“Poverty is an attack on the dignity of man.” Dr. Paul Enenche. It has always been my strong believe that poverty is a choice and not by force. If only people can find out opportunities around them and maximize them, they won’t be poor. Below is a list of possible businesses you can start with little or no cash.
- Start your own writing Firm.
Instead of wasting your time on social media writing and posting trash. You can convert your writing skills into wealth. Many people are looking for those who will write business plans, articles, news etc for them. You can search for freelance writing online and get so many people willing to outsource the jobs to you. Most jobs are now outsourced to Philippines, China etc. It’s easy to do from the comfort of your home.
- Vehicle Outsourcing Company
One early morning, I was coming out from my house with my younger brother, in the car, we saw people around Jakande estate gate in Lagos stopping our car and asking us where we were going. Many of them were going to the island and needed to get there quick. The challenge they had was distance and traffic jam with the pick and drop in Lagos.
I started discussing with my brother of having a bus outsourcing company that would pick people from their houses very early in batches and drop them at their places of work. By our estimate you are sure to get back your investment very quick.
Of course I know somebody who outsourced her bus to a school to pick kids, by now she has become richer than she started.
- Livestock Farming
While most young people are running away from farming, others who are wise are taking advantage of this noble profession. Here are reasons why livestock farming is booming: the ban imposed by the federal government of Nigeria with respect to the importation of live or frozen poultry birds has only helped explode the demand. The demand for chicken, Rabbit and other livestock is on the increase. You can start from your small building and grow the quantity it can accommodate. I used to rear chicken as a small boy, the experience was palatable. With adequate knowledge and the patience to nurture this business, you will reap immensely. Rearing livestock is one area, producing the feeds is another area.
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- Poultry Farming – Produce eggs, Meat, hatchery etc
- Fish farming- This is good for you
- Piggery
- Snail Farming
- Quail farming
- Goat and Cattle
- Rabbit
With more research you can find which one suits you.
- Sewing Customized Uniforms
The problem with most Nigerian graduates is that they think that there are jobs made for illiterates. I know a friend who is a graduate and I think with a masters degree who is a tailor. He gets customized materials and sews them and put his name on the shirts. He makes a hell of money from that. He introduces a lot of creativity I his designs that make people think the cloths are imported. There are lots of schools, offices, government organizations you can write proposals on how to customize their shirts and get paid.
- Security Company
Due to the recent problems of the Fulani herdsmen, people are becoming afraid to use the Hausa people (Aboki or Mallam) as their gateman again. Yet they want security guards. As an entrepreneur or investor, you can setup a security guard recruitment or training company, or you can setup an executive protection or bodyguard agency. You can recruit and train security guards for companies and organizations and get paid for it. The security guards are answerable to you and you get a percentage on what each of them are paid.
- Call Center Outsourcing
Do you know that most of the people who take your calls, mails or complaints when you call the customer care are not direct staff of the company? Some of them do not even operate from the premises of the company. They take your calls from anywhere and respond to your questions as thought they work for the company. You can actually outsource for more than one company at once from the comfort of your home.
I work as customer care agent for lots of schools that we have deployed web portals for. When they want to check result or access their portals and find it hard, they us and I answer the call as thought I work in the school. Most enquiries are handled by us.
Most company will prefer to pay you rather than have a staff they pay on monthly basis.
- Start a Recruitment Agency
The Nigerian labour market is becoming saturated with millions of graduates roaming the streets without jobs. There are over 20 million unemployed youths in Nigeria. Most companies are no longer employing full time in-house staff; they now engage the services of recruitment agencies to employ people based on contract basis.
This is how banks hire these days. This strategy is aimed at reducing the cost of doing business by avoiding the cost of conducting a recruitment exercise and also avoiding employee claims and benefits.
So rather than fight the trend, why not profit from it by setting up a recruitment agency and connect jobseekers to their dream jobs. You can also be a corporate executive headhunter and make money poaching competent staff from one company to another.
- ICT and Web Development
Now that the world is going digital, almost all business will soon be operating from the internet. Your knowledge of web design and computer can put you over.
There are so many opportunities in the ICT world, ranging from Mobile app development, web design, software design, project management, Networking, Computer Repair and maintenance. Just be sure somebody will patronize you if you are good enough.
- Day Care Center
With many women now working and having little or no time to take care of their kids, this is another lucrative opportunity for smart people. You can open a good daycare centre where women can safely keep their kids while they go to work daily. There are a lot of daycare centers existing but only a few are providing exceptional services; and parents that cherish their kids are never comfortable leaving their kids in a child care centre whose environment is dirty. If you can come in with exceptional service and creativity, you will make money from this business. You can start from your own house if it’s neat enough.
- Waste Recycling and Disposal
My younger brother has carved a niche for himself in waste recycling. He gets some waste plastic materials and loads them in Lorries to waste recycling companies. He doesn’t have to be the one to pick the waste; he has people who go to dump sites and get large quantities of these materials. All he has to do is to call the driver who conveys these things. He gets paid by the recycling company and he pays his own staff.
