One challenge if you are the sole owner of a small business which is primarily a one man job you don’t have the luxury of being able to keep a station open if you have to leave with someone else. That’s usually when you see those signs at the doors saying “Out for lunch” or “Be Back in thirty minutes”. That usually means a loss in potential customer as a person would go elsewhere. Or the common complaint you hear is that people actually wait for thirty minutes only for the person to not arrive back on time.
It makes you wonder, if you were a solo operator of say a corner store selling basic items, would it not be a better idea to simply have your breaks and meals at the actual store? That’s honestly what I have seen business owners do as they eat their meals behind the counter and when customers interact with them as they just see it as normal. The store gets the sale and the owner technically gets their break too.
Now obviously this wouldn’t work for a large company with hundreds of employees as that would be crazy to see say people on the retail floor all eating their lunch while still actively trying to assist people that need help. But for one man owner shops it seems like a better choice I would think. You can’t really view it like a traditional employee working for a big company. This gives the person more flexibility to adapt as well.