Self-employment: Businesses any young Nigerian can easily start
As at Q3 2018, there was about 20.9 million unemployed Nigerians who are within the working-age (15–64). The problem is, we simply are not creating enough jobs fast enough to put these persons (most of whom are youths between the ages of 15–34) to work. This has made many of the people affected (many of whom are graduates) to turn to the easiest solution they can find, which self-employment.
If you are considering self-employment (entrepreneurship), I have put together two easy-to-start businesses that require little to no upfront capital or hard skills, since they are mostly information-based. Below are some businesses that can be started with as little as a smartphone or laptop, confidence, and social skills:
- Car Sales Agent.
This ‘business’ is quite easy to start. It, however, depends on your marketing, social and negotiation skills to maximize the perks of the trade. According to the Lagos State Government, there are at least 20,000 new vehicle registration every month as of 2017, and that’s just Lagos alone. This means you have a lucrative business on your hands. Both the Tokunbo (Foreign-used) and Nigerian-used vehicles will get you the desired profit margins without owning a car lot; the secret is to find the right customer and sell the right car.
To start with, you need a smartphone (with Whatsapp installed), then you will have to sign up on as many Car dealer groups as you can (Talk to any car dealer in your area). The advantage of these groups is that they serve as a platform for aggregating demand and supply of different cars across different geographical locations. That way, you know which cars are available for sale (with pictures and contact details of the dealer) and you can simply contact such dealer and strike a deal, then agree on a commission if you bring a buyer. It works pretty much the same way if you own the direct brief and you need buyers for the car, or if you have a ready buyer who needs a car. For free marketing of the cars, you can explore the Auto section of nairaland.com, jiji.ng and cheki.com.ng
A direct brief is if you are the primary designated agent appointed by the owner to sell his/her car. A direct brief is the most preferred because you get a bigger share in commission, again depending on your negotiation skills.
Kindly note that you might be asked to join any car dealer union/or associations before any of the above is permitted
- Real Estate Agent
Nigeria currently has a housing deficit of 17–20 million units and that number is immediately obvious in a place like Lagos with more than 600,000 people are migrating to the megacity annually. While these are scary figures, it also presents an opportunity for anyone with the right attitude, tools and drive, to cash in and make a fortune while solving this accommodation problem.
When we think of real estate business in Africa’s most populous nation, we often erroneously assume it to be the turf of the high, rich and mighty alone, forgetting that there are different levels in the food chain. Much like the Car dealer gig above, to get started you need a smartphone (with Whatsapp installed), then you will have to sign up on as many estate agent groups as you can (Talk to any estate agents in your area).
For indirect briefs and marketing, you can check all the popular online real estate listing websites like propertypro.ng, nigeriapropertycentre.com and properties section of nairaland.com. Call the displayed numbers and negotiate with them on how much commission if you bring a client that closes.
Chances are, your schoolmates are looking for accommodation in Lagos as they are just settling into real life, they need you to come through.
PS: For the two businesses above, you can as well offer an additional premium service where you help patrons inspect houses or cars based on their brief/criteria, with a trusted expert (e.g a Building engineer or Auto mechanic), you make your professional recommendations and get paid for that service separately.
Also, the good thing about the two businesses is that it can be run concurrently with your job search or any other business.
CAVEAT: This writeup is in no way exhaustive information about getting started with the two businesses listed. A lot more will be involved and you will also discover things not captured here. I do not promise it will be easy. The key is to get started.
I will also write about starting a freelance printing business and all the necessary things needed to get started and thrive.
