C. "BIGGIE" SMALLS

The other day, I came across a short video on social media that stuck with me. It showed society, represented by simple figures, standing on one side of a cliff. Between the cliffs was a gap labeled “9–5 Job for 40 Years,” and on the opposite side stood financial freedom. In the video, people continuously fell into the gap, willingly accepting the norm of working a 9–5 for decades. Then you appear, place a board across the gap, and walk safely to financial freedom. You try to bring others along, but when a random person sees what you’ve built, they kick the board away.

It was only a 14-second clip, but after watching it several times, it made me stop and think: Is society wrong for choosing a 9–5 job for 40 years, or is business creation truly the only path to financial freedom?

Understanding Traditional Employment

According to the Sustainability Dictionary, traditional employment—or the 9–5, refers to a structured, long-term employment relationship in which an individual works for a single employer under a formal contract, performs defined duties under supervision, and receives regular compensation (such as a salary or wage), often with benefits and predictable work hours.

Based on that definition, who would complain about exchanging labor for compensation?

So why do so many people choose to stay in a 9–5 for years or even decades? After doing some research, the answer became clear. Traditional employment provides stability. Employees operate within a defined structure, with fixed schedules, clear roles, and predictable income. For most people, regular compensation matters a lot. After all, who wants to work without getting paid?

Beyond pay, traditional employment offers benefits and protections such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, unemployment insurance, and labor law protections. Just as importantly, employees do not carry the financial risk of owning the business. The trade-off, of course, is limited control over wages, bonuses, and long-term earning potential.

So what are you really getting from a 9–5?

The answer is straightforward: traditional employment prioritizes stability, predictability, and defined expectations, often at the expense of autonomy, scalability, and ownership-based wealth creation.

Why the 9–5 Is Criticized Today

If traditional employment provides all of that, why is it often viewed so negatively?

The truth is, society does not universally label the 9–5 as “bad.” Instead, it has come under increasing criticism in certain cultural, economic, and entrepreneurial circles due to shifting values and lived experiences. This perception is contextual, not absolute. In plain terms, social media and modern media narratives heavily influence how we view work.

After digging deeper, I found six key reasons this narrative has emerged.

1. The Erosion of the Social Contract: Historically, traditional employment promised loyalty in exchange for stability, upward mobility, and retirement security. Over time, that promise weakened. Wage growth has lagged behind productivity, pensions have declined, and layoffs, outsourcing, and automation, including AI, have become more common.
2. Reduced Autonomy and Control: Today’s workforce values flexibility, self-direction, and work-life balance. The 9–5 model, built on fixed schedules and location dependence, often conflicts with those priorities. We all know how strongly younger generations feel about this—no offense intended.
3. Income vs. Wealth Creation: Traditional employment primarily offers income, not ownership. Salaries and promotions have ceilings, and generational wealth is rarely built solely on wages.
4. Visibility Bias and Social Media Influence: Social media amplifies success stories of entrepreneurs, the “escape the 9–5” narrative, and the idea that freedom and wealth equal a luxury lifestyle, while minimizing the risks and failures behind the scenes.
5. Identity and Purpose Misalignment: When work feels transactional, repetitive, or disconnected from personal values, it is labeled as unfulfilling, even if it is stable or necessary. This contributes to the cultural undervaluing of conventional roles and leaves employees feeling disconnected from purpose or identity.
6. Economic Pressure and Burnout: Rising living costs, longer hours, higher performance expectations, stagnant wages, and constant connectivity have pushed many workers toward burnout.

The bottom line is this: the 9–5 is criticized not because it lacks value, but because it no longer guarantees the outcomes it once did. Alternative paths are more visible, and cultural priorities have shifted toward autonomy and ownership. Traditional employment remains a strategic tool, not a moral failing, just one option among many.

The Appeal of Business Creation

Many people dislike the 9–5 because of dissatisfaction with their roles, stagnant pay, limited growth, repetitive work, or the inability to afford the lifestyle they see online. Often, it simply comes down to not being happy.

According to the Sustainability Dictionary, business creation is the process of conceiving, launching, and developing a new enterprise with the intent to deliver value to a market while generating sustainable revenue and long-term ownership-based returns. In practical terms, it means moving from idea to operation to growth, rather than exchanging time solely for wages.

Let’s be honest: who wouldn’t want that?

Business creation is about building an asset, something that can generate income beyond your direct labor, appreciate in value, and potentially be sold, scaled, or passed on. Some core elements include:

1. Opportunity Identification – Recognizing a market need or problem
2. Value Proposition Development – Offering a better or more efficient solution
3. Ownership and Risk Assumption – Trading security for equity and upside
4. Resource Assembly – Securing capital, talent, and systems
5. Execution and Operations – Running the business effectively
6. Scalability and Growth – Increasing results without linear effort

For me, business creation ultimately represents the pursuit of ownership, leverage, and long-term value, while employment focuses on income stability and risk mitigation. That said, in today’s environment, it often seems business creation is driven just as much by status and bragging rights as by strategy.

Final Thoughts

What do I really know? Like most people, I’m exposed daily to the hype of entrepreneurship and the constant criticism of the 9–5, whether someone works it for one year or forty. The truth is simple: do what makes you happy. And if your priorities change, that’s okay. It’s your life, you’re allowed to change direction.