Sometimes Flexibility Matters More Than Perfect Business Hours

Running a business rarely fits neatly into a 9–5 schedule.

In an ideal world, every meeting would happen during standard business hours, everyone would be available at the same time, and the day would run exactly as planned. But real life — especially for small businesses — doesn’t always work like that.

Some days everything runs smoothly. Other days, three staff call in sick, a job runs over time, or you end up spending half the day troubleshooting problems you never planned for. Or your me today - dealing with insurance because someone decided to break in and steal tools… so was quite thankful a client rang asking if there was any chance we could reschedule as his day had gone sideways too.

I see it with my clients, and I see it at home too.

My husband runs a business and is on the tools with his team, and some days he’s flat out trying to solve problems, support his team, and keep projects moving. Or install 9 vanities, 6 toilets and 3 laundry tubs because why not. When you’re in the middle of that, stopping everything for a meeting at 2pm just isn’t always realistic.

That’s part of the reason I offer one dedicated late-night meeting slot each week.

It doesn’t work for everyone, and that’s completely fine. Plenty of people prefer to stick to standard business hours, and I respect that. Boundaries are important in business — and I have those too. I’m definitely not someone who wants to be answering the phone at 4am.

But I also know there are a few business owners out there — the ones who are still on-site at the end of the day, running their centre’s or who finally sit down to catch their breath in the evening — who appreciate having another option.

Sometimes that 7:30pm Zoom call is simply the only time the day has space for a proper conversation.

Offering one late meeting a week isn’t about working around the clock. For me - it’s about recognising that some businesses are in the thick of things during the day. They’re managing staff, solving problems, and trying to keep everything moving forward.

If having a conversation in the evening makes it easier for them to get the support they need without adding pressure to their day, then I’m happy to make that work.

Because at the end of the day, good health and safety support should fit around the reality of running a business — not make it harder.