s unpack this ancient mindset.
THE 8–TO–5 MODEL: BORN IN THE ERA OF SUNLIGHT AND DONKEY CARTS
Back then, before electricity, generators, inverters, and solar panels, people worked using sunlight:
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When the sun rose work started.
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When the sun disappeared everyone went home.
Simple. Logical. Practical.
But here’s the funny part: Decades later, we have electricity, we have Wi-Fi, we have smart homes, we even have 24-hour charging lights… but our business hours are still operating on the “before-electricity” timetable.
It’s like owning a Tesla but insisting on feeding it grass because “that’s how we used to fuel transport.”
THE MORNING MADNESS: WHERE ARE THE SHOPS AT 7AM?
Walk through town at 6am or 7am…
You’ll find:
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People jogging
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People hustling
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Kombis everywhere
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Builders already shouting “Boss, we will finish it today!”
But boutiques? Closed. Fast-food spots? Still snoring. Barbershops? Not even dreaming of opening yet.
Then at 8:15am when they finally open, they start complaining:
“Business is low… customers are few… the economy is tough.”
My friend, you missed 10 hungry customers at 6:30am who just wanted a pie and a drink before work. You missed someone who needed a suit urgently before a meeting. You missed that early-morning shopper who buys quietly but spends seriously.
You are not cursed you’re late.
THE 5PM TRAGEDY: “WE SEE YOU TOMORROW” ECONOMY
At exactly 5pm, businesses close with the same energy school teachers have when closing a class on a Friday.
Doors locked. Gates shut. “SEE YOU TOMORROW” written everywhere.
Meanwhile, someone just knocked off work and needs:
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A shirt
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A shoe
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A meal
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A quick service
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A last-minute purchase
But everything is closed.
And the same shop that closed early will complain tomorrow: “No traffic, no customers, sales are down.”
How can sales go up when you close at the exact time customers are actually available?
THE REAL PROBLEM: WE INHERITED A SYSTEM WE NEVER QUESTIONED
Most businesses were built on the 8-to-5 model because:
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“That’s how everyone does it.”
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“My father did it.”
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“Other shops do it.”
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“We can’t break tradition.”
Let me say this loudly:
Tradition must never be stronger than opportunity.
If the world changes and your shop doesn’t, your shop will attend its own funeral.
WE NEED 24-HOUR HUSTLERS
Look at global business hubs. There are malls open 24 hours. Restaurants open around the clock. Shops that never close. Barbers available at midnight. Delivery services running at 3am.
Why?
Because money doesn’t sleep. Customers don’t move in one shift. Needs don’t follow the sun.
Where are our businesses that operate beyond daylight? Where are the malls that stay open for 24 hours? Where are the service providers who say:
“Call me any time, business never sleeps”?
THE CEO MINDSET: ALWAYS READY, ALWAYS AVAILABLE
If you call a real CEO at 10pm… they pick.
If you send a message at 11pm… they respond.
If you approach them at any hour… they are mentally ready.
Why?
Because hunger doesn’t punch in and punch out. Opportunity doesn’t keep a timetable. Money doesn’t follow 8-to-5 rules.
Salespeople need the same mindset:
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On your way home call clients.
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At 10pm follow up with the busy manager.
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Early morning reach out to prospects before their day gets noisy.
The most dangerous salesperson is the one who is always available.
THE NEW MINDSET: BUSINESS HOURS ARE STRATEGIC, NOT TRADITIONAL
Let’s redefine business:
Open earlier than everyone else Close later than everyone else Be available when others are sleeping Make money while others are following ancient timetables
There is wealth in being available when the world expects you to be closed.
There are customers in the hours people ignore.
There is growth in extending yourself beyond tradition.
FINAL MESSAGE: HUNGRY PEOPLE DON’T FOLLOW THE SUN THEY FOLLOW OPPORTUNITY
If you want extraordinary results… you cannot run your business on ordinary hours.
If you want breakthrough income… you cannot use inherited mentalities.
If you want to stand out… you cannot copy the timetable of those who are struggling.
Be the shop that opens first. Be the service that closes last. Be the entrepreneur that answers anytime. Be the salesperson who follows up when others are sleeping. Be hungry.
Because at the end of the day:
Those who wait for 8-to-5 will only make 8-to-5 money.
If you’re ready to stop running your business on ancient timetables and start operating with a modern, money-making mindset, then this is your sign. Break the 8-to-5 curse. Open earlier. Close later. Follow opportunity, not tradition. For business transformation strategies, sales trainings, or systems that actually make money call or WhatsApp: +263 77 961 9739 | +260 972 936 033 Success rewards the available, not the comfortable.
By The Chartered Vendor
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