Tip of the week: Set clear opening hours and keep them

Customers value reliability. A shop that is sometimes open and sometimes closed teaches people to go elsewhere. Even a small stall benefits from fixed hours that customers can trust.

Choose hours you can truly keep, based on when customers actually come. Observe a week of traffic and note busy and quiet times.

Display the hours at the door, on your social pages and in your WhatsApp business profile. If you must close early or open late, post a short notice and inform regular customers.

A hair salon in Dodoma that opens at 8 a.m. every day, as announced, will gain loyal early customers such as people going to work.

If you work alone, plan breaks so you do not become tired and unfriendly in the afternoon. Tired service loses sales.

Keep changes for holidays and festivals planned and announced in advance.

This week: write your official opening hours and display them in three places.