This Mindset made me lose $60,000

As-Salaam Alaykum,

Today I want to talk about how I went from having an employee mindset to running what is now a six-figure business.

Back when I was in Canada, I was in university and had a part-time job doing data entry.

I was getting paid $17 CAD an hour.

My job was simple: take receipts and paste the information into an Excel sheet.

And honestly, it was a good job with kind people, Alhamdulilah.

What it taught me was this:

The more hours I worked, the more money I made.

Lol sometimes I’d leave uni a bit earlier or stay longer just to squeeze in a few extra hours so my paycheck would be fatter.

And that mindset works perfectly for a 9-to-5 job.

As an employee, the hours you work directly correlate with the money you make.

And I’m not hating on 9-to-5 jobs at all. They’re a halal source of income and deserve respect.

But here’s where the problem started.

When I came back home and helped start the family business, I carried that exact same mindset with me.

Our business receives hundreds of Receipts every month.

Easily 400–500 Receipts that need to be logged and recorded.

So what did I start doing?

I would sit there and start filling them all into Excel myself.

And in my head, I thought I was being productive.

I thought I was “grinding.”

Because that’s how I earned money before.

Then one day, my uncle saw me drowning in these invoices.

And he said something that completely shifted my thinking.

He looked at me and said something like:

“You can’t be doing this as a business owner. Hire someone to do it.”

That was my aha moment.

I wasn’t thinking like someone running a six-figure business.

I was thinking like a $17/hour employee.

So I hired someone to handle those invoices.

For more than 20 months, I I was doing tasks worth $17 per hour instead of tasks that could increase revenue.

Think about that.

Rather than working on activities that could potentially bring the company an extra $3,000–$10,000 a month, I was doing low-value work someone else could easily handle.

Here’s quick math on how much money I would’ve made:

20 Months x $3,000 = $60,000

I lost $60,000 because of my $17/hour mindset lol.

Note: This calculation is for educational purposes. I’m a believer that Allah is the best of providers.

And if you’re honest, you might be doing the same thing.

Spending time on low-value tasks like:

• Spending hours on emails

• Changing the logo design 5 times

• Endless “team meetings” that you forget about once you reach home

You do work that feels productive…

But doesn’t actually grow your income.

As an Entrepreneur, it’s not about how many hours you work.

It’s about what kind of work you’re doing.

Revenue-generating work is what moves a business forward.

Those are the tasks that grow a company.

Around the same time, I’ve also been growing my Threads writing business.

And I realised something interesting.

The one activity that actually grows that business is writing content that attracts potential clients.

So during Barakah Hours after Fajr, that’s exactly what I focus on.

I write long form Threads whose purpose is to turn viewers into clients.

Because that’s the work that actually brings in opportunities.

Not scrolling for “inspiration“ or changing the font on my Digital Product.

So here’s my advice to you if you’re a business owner, professional, or someone ambitious:

You need to ditch the employee mindset that says:

“More hours = more money.”

That’s true for employees.

But for business owners, the equation is different.

More money comes from revenue-generating tasks.

And the best time to do those tasks?

Right after Fajr.

When the world is quiet.

When distractions are low.

And when Allah has placed barakah in the early morning hours.

Most people try to grow their income by working longer hours.

But Muslims were taught something better.

Barakah.

When you protect the early morning hours, a small amount of work can produce massive results.

That’s the system I break down inside Barakah Flow, where I show you how to structure your mornings so you can get 10 hours of real work done in just 2.

(And earn more $$$ by Allah’s grace)

You can check it out here:

[Barakah Flow Link]

Until next time,

Ali